Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Geology, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-199).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, August, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1993. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [131]-137).

Thesis (Master of Science)--Miami University, Dept. of Geology, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains [1], v, 76 p. : ill. Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-50).

Thesis (doctoral)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2004 / Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-252)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Colorado. / Title from t.p. image (viewed Feb. 20, 2009). Publication No. AAT 6913399. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Natural vegetation and wetlands in regions of the Western Cape are being replaced by agricultural development. Previous studies on one such region - the Koue Bokkeveld, a high mountainous region at the source of three major drainage basins, demarcated for study purposes to cover nearly 2500 km2, have failed to provide a comprehensive overview of such change and its landscape outcomes. This research aimed to detect, capture, record and classify the spatial nature, extent and change dynamics of various landscape elements and functions due to change in the land cover of this region. It assembled a comprehensive spatial database by digitising existing maps, aerial photograph mosaics and satellite imagery. Land cover maps were created for three historical and land cover change analyses were performed for the interim periods. Morphological landscape images were derived from a DEM and used to explain and interpret the location of land cover types and trends in change patterns. The effects on three landscape functions were determined, namely modelled run-off production, biodiversity deduced from landscape pattern structure and SANBI ratings, and carbon storage potential based on published figures. The research found that the regional landscape has undergone substantive land cover change , since the reference state. Increased intensity and productivity of agriculture and its related infrastructure increased its coverage to nearly 45 000 ha or 20 % of the total area. Perennial agriculture (nearly 10 000 ha of orchards and plantations) and annual (intensive vegetable growing and diminishing cereal crops) agriculture, accompanied by improved enabling infrastructure, such as irrigation technology (large storage dams, pipelines, micro delivery modes), transportation, roads, product cooling and packing plants, have extensively replaced natural vegetation. Located in valley bottoms and along toe-slope locations, where they compete for space directly with expanding and constantly intensifying agricultural activities, wetlands, shale fynbos and renosterveld face complete replacement. Land use and land cover changes have profoundly affected landscape functioning. Modelled rainfall run-off has increased (2% overall) in most subregions, opening possibilities for sedimentation and erosion. A high degree of fragmentation of the vulnerable and affected vegetation types threatens biodiversity. Increased carbon storage in perennial agriculture offers a benefit of change, as opposed to the negative outcomes on biodiversity of change in the Koue Bokkeveld. The research recommends improved institutional provision of the data required for system and regional modelling of processes like run-off in developing communities and for meeting the requirements of more sophisticated and accurate landscape models. Improved availability and appropriateness of GIT software solutions to conduct regional research and the use of more economical open software for GIS applications are to be encouraged. Ongoing and improved management and control are advocated for the expanding and intensified agriculture in a sensitive fynbos setting and for the maintenance of healthy landscape functioning. Concerning the discipline of geography, the exploitation of landscape functioning as a transdisciplinary focus inherent to a new regional geography is encouraged to arrest disciplinary drift. Specifically, future research should intensify the examination of the linkages between land use, land cover, change and ecological landscape functioning. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Natuurlike plantegroei en vleilande in substreke van die Wes-Kaap word voortdurend vervang deur landbou-ontwikkeling. Vorige studies oor een so 'n streek - die Koue Bokkeveld, 'n hoogliggende bergagtige streek op die oorsprong van drie groot dreineerbekkens, wat afgebaken vir studie-doeleindes byna 2500 km2 dek  bied geen omvattende oorsig van sodanige verandering en die landskapsuitkomste daarvan nie. Hierdie navorsing was daarop gemik om die ruimtelike aard, omvang en veranderingsdinamika van verskillende landskapselemente en -funksies as gevolg van die verandering van grondbedekking van hierdie streek na te spoor, op te teken en te klassifiseer. 'n Omvattende ruimtelike databasis is saamgestel uit versyferde bestaande kaarte, lugfoto-mosaïeke en satellietbeelde. Grondbedekkingskaarte vir drie historiese tydsnitte is geskep en verandering oor die tussentydse periode is ontleed. Morfologiese landskapselemente is uit 'n DEM onttrek en gebruik om die patroon van grondbedekking en tendense in veranderingspatrone te verklaar en te verduidelik. Die nagevolge op drie landskapsfunksies, naamlik reënval-afloop produksie, biodiversiteit soos afgelei van die landskap se patroonstruktuur en SANBI graderings, en koolstof-opgaringspotensiaal gebaseer op gepubliseerde syfers, is bepaal. Die navorsing het bevind dat die streekslandskap sedert die vroegste verwysingstaat wesenlike grondbedekkingsverandering ondergaan het. Verhoogde intensiteit en produktiwiteit van die landbou en sy verwante infrastruktuur het die dekking daarvan vergroot tot byna 45 000 ha of 20% van die totale oppervlakte. Permanente (nagenoeg 10 000 ha boorde en plantasies) en jaarlikse (intensiewe groente en dalende graangewas verbouing) landbou, saam met verbeterde infrastruktuur, soos besproeiingstegnologie (groot opgaardamme, pypleidings, mikroleweringstoerusting), vervoer, paaie, produkverkoeling en -verpakkingsgeriewe, het natuurlike plantegroei grootskaals vervang. Geleë in valleivloere en aanliggende heuwelhange, waar hulle direk om ruimte meeding met die uitbreidende en voortdurend intensiferende landbou-aktiwiteite, is vleilande, skalie-fynbos en renosterveld onderhewig aan volledige vervanging. Grondgebruik- en bedekkingsverandering raak landskapsfunksionering wesenlik. Gemodelleerde reënvalafloop het toegeneem (2% in totaal) in die meeste substreke en vergroot so die moontlikhede vir sedimentasie en erosie. ‘n Hoë vlak van landskapsfragmentasie in die kwesbare en geaffekteerde plantegroeitipes bedreig biodiversiteit. Verhoogde koolstofopgaring in meerjarige landbougewasse impliseer wel 'n positiewe opbrengs van grondbedekkingsverandering, in teenstelling tot die negatiewe biodiversiteitsuitkomste van verandering in die Koue Bokkeveld. Die navorsing beveel aan dat institusionele voorsiening van data wat benodig word vir stelsel- en prosesmodellering (bv. reënvalafloop) in ontwikkelende gemeenskappe, en die vereistes van meer gesofistikeerde en akkurate landskapsmodelle, verbeter word. Die beskikbaarheid en geskiktheid van GIT sagteware-oplossings vir streeksnavorsing, en die gebruik van meer ekonomiese oop-programmatuur vir GIS-toepassings, word aangemoedig. Vir praktiese doeleindes word deurlopend-verbeterde bestuur en beheer oor die uitbreiding en intensifering van van landbou in 'n sensitiewe fynbosomgewing en die instandhouding van gesonde landskapsfunksionering bepleit. Met betrekking tot die dissipline van geografie, moedig die navorsing die ontginning van die landskap se funksionering as 'n transdissiplinêre fokus inherent aan 'n nuwe tipe streeksgeografie aan, om dissiplinêre uiteenloping te stuit. Toekomstige navorsing kan spesifiek die ondersoek van die skakels tussen grondgebruik, grondbedekking, verandering en ekologiese landskapsfunksionering verskerp.

A founder population of lion (Panthera Leo) was introduced into a 70 km² privately-owned, wildlife reserve in the Waterberg area of South Africa. The lion and prey species' populations were monitored between 2001 and 2004. In this period, 452 kills were recorded at a mean kill rate of one kill every 2.43 days. The lions killed 11 common prey species. Eland, warthog, kudu, wildebeest and zebra comprised 75 % of the lion's diet. The lions consumed an average of 8 % of the available common prey species population per annum. Initially, the mean ungulate population growth rate was 30.9 %, but this rate declined to -0.8 % during the study period. Significantly more animals were killed in open habitats than in closed habitats. The loss in game value for the study period was over one million Rand. A formula was compiled to quantify the cost versus return aspects of introducing lion. / Nature Conservation / M. Tech. (Nature Conservation)

Submitted by Maykon Nascimento (maykon.albani@hotmail.com) on 2016-06-06T21:04:44Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) ´Dissertacao Nadia Cardoso Moreira.pdf: 10364157 bytes, checksum: 89c12de504caaa9949b31836792cad54 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Patricia Barros (patricia.barros@ufes.br) on 2017-05-10T12:27:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 ´Dissertacao Nadia Cardoso Moreira.pdf: 10364157 bytes, checksum: 89c12de504caaa9949b31836792cad54 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-10T12:27:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 ´Dissertacao Nadia Cardoso Moreira.pdf: 10364157 bytes, checksum: 89c12de504caaa9949b31836792cad54 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / CAPES / O problema de Superfícies Mínimas surgiu a partir do estudo do Cálculo de Variações com o significado de ser a superfície regular de menor área dentre aquelas que definem um bordo específico. Este problema foi proposto por Lagrange em 1760 e é chamado de Problema de Plateau devido aos estudos experimentais do físico Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau. Esta dissertação propõe uma solução numérica para uma versão discreta do Problema de Plateau a partir do método proposto por Pinkall e Polthier. Do ponto de vista discreto, as superfícies são complexos simpliciais com certas restrições e usaremos os conceitos de Energia de Dirichlet sobre aplicações que possuem superfícies trianguladas como domínio a fim de obter um algoritmo matematicamente consistente para obter uma superfície mínima dado um determinado bordo. / The Minimal Surfaces problem emerged from the study of the Calculus of Variations with the meaning of being a regular surface of smallest area among those that set a specific boundary. This problem was proposed by Lagrange in 1760 and is called the Plateau Problem due to experimental studies of the physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau. This work proposes a numerical solution to a discrete version of the Plateau Problem from the proposed method by Pinkall and Polthier. Of the discrete viewpoint case, surfaces are simplicial complexes with certain restrictions and we use the concepts of Dirichlet Energy over applications that have triangulated surfaces as domain in order to developed a mathematically consistent algorithm to obtain a minimum surface given a boundary.

Geophysical investigation of the subsurface through seismic refraction and reflection methods provides an efficient and non-invasive means towards addressing geologic problems across multiple scales. Both seismic techniques, in an active-source exploration setting, involve inducing acoustic waves into the subsurface and measuring their propagation velocities and amplitudes. These measurements have physically-based relationships with the properties of the underlying strata, thus allowing changes in the seismic measurements to be interpreted with respect to changes in the subsurface geology. Two applications of the seismic method are presented in this dissertation: (1) shallow seismic refraction acquisition and processing applied to the near-surface investigations of soil and regolith, which constitute the Critical Zone (CZ), beneath the upland hillslopes of the Valles Caldera, New Mexico; (2) interpretation of 2-D and 3-D marine seismic reflection data that image the upper 10-km of the crust beneath the Southern Guinea Plateau, offshore Guinea, West Africa. In both cases, the seismic data provide necessary constraints for the generation of accurate subsurface models that permit further geophysical modeling. The near-surface results, presented in Appendix A, provided a rich dataset of weathered thicknesses across hillslopes that supported an investigation of potential relationships between CZ geologic architecture and topographic attributes. Quantified relationships suggest that calibrated predictions based on the topography can provide first-order estimates of regolith thickness across upland landscapes. These results add to the ongoing CZ-science endeavor to understand proposed links between subsurface weathering processes and their surface expressions. In Appendix B, interpretations of high-resolution 3-D seismic data have illuminated deformational structures associated with Mesozoic rifting of the Southern Guinea Plateau. The interpretations were expanded onto regional 2-D seismic profiles, permitting a regional synthesis of the southern margin’s structural evolution. Additional tectonic subsidence and forward-gravity modeling highlight the influence of Jurassic rifting on the Southern Guinea Plateau prior to Early-Cretaceous rifting and separation, as well as crustal thickness estimates from the continental shelf out towards oceanic crust. Lastly, the Guinea-Demerara conjugate plateaus, and their associated deformations, were restored to 100 Ma, revealing an apparent upper-crustal asymmetry between the two margins. Appendix C presents two seismic-exploration methodologies based on 3-D seismic reflection data: (1) the calculation and interpretation of two co-rendered volumetric seismic attributes – most-positive curvature and semblance; (2) numerically modeling the tectonic subsidence of an entire 3-D seismic survey. Both techniques are used to address the inherent difficulty in interpreting the extent to which Jurassic rifting affected the Southern Guinea Plateau. Furthermore, the numerical model of subsidence provides a new exploration technique towards qualitatively and quantitatively assisting in the assessment of potential hydrocarbon-bearing basins.