As urban areas expand, agricultural lands become increasingly important habitat for many species. Compared to some types of agricultural land-use, ranchlands provide vast expanses of minimally modified habitat that support many threatened and endangered species. Conservation biologists can promote ecologically sound management approaches by quantifying the effects of agricultural practices on resident species. I examined the effects of pasture management, cattle grazing, and landscape characteristics on both adult and larval treefrogs in a ranchland in south-central Florida. I experimentally determined optimal deployment of artificial treefrog shelters constructed of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe to efficiently sample adult treefrogs (Chapter 1). Seventy-two shelters were hung on oak trees (Quercus virginiana) and cabbage palm trees (Sabal palmetto) with smooth trunks or boots (residual palm fronds), at all possible combinations of three heights (2, 3, and 4 m), four compass directions (N, S, E, and W) and two water levels (with or without 10 cm). Shelter residence was completely dominated by the Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella (N = 65). Significantly fewer H. squirella were found in shelters on palms with boots than on smooth palms or oak trees (0.29 ± 0.21 [mean ± 1 SE hereinafter] versus 1.3 ± 0.21 and 1.1 ± 0.21, respectively), and shelters with water had slightly more H. squirella than those without (1.5 ± 0.19 versus 0.88 ± 0.19, respectively). Orientation and height did not affect the number of treefrogs encountered; thus, the optimal protocol is to deploy shelters on either smooth palms or oak trees, with water, at 2 m height for easy sampling, and in random compass orientations. I used this protocol to sample H. squirella in woodlots surrounding twelve wetlands and examined how time, frog stage and sex, and landscape features influenced treefrog survival, recapture and site fidelity (Chapter 2). I deployed 15 shelters/ha of woodlot within a 100 m buffer around each wetland. I sampled shelters three times during the fall breeding season, removed all shelters to force frogs to overwinter in natural refugia, and replaced shelters for the final spring sampling. During sampling periods, I sexed, measured, and individually marked each frog using visual implant elastomer (VIE) tags. I used Program MARK to build linear models that included either gender group (female, male or juvenile) or life history stage (adult, juvenile) and either time (sampling interval 1, 2, or 3) or season (fall, spring). I used the most informative model as a null model to assess effects of landscape covariates on survival and recapture. Females had higher survival than either males or juveniles, for which estimates were similar (0.867 vs 0.741 and 0.783, respectively). Survival did not vary over time, although there was some support for an effect of season, with lower survival during the final over-wintering period than in the fall intervals (relative variable importance: group = 0.730; stage = 0.134; time = 0.200; season = 0.310). Adults had higher recapture rates than juveniles (average recapture 0.214 vs 0.102), and recapture for both stages varied over time, with highest recapture in sampling interval two (relative variable importance: group = 0.262; stage = 0.514; time = 0.513; season = 0.229). Hyla squirella was extremely site loyal; no individuals moved between sampling sites, and 95% of recaptured individuals were in their original shelter. Strong terrestrial site fidelity calls into question the traditional "ponds as patches" metapopulation view of treefrog population dynamics. Area of woodlot within 250 m was the most important landscape variable in explaining additional variation in both survival and recapture. Frogs had higher survival and lower recapture in larger woodlots, indicating that intact, contiguous woodlots are higher quality habitat than more fragmented woodlots. Neither survival nor recapture varied with wetland grazing treatments or between pasture types. Finally, I experimentally assessed the effects of cattle grazing and pasture management on larval H. squirella. I selected four wetlands: two in semi-natural pastures (SN) and two in intensively managed pastures (IM). One wetland in each pasture type was fenced so that it was released from cattle grazing (R). I collected three clutches of H. squirella eggs (Clutches A, B, and C) and reared tadpoles in the laboratory until Gosner stage 25. In each wetland, I deployed a total of 50 tadpoles from each clutch into 105 L pens constructed of plastic laundry baskets and mesh window screening. Clutch significantly affected tadpole survival, with Clutch A having the highest percent survival, followed by Clutch B and finally Clutch C (41.66, 32.11 - 53.95 [mean, 95% confidence limits hereinafter]; 9.00, 6.76 - 11.88; 2.89, 2.02 - 4.01, respectively). Wetland type also affected survival, with SN wetlands supporting significantly higher survival than IM wetlands (SN-R: 53.95, 32.88 - 88.13; SN-G: 18.95, 11.30 - 31.36 vs IM-R: 7.32, 4.13 - 12.49; IM-G: 1.09, 0.29 - 2.39). Genetic variation in survival confirms the potential for H. squirella to adapt to rangeland management, but extremely low survival of some clutches indicates that few clutches may be able to survive in low quality wetlands, such as IM-G wetlands. Higher survival in SN pasture wetlands suggest this is a superior habitat and future management objectives should conserve semi-natural pastures and limit further modification of intensively managed pastures, including removing woodlots near wetlands.

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Tungmetallsförorenade marker är ett växande problem över hela världen. En del av lösningenär att sanera de kontaminerade områden. Konventionella saneringsmetoder har visat sig varaohållbara för miljön då de leder till en omfattande förstöring av den befintligamarkstrukturen, ett mer hållbart saneringsalternativ är fytoextraktion. Den här studienundersöker hur effektivt senapskål (Eruca sativa) renar förorenad jord från kadmium, arsenikoch bly. Dessutom undersöks hur biomassatillväxten av senapskål påverkas avtungmetallerna. Att studera växtartens toleransnivå gentemot kadmium, arsenik och bly ikombination med växtartens förmåga att ackumulera tungmetallerna är av intresse för attavgöra ifall växtarten lämpar sig för fytoextraktion eller ej. Undersökningen byggde på ettodlingsperiment där senapskål planterades i jord förorenad med 1318 mg/kg kadmium-, 1103mg/kg arsenik- och 2307 mg/kg bly som härstammade från Alsterfors glasbruk i sydöstraSverige. För att genomföra studiens analys och statistiska test planterades senapskål ireferensjord som jämförelsegrupp. Resultatet visade en signifikant skillnad mellansenapskålens biomassatillväxt i de olika jordarna, medelvärdet av plantornas biomassa i denförorenade jorden var 0,33 g och 1,28 g i referensjorden. Dessutom visade resultatet attsenapskål ackumulerade låga halter av alla tre metaller. Utifrån resultatet kan slutsatsen drasatt senapskål inte lämpar sig för fytoextraktion med avseende på biomassatillväxt och upptagav kadmium, arsenik och bly. / Heavy metal contaminated soils are a growing problem worldwide. Part of the solution is todecontaminate the contaminated areas. Conventional decontamination methods have provedto be unsustainable for the environment because of extensive disruption of existing soilstructures. A suitable decontamination alternative is phytoextraction. This study examines theextraction of cadmium, arsenic and lead from contaminated soil using arugula (Eruca sativa).In addition, it is investigated how the biomass growth of arugula is affected by the heavymetals. Studying arugulas’ tolerance level towards cadmium, arsenic and lead in combinationwith its ability to accumulate the heavy metals is of interest in determining whether arugula issuitable for phytoextraction or not. This study was based on a cultivation experiment wherearugulas were planted in soil contaminated with 1318 mg/kg cadmium, 1103 mg/kg arsenicand 2307 mg/kg lead that originated from Alsterfors glassworks in southeastern Sweden. Toperform statistical analysis tests arugulas were planted in reference soil as a comparisongroup. The result showed a significant difference between the biomass growth of the arugulain the different soils, the average biomass value of arugulas in the contaminated soil was0.33g and 1.28g in the reference soil. In addition, the results showed that arugulaaccumulated low levels of all three metals. Based on the results, it can be concluded thatarugulas are not suitable for phytoextraction regarding biomass growth and uptake ofcadmium, arsenic and lead.

This dissertation examines the representation of foreign language in nineteenth-century American travel writing, analyzing how authors conceptualize the act of translation as they address the multilingualism encountered abroad. The three major figures in this study--James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, and Mark Twain--all use moments of cross-cultural contact and transference to theorize the permeability of the language barrier, seeking a mean between the oversimplification of the translator's task and a capitulation to the utter incomprehensibility of the Other. These moments of translation contribute to a complex interplay of not only linguistic but also cultural and economic exchange. Charting the changes in American travel to both the "civilized" world of Europe and the "savage" lands of the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, this project will examine the attitudes of cosmopolitanism and colonialism that distinguished Western from non-Western travel at the beginning of the century and then demonstrate how the once distinct representations of European and non-European languages converge by the century's end, with the result that all kinds of linguistic difference are viewed as either too easily translatable or utterly incomprehensible. Integrating the histories of cosmopolitanism and imperialism, my study of the representation of foreign language in travel writing demonstrates that both the compulsion to translate and a capitulation to incomprehensibility prove equally antagonistic to cultural difference. By mapping the changing conventions of translation through the representative narratives of three canonical figures, "Transnational Translation" traces a shift in American attitudes toward the foreign as the cosmopolitanism of Cooper and Melville transforms into Twain's attitude of both cultural and linguistic nationalism. / English

This study concerns the composition of the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and is part of a scholarly discussion within New Testament studies known as the “Synoptic Problem.” In this study, the composition of the Gospels is considered in light of ancient compositional practice, a field of study within the Synoptic Problem that has grown in popularity in recent decades. It specifically looks at the way that Matthew and Mark and Luke would have moved through their sources or exemplars (source-utilization movement) when they composed, presuming that some sort of direction of dependence is the case. Each of the Simple Solutions is considered in this regard—the Augustinian Hypothesis, the Büsching Hypothesis, the Farrer Hypothesis, the Griesbach Hypothesis, the Lockton Hypothesis, and the Wilke Hypothesis, as well as the Two-Document Hypothesis. It may be presumed some sort of direction of dependence is the case between the Synoptic Gospels, whatever direction this might be, and the form these sources took would have likely been bookrolls (or scrolls). The thesis introduces a neglected factor in Synoptic Problem studies. Whereas historically each Gospel text has been presumed to be a single bookroll, in this study, a multiple-bookroll hypothesis is also tested. Instead of there being one bookroll per Gospel, the possibility that each Gospel was distributed over several bookrolls is also tested. Additionally, the study takes into consideration the role of memory and memory-access of traditions in the process of composition. Several other matters concerning ancient compositional practice is also treated throughout. When the various Hypotheses are examined in terms of how the Gospel-authors would have moved through their texts, in light of a multiple bookroll hypothesis, among other factors, the result seems to favour strongly Lukan Absolute Posteriority (i.e., the Augustinian and Farrer Hypotheses). / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This study concerns the composition of the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and is part of a scholarly discussion within New Testament studies known as the Synoptic Problem. It considers the composition of the Gospels in light of ancient compositional practice. It specifically looks at the way that Matthew and Mark and Luke would have moved through their sources or exemplars during composition (source-utilization movement), according to a number of different hypotheses. Each Gospel may be presumed to have used sources when their authors composed, and the sources would have likely been bookrolls (or scrolls). A number of Hypotheses have been presented over the last two centuries concerning how the Gospels were composed and what direction of dependence that composition took. When these various Hypotheses are examined in terms of how the Gospel-authors would have moved through their texts, the result seems to favour two possibilities above others. Both of these possibilities have it that the author of Luke was the utilizing author of both Matthew and Mark.

Effective delineation and management of stream fish populations requires a thorough knowledge of dispersal patterns, because these patterns affect a number of other demographic rates such as population growth, reproduction, survival, and gene flow. Previous studies of stream fish dispersal patterns have generally established species- and stream-specific home ranges and movement rates, but have largely failed to account for the environmental variables that may cause these parameters to vary. Many fishes occupy a variety of streams across a broad spectrum of ecological conditions, and movement rates (and thus population dynamics) may respond to these environmental gradients. Furthermore, enhanced understanding of the ecological features that induce or impede dispersal will help guide future management of stream channels for population connectivity. To determine the instream features that influence the dispersal patterns of darters, I conducted a spatially intensive mark/recapture study of three darter species in the upper Roanoke River watershed. Logistic regression was used to relate observed inter-riffle movements to gradients in riffle and corridor attributes. During the first study period, habitat area loss and habitat spacing drove dispersal patterns. However, a model developed from these data transferred poorly to the second study period, in which density dependence was a more effective predictor of dispersal. Individual size did not seem to influence the probability of emigration, but did influence the distance traveled following emigration, particularly for the two more specialist species. This finding suggests a size-based dominance hierarchy for habitat selection and occupancy in darters. Predation threat had only a minor effect on the probability of traversing inhospitable corridors, but experimentally introduced structural cover significantly elevated dispersal rates through such corridors. Taken together, results of this study indicate that a complex array of ecological features interact to produce heterogeneity in dispersal rates across the stream landscape. Knowledge of these influences can be used to manage stream channels for dispersal permeability. In addition to field studies, laboratory studies were undertaken to determine the efficacy of visible implant elastomer (VIE) and injectable photonic dye (IPD) for marking darters. No previous studies have rigorously evaluated these marks in darters, and comparisons of the two technologies in any taxa are few. Results of the laboratory study indicated that VIE is preferable to IPD for marking darters, particularly when mark longevity greater than 80 days is desired. Individuals marked with VIE exhibited higher survival and mark retention rates than did individuals marked with IPD. Additionally, VIE mark retention was more consistent across body locations. Retention of both marking technologies was biased by color. My study indicates that the results of tagging efficiency studies are not applicable across taxa, and that pilot studies are necessary prior to field use of marks in previously untested species. / Master of Science

The thesis investigates the concept of trademark dilution under international and regional trademark law, and under the laws of selected jurisdictions; namely, the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa. The investigation includes measures undertaken to prohibit the internet-based dilution of famous marks through the registration of confusingly similar domain names. It is noted that dilution is imprecisely formulated under international trademark treaty law. In fact, the term "dilution" does not appear in international trademark treaties. To fill the gap of international trademark treaties, various policy initiatives, or `soft law' have been developed, which to some extent clarify both the concept of dilution, the type of mark protected from dilution, and the scope of such protection. The problem is that the policy initiatives are non-binding on States, so that different States have adopted different common law and statutory approaches to the protection of marks against dilution. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that the European Union and its Member States provide protection from dilution to "marks with a reputation", while the United States of America provides such protection only to "famous" marks, and the Republic of South Africa protects "marks which are well-known in the Republic" from dilution. The thesis analyses the protection granted in these jurisdictions, to determine the similarities and differences of approach, and to make appropriate law reform proposals to achieve uniformity of protection. In the final analysis, it is concluded that the burden of enforcing dilution provisions rest on the judiciary. This being so, the judiciary is urged to engage in a balancing exercise in deciding dilution cases. The courts should recognize that dilution provisions are powerful tools at the disposal of owners of trademarks with advertising value. At the same time, the courts should be steadfast in ensuring that protection from dilution does not stultify freedom of trade, or create absolute monopolies or a form of copyright in a trademark. / Jurisprudence / LL.D.

The thesis investigates the concept of trademark dilution under international and regional trademark law, and under the laws of selected jurisdictions; namely, the United States of America, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Republic of South Africa. The investigation includes measures undertaken to prohibit the internet-based dilution of famous marks through the registration of confusingly similar domain names. It is noted that dilution is imprecisely formulated under international trademark treaty law. In fact, the term "dilution" does not appear in international trademark treaties. To fill the gap of international trademark treaties, various policy initiatives, or `soft law' have been developed, which to some extent clarify both the concept of dilution, the type of mark protected from dilution, and the scope of such protection. The problem is that the policy initiatives are non-binding on States, so that different States have adopted different common law and statutory approaches to the protection of marks against dilution. This is demonstrated, for example, by the fact that the European Union and its Member States provide protection from dilution to "marks with a reputation", while the United States of America provides such protection only to "famous" marks, and the Republic of South Africa protects "marks which are well-known in the Republic" from dilution. The thesis analyses the protection granted in these jurisdictions, to determine the similarities and differences of approach, and to make appropriate law reform proposals to achieve uniformity of protection. In the final analysis, it is concluded that the burden of enforcing dilution provisions rest on the judiciary. This being so, the judiciary is urged to engage in a balancing exercise in deciding dilution cases. The courts should recognize that dilution provisions are powerful tools at the disposal of owners of trademarks with advertising value. At the same time, the courts should be steadfast in ensuring that protection from dilution does not stultify freedom of trade, or create absolute monopolies or a form of copyright in a trademark. / Jurisprudence / LL.D.