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Thesis (M. A. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / This study examines how democracy is represented in Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola (LNN) using two qualitative content analysis methods: the social semiotic approach and thematic analysis. It is based on the assumption that representation in media serves to influence how viewers draw meaning from, and understand the political process and political issues in South Africa. Literature on what constitutes parody, the meaning of representation and democracy, and the functions of the media in a democracy was reviewed. Four media theories which are agenda-setting and priming; framing theory, social responsibility theory and democratic deliberative theory formed the theoretical framework for this study. The qualitative approach using a case study design as well as focus groups proved to be a useful tool for two reasons: it enabled the researcher to penetrate the deeper layers of the messages contained in the text in order to come to an understanding of how LNN represents democracy; and it enabled the researcher to understand how viewers engage with and understand democracy through watching LNN.

<p>While there has been much helpful commentary on Richard Wilbur's work, inadequate attention has been given to the individual words and phrases which are vital to the entirety of each poem. Critics tend either to propose very specific but limited views of Wilbur's intentions and techniques or to give somewhat sketchy analyses of the individual poems. In this thesis, I have attempted to deal with the bulk and variety of Wilbur's poetic output, especially points of interest and difficulty which critics overlook or tend to skim past.</p> <p>The five themes discussed in this thesis are related to Wilbur's idea of happiness. A happy poet does justice to the world he perceives. The "world" that Wilbur is concerned with includes the "Republic of Letters," the world of phenomena, and the world of human experiences. An artist continues and modifies his literary tradition and tries to shape the protean diversity of human consciousness. True "happiness" can only be gained through self exposure to life's endless contradictions and through maintaining a balance between the artist's conflicting responses to these contradictions.</p> <p>One of the many contradictions is the conflict between human vision and the multifarious world. Wilbur attempts to show that physical vision is allied to moral vision. The poet also tries to articulate a compromise between the scientific and the artistic modes of perception. Through vision, man may achieve a reciprocal relationship with the world. A poet's vision is to discover the cosmic harmony beneath the apparently fragmented world and, as in a kaleidoscope, to arrange a design which holds the disparate images together.</p> <p>Wilbur's mundane commitments counterbalance his spiritual yearnings. His remarks about Robert Frost's Apple-picker--who 11 has climbed not to heaven but toward it, seeking perfection in a finite task11 --provide the key to the understanding of Wilbur's work in general. Corresponding to the rival claims of spirituality and corporeality, the structure of poems on this topic--and many of Wilbur's poems--is dialectical. The arrangement of the arguments is usually a juxtaposition of the thesis against the antithesis, followed by a synthesis. This dialectical format of ideas can be divided into three categories: polarities and counterpoint, dialogues, and narratives of dilemma.</p> <p>Another rivalry is that between art and reality. Naked reality motivates the artist to metaphor, and he gives reality form and pattern. The difficulty of this relation arises from the intricacy involved in achieving a "borrowing of the powers" from the real objects. Sometimes Wilbur translates the fugitive events into verbal patterns and sometimes he reshapes other artists' interpretations of life into another art form--a poem.</p> <p>The qualities that Wilbur cherishes in poetry-grace and lightness, for instance--are qualities essential to a purposeful existence. He is concerned with the tension between the limitations imposed upon man and man's aspirations and achievements within or despite these limitations. Wilbur's Weltanschauung is this-worldly: it seeks out ways of living happily in a fallen world. While Wilbur is genuinely saddened by mortality and mutability, he does not seem to be imaginatively held by them. The reader does not suspect the poet's honesty and seriousness in his exaltation of personal equilibrium and his faith in a basically decent universe. But the reader may sometimes miss a sense of human tragedy. Wilbur's limitations are his temperamental peculiarities which he can hardly be expected to transcend consistently. Given his register, Wilbur is brilliant. By and large, he imagines excellence and is uncommonly successful in his attempt to "make it."</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Riparian zones are increasingly being adopted as best management practices (BMPs) to control nonpoint source pollution. The effectiveness of these zones in mitigating pollution is a function of the distribution, nature, and rate of water and sediment movement through these zones. The intent of this research was to investigate the influence of site conditions on the hydrologic and sediment transport response of riparian zones/hillslopes. Research investigations were focused in two major areas: field investigations of riparian hillslopes and development of a riparian hillslope model. The objective of the field investigations was to characterize and quantify geomorphic features of riparian slopes that can be used to quantify flow concentration on hillslopes. The riparian hillslope model was used to investigate the dynamics of hydrologic and sediment transport processes. Field investigations revealed that riparian hillslopes were dissected into distinct convergent, divergent, or straight slope segments. In profile, these segments were either concave, straight, or convex. It was hypothesized that the size of such segments reflects the "representative hillslope scale". Probability distributions of catchment area showed that catchment area decreases with slope gradient. Distributions of catchment shape revealed that catchment shape elongates with increasing gradient. Distributions of drainage channel cross-sectional shape data showed a decreasing trend in width to depth ratio with increasing slope gradient. These results indicate that geomorphic features characterizing flow concentration vary with slope gradient and should not be neglected when simulating riparian hillslopes. Model simulations revealed that site conditions such as slope gradient, slope shape, flow concentration, and soil horizon thickness and characteristics play a significant role in shaping the hydrologic and sediment phenomena on these hillslopes. These results underscore the need for evaluation of riparian zones considering specific site conditions. Interflow was the dominant hillslope runoff mechanism. A large fraction of the interflow occurred via macropores. Macropore flow was orders of magnitude quicker than soil matrix flow. Overland flow was found to occur primarily due to saturation excess or return flow. Simulations showed that thinning of soil layers and/or concave-convergent slope shapes provide favorable conditions for generation of saturation excess or return flow. Sediment delivery down the slope increased with increasing flow concentration. / Ph. D.

Traditionally, John Stuart Mill has been described as a transitional thinker who fails to fully understand the values he espouses. Critics contend that he cannot simultaneously espouse both utility maximization and the protection of individual choice-making as a non-trumpable value. Like his moral philosophy, Mill’s political thought is also rejected for interspersing, seemingly at random, elements of utilitarianism with concerns about respecting individual choice-making. More recent attempts to bring Mill’s commitment to utilitarianism into line with his respect for individual choice-making are not wholly successful. In this thesis, I offer an interpretation of Mill’s moral philosophy which reconciles the tension between utility maximization and respect for individual choice-making as a non-trumpable value. In addition, I argue that my interpretation of Mill’s moral philosophy also allows us to interpret his political thought. / Master of Arts

The purpose of this thesis is to relate the six personalities dealt with by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his Representative Men to such proportions of the essayist's ideas as may be applied to these six representative types, to the end of arriving at an understanding of Emerson's aim in writing about these six men and about great men in general.

Distribution feeders form the last leg of the bulk power system and have the responsibility of providing reliable power to the customers. These feeders experience voltage drops due to a combination of feeder length, load distribution, and other factors. Traditionally, voltage drop was a major concern. Now, due to an ever-increasing PV penetration, overvoltage has also become a major concern. This limits the amount of solar PV that may be integrated. Few solutions exist to improve the voltage profile, where the most common is the use of voltage control devices like shunt capacitors and voltage regulators. Due to a large number of design parameters to be considered, the determination of the numbers and locations of these devices is a challenging problem. Significant research has been done to address this problem, utilizing a wide array of optimization techniques. However, many utilities still determine these locations and numbers manually. This is because most algorithms have not been adequately validated. The validation of a voltage profile design (VPD) algorithm has been presented here. The validation of this algorithm was carried out on a set of statistically relevant feeders. These feeders were chosen based on the results obtained from a feeder taxonomy study using clustering analysis. The algorithm was found to be effective in enhancing the amount of solar PV a feeder may host, while still maintaining all the voltages within the ANSI standard limits. Furthermore, the methodology adopted here may also be used for the validation of other algorithms. / Master of Science / Utilities have the responsibility of providing reliable power supply to their customers. Traditionally, bulk power was generated and transmitted over long distances incurring losses and voltage drops along the way. Now, with the integration of distributed energy resources, particularly solar photovoltaic (PV) generators at the customer locations, overvoltage has also become a problem. This requires adoption of measures which can help in maintaining the voltages within standard limits. Several options exist to compensate for these voltage issues, the most commonly used is voltage control devices like capacitor banks and voltage regulators. However, determining the required numbers of these devices and their appropriate locations is a challenging problem. Even though a number of algorithms have been proposed to give automated solutions to this problem, most utilities still use a manual approach. This is because these algorithms have not been validated on a statistically relevant set of feeders. To solve this issue, the validation of a voltage profile design (VPD) algorithm is presented in this thesis. The ability of this algorithm to enhance the amount of PV that may be connected to a distribution network has been validated on a set of feeders. The feeders were chosen based on the results obtained from clustering analysis, a machine learning concept. The cost effectiveness of this algorithm has also been investigated and significant savings were observed. Furthermore, the methodology adopted here can be easily extended for the validation of other algorithms as well.

Studying the effects of extreme conditions, such as high temperatures and low humidity, on soil properties is important to various disciplines, including geotechnical engineering, soil science, waste management, crop management, and ceramics. The goal of this research is to investigate the effect of environmental and geometrical factors on microstructure, desiccation cracking, and CO2 flux in clays. The objectives of this research are threefold. (1) Understand the effects of temperature on the microstructure of clay soils; (2) develop a standardized procedure for studying desiccation cracking in a laboratory setting with reliable and repeatable results; and (3) develop an environmental chamber capable of monitoring CO2 flux through a soil sample large enough to accommodate a fully developed crack network. To accomplish these objectives, an array of laboratory testing was conducted. First, this study examines the effects of extreme temperatures on the microstructural properties of clay using FESEM, cation-exchange capacity (CEC) tests, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyzer. Second, a standardized procedure for producing accurate and repeatable laboratory tests on the desiccation cracking of soils is presented. The procedure includes specifications for sample collection, material preparation and characterization (including microstructural properties), and the determination of a representative elemental area (REA) for a fully developed crack network. Finally, a new climatic chamber capable of controlling temperature and relative humidity is designed and tested. The chamber can monitor CO2 flux through a fully developed crack network, enabling fundamental research on the relationship between desiccation cracking and the oxidation of soil organic carbon. The key findings indicate a dependency of soil microstructure on temperature changes. CEC and BET surface area significantly decrease with temperatures beyond 100ºC, indicating a relationship that needs further study. Additionally, compacted and slurry cracking behavior was found to be sensitive to boundary geometry and sample thickness. A REA was identified for each slurry sample thickness. The procedures of this research can be repeated for other soil types and used to connect existing and future research to improve understanding of desiccation cracking behavior, and to study the effects of desiccation cracking on other important geo-environmental phenomena.