This dissertation focuses on possible ways of creating employment for local people through cultural tourism. One of the major problems experienced in KwaZulu-Natal is the high rate of unemployment. The dissertation focuses on the potential of cultural tourism as both a drawcard for visitors to South Africa as well as a means to alleviate poverty in the province. Since the concept of cultural tourism is fairly new to South Africa, the various concepts linked to the topic are outlined and defined at the outset before an hypothesis is stated. The dissertation investigates the successes generated by cultural tourism in other developing parts of the world before attempting to apply it to case studies in the Durban area. This allows for comparisons and makes one attentive to lessons to be learned when developing cultural tourism attractions in Durban. The advantages and disadvantages of the external case studies are outlined and recommendations for the development of local case studies are discussed. Each of the Durban case studies is introduced and a detailed analyses of its potential for cultural tourism is provided. Part of the contribution towards the potential that these case studies have for cultural tourism development is the fact that South Africa has a strong political history. It was therefore apt to include an account of SA’s political progress in the study. The dissertation then proceeds onto discussing findings after interviews with relevant parties aligned to the chosen case studies were conducted. This allowed for suggestions and recommendations on how to proceed towards achieving well developed community driven, cultural tourism projects. / Dissertation (MHCS)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Historical and Heritage Studies / unrestricted

Equisetum giganteum L., a giant horsetail, is one of the largest living members of an ancient group of non-flowering plants with a history extending back 377 million years. Its hollow upright stems grow to over 5 m in height. Equisetum giganteum occupies a wide range of habitats in southern South America. Colonies of this horsetail occupy large areas of the Atacama river valleys, including those with sufficiently high groundwater salinity to significantly reduce floristic diversity. The purpose of this research was to study the ecophysiological and biomechanical properties that allow E. giganteum to successfully colonize a range of habitats, varying in salinity and exposure. Stem ecophysiological behavior was measured via steady state porometry (stomatal conductance), thermocouple psychrometry (water potential), chlorophyll fluorescence, and ion specific electrodes (xylem fluid solutes). Stem biomechanical properties were measured via a 3-point bending apparatus and cross sectional imaging. Equisetum giganteum stems exhibit mechanical characteristics of semi-self-supporting plants, requiring mutual support or support of other vegetation when they grow tall. The mean elastic moduli (4.3 Chile, 4.0 Argentina) of E. giganteum in South America is by far the largest measured in any living horsetail. Stomatal behavior of E. giganteum is consistent with that of typical C3 vascular plants, although absolute values of maximum late morning stomatal conductance are very low in comparison to typical plants from mesic habitats. The internode stomata exhibit strong light response. However, the environmental sensitivity of stomatal conductance appeared less in young developing stems, possibly due to higher cuticular conductance. Exclusion of sodium (Na) and preferential accumulation of potassium (K) at the root level appears to be the key mechanism of salinity tolerance in E. giganteum. Overall stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence were little affected by salinity, ranging from very low levels up to half strength seawater. This suggests a high degree of salinity stress tolerance. The capacity of E. giganteum to adapt to a wide variety of environments in southern South America has allowed it to thrive despite tremendous environmental changes during their long tenure on Earth.

The self-potential method responds to the electrokinetic phenomenon of streaming potential and has been applied in hydrogeologic and engineering investigations to aid in the evaluation of subsurface hydraulic conditions. Of specific interest is the application of the method to embankment dam seepage monitoring and detection. This demands a quantitative interpretation of seepage conditions from the geophysical data. To enable the study of variably saturated flow problems of complicated geometry, a three-dimensional finite volume algorithm is developed to evaluate the self-potential distribution resulting from subsurface fluid flow. The algorithm explicitly calculates the distribution of streaming current sources and solves for the self-potential given a model of hydraulic head and prescribed distributions of the streaming current cross-coupling conductivity and electrical resistivity. A new laboratory apparatus is developed to measure the streaming potential coupling coefficient and resistivity in unconsolidated soil samples. Measuring both of these parameters on the same sample under the same conditions enables us to properly characterize the streaming current cross-coupling conductivity coefficient. I present the results of a laboratory investigation to study the influence of soil and fluid parameters on the cross-coupling coefficient, and characterize this property for representative well-graded embankment soils. The streaming potential signals associated with preferential seepage through the core of a synthetic embankment dam model are studied using the forward modelling algorithm and measured electrical properties to assess the sensitivity of the self-potential method in detecting internal erosion. Maximum self-potential anomalies are shown to be linked to large localized hydraulic gradients that develop in response to piping, prior to any detectable increase in seepage flow through the dam. A linear inversion algorithm is developed to evaluate the three-dimensional distribution of hydraulic head from self-potential data, given a known distribution of the cross-coupling coefficient and electrical resistivity. The inverse problem is solved by minimizing an objective function, which consists of a data misfit that accounts for measurement error and a model objective function that incorporates a priori information. The algorithm is suitable for saturated flow problems or where the position of the phreatic surface is known. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

Forest rings are large features common in Ontario’s boreal forests that comprise circular topographic depressions in carbonate mineral soil that are filled with peat. This thesis documents differences in peat and soil chemistry along transects across the “Bean” and “Thorn North” rings, which are centered on accumulations of CH4 and H2S, respectively. Within the mineral soil, ring edges are characterized by strong negative anomalies in pH, ORP and carbonate, as well as positive anomalies of Al, Fe and Mn in the results of aqua regia and hydroxylamine-hydrochloride digestions. Within the peat, positive carbonate and pH anomalies are recorded. This antithetic relationship suggests vertical migration of carbonate species from clay to peat. An inverse relationship exists between ORP, versus redox inferred from aqua regia. Strong ORP lows occur where oxidized products show highest concentrations. This is interpreted to reflect the proliferation of autotrophic organisms occupying the strong redox gradient at the ring edge.

Investigations into the cognitive effects of tobacco smoking have generally focused on nicotine and its effect on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the brain. However, it is now known that chronic smokers exhibit robust inhibition of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzyme through the actions of non-nicotine components in tobacco smoke. Therefore, the primary aim of this thesis is to elucidate the effects of nicotine and MAO-inhibition on electroencephalographic (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP) measures of cognition. 24 healthy nonsmoking males were administered 75 mg of moclobemide, and chewed 6 mg nicotine gum, in order to simulate the effects of acute smoking. Four experimental conditions included placebo, nicotine, moclobemide, and a combination of nicotine and moclobemide. Early auditory ERPs were used as measures of cognition, such as the auditory P50 sensory gating paired-stimulus paradigm, the acoustic-change-elicited mismatch-negativity (MMN), the novel sound-elicited P3a, and the target sound-elicited P3b. Three minutes of eyes closed EEG were also recorded. Because these ERPs are often identified as biomarkers for schizophrenia, drug effects were also measured after individuals were stratified for low-baseline amplitude of each ERP measure, as a laboratory model of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Overall results showed a synergistic improvement in sensory gating via nicotine combined with moclobemide, accompanied by a reduction in theta band power. Nicotine in the absence of moclobemide increased P3b amplitude, accompanied by an increase in alpha2 band power. Moclobemide in the absence of nicotine increased P3a amplitude, accompanied by a decrease in beta2 power. Stratifying participants by placebo amplitude revealed both nicotine and moclobemide exhibited an inverted-U pattern of effect, i.e. showing greater amplitude increases in individuals with the lowest baseline amplitudes. Overall, this thesis demonstrates how these two components of tobacco smoke affect different facets of auditory processing in different ways, with synergistic effects in some paradigms but antagonizing effects in others. Therefore, chronic smokers and schizophrenia patients who seek transient cognitive improvement through smoking may actually experience cognitive detriments overall, possibly contributing to withdrawal symptoms and/or an exacerbation of already-present psychiatric symptoms.

The main goal of the diploma thesis is creating a draft of an information strategy for Junák -- Association Scouts and Guides CZ. The organization is a Czech NGO, focused on education of children and young people. For both these main activities and also administrative, economical and other areas, it uses IS/ICT resources. Mainly due to a lack of coordination in their past development, in many fields these don't allow the organization to work efficiently and use the current potential of IS/ICT. This leads to diminishing of the organization's competitiveness. The thesis tries to bring such a strategy, that the organization could use even in the case it needs to be modified accordingly to its priorities. The thesis tries to reach the creation of the draft through a number of steps. Following the brief description of the organization, the thesis introduces basic terms and attitudes towards the IS/ICT governance. In order to identify both weaknesses and future potential, it thoroughly describes and analyzes the current IS/ICT projects currently in use in the organization. With partial use of the "potential of improvement" method, it states reasonable degree of efficiency improvement in various key activities. Great amount of focus is being spent on proposals of new projects, that could lead the organization to efficiency or raising its competitiveness through making the most of current trends in IS/ICT. Major projects are put together out of the proposals as well as the method of their evaluation in relation to the strategic priorities of the organization. Finally, the information strategy is defined. Author's main contribution is in his capability to point out new solutions which could help to improve non-optimal processes in a way, that makes use of current potential of IS/ICT. Using his experience from both the organization itself and the IS/ICT field, he tries to create modern, tailor-made information strategy.

The goal of this thesis is to estimate potential output of the economy of the Czech Republic from 1999 to 2011. In the first chapter I focus on description of the overall product of the economy, introduction and definition, mostly NAIRU approach, of the potential output and several approaches to estimate potential output. Production function is analysed in the following chapter from econometric as well as economic perspective. The most important properties of the production functions are also described in this chapter. In the end of the second chapter I deal with three most common types of production function. Estimated values of the variables in the production function including the value of the potential output of the Czech economy and relevant interpretations are presented in the last chapter of this thesis.

The full text of this thesis/dissertation is not available online. Please <a href="mailto:upetd@up.ac.za">contact us</a> if you need access. Read the abstract in the section 00front of this document. / Dissertation (MSc (Medical Immunology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Immunology / unrestricted

The threatening impacts of climate change are driving a global revolution towards cleaner sources of energy. In South Africa, strategies for energy security and emissions reduction are focusing on renewables, wind energy being one of the most promising ones. The construction of wind energy projects has attached limitations in the identification of suitable areas that respect the environment and are technically feasible. Herein, site selection criteria has been grouped into the Site Identification group (SIG), and the Resource & Energy Generation group (R&E). The SIG incorporates technical, environmental and restricted criteria within a spatial frame; while R&E accounts for the wind resource, estimated energy generation and fitting to energy demand profiles under a spatial-temporal frame. The average wind resource is usually found to be analysed together within the technical factors to determine the feasibility of a site; however for this study, a different and independent treatment of the wind resource and its energy generation profile was undertaken. It consists of evaluating the unique hourly wind power profile of each site against the energy consumption profile for the same period. The need is for selecting places with the smallest variation between the electricity produced and the electricity demanded. The Production to Demand Difference (PDD) has been chosen as the indicator of such variations. Therefore, the new purpose is to identify spots where the combination of the PDD and the results from the SIG become smaller with time. The Mean Difference (MD) is also taken into account to obtain further information regarding the trends of the differences. Geoprocessing, overlays and mathematical combinations of datasets are all performed under a GIS environment. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / tm2015 / Chemical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2016-04-15T15:44:21Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DEFESA final.pdf: 1491112 bytes, checksum: 89527843dec44e6b139fde377f1bfe4e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T15:44:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) DEFESA final.pdf: 1491112 bytes, checksum: 89527843dec44e6b139fde377f1bfe4e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-31 / CNPQ / A biomonitoração do ar pode utilizar organismos que têm estreita relação ecofisiológica com a atmosfera e alto grau de acumulação de elementos estáveis e/ou instáveis. Dentro deste tema, as plantas epífitas têm sido amplamente utilizadas como biomonitores, sendo consideradas ferramentas eficientes na avaliação de deposição atmosférica. Contudo, não se tem estudos que evidenciem a eficiência de acumulação de 210Pb na espécie T. recurvata L. Com base nisto, o presente trabalho avaliou a aplicabilidade da Tilandsia recurvata L. para determinação do 210Pb, investigando o potencial de acumulação deste biomonitor em condições laboratoriais e quando exposto em uma região com níveis de radioatividade natural significativos, como é o caso da região de Paulista e Igarassu. Estes municípios estão inseridos na região urano-fosfática do Nordeste brasileiro. As espécies de T. recurvata L. foram coletadas, tratadas e acondicionadas em bolsas de náilon e separadas, posteriormente, para a realização dos dois experimentos. O experimento em laboratório consistiu na avaliação do potencial de acumulação de 210Pb pela T. recurvata L., onde os biomonitores foram acondicionados em recipientes com cúpula transparente e levados à casa de vegetação, e sob condições naturais foram submetidos a níveis controlados de exposição ao radionuclídeo em questão. O outro experimento baseou-se na instalação das espécies em pontos selecionados para monitoração em campo, nos municípios de Paulista e Igarassu. Após o término de exposição, as amostras foram secas em estufa, maceradas, dissolvidas e levadas às análises radioquímicas para determinação de 210Pb. A concentração de atividade de 210Pb para cada amostra foi medida em um detector proporcional de fluxo gasoso. Os resultados obtidos com este trabalho confirmam a importância da espécie Tillandsia recurvata L. como ferramenta para o estudo da biomonitoração do 210Pb, por apresentar respostas mensuráveis, configurando-se a eficácia dessa espécie como bioparâmetro de análise para o diagnóstico de 210Pb atmosférico, além de ser o primeiro resultado de biomonitoração ativa da dispersão de 210Pb, em condições laboratoriais e nas regiões de monitoração. / The air biomonitoring can be carried out using organisms having a close relation ecophysiologic with the atmosphere and a high degree of accumulation of stable and / or unstable elements. Within this theme, the epiphytic plants have been widely used as biomonitors, considering efficient tools in the evaluation of atmospheric deposition. However, do not have studies that show the 210Pb accumulation efficiency in the species T. recurvata L. Based on this, the present study evaluated the applicability of Tilandsia recurvata L. for determining the 210Pb, investigating the potential to accumulate in this biomonitor conditions laboratory and when exposed in a region with significant levels of natural radioactivity, as is the case of Sao Paulo and Igarassu region. These municipalities and are inserted into furan-phosphate region of Northeast Brazil.The T. recurvata L. species were collected, processed and packed in nylon bags and separated later to carry out the two experiments. The laboratory experiment was to evaluate 210Pb accumulation potential by T. recurvata L. where biomonitors were acondicion in containers with transparent dome and taken to a greenhouse and under natural conditions were subjected to controlled levels of exposure to radionuclide in question. The other experiment was based on the installation of samples at selected points for field monitoring in the municipalities of São Paulo and Igarassu. After the end of exposure, the samples were oven dried, macerated, dissolved and brought to radiochemical analysis for determination of 210Pb. The concentration of 210Pb activity for each sample was measured in a gas flow proportional detector. The results of this study confirm the importance of the species Tillandsia recurvata L. as a tool for the study of biomonitoring of 210Pb, by presenting measurable responses, setting the efficacy of these species as bioparameter analysis for diagnosis of atmospheric 210Pb, and be the result of the first active biomonitoring of 210Pb dispersion in laboratory conditions and in the monitoring regions.