Thesis (M.S.) in Spatial Information Science and Engineering--University of Maine, 2009. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-114).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 35-37).

No description available.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

Part one of the thesis. She's leaving. She's running away. Everything goes too fast. If she doesn't, the emptiness in her life will destroy her. There, in Africa, nothing happens. Nothing but sight, silence, space and time. There, she finds another way of living. There, everything happens. Everything that has anything to do with essence. Only then can Gisella, 30, come back. / Part two. How can one tell of silence with words? How can silence be what makes not only the style and themes of a fiction, but the whole fiction, resonate, vibrate? In the fiction of Marguerite Duras, more specifically in Aurelia Steiner (Melbourne) and L'amour, the obsession of silence is what modulates the representation of time and space, be it corporal, geographical or domestic, and what transforms reality in an attempt to open the heart of things, beings and time on the infinite, the invisible, the sacred.

In this thesis we study spherically symmetric spacetimes which are static with a perfect fluid source. The Einstein field equations, in a number of equivalent forms, are derived in detail. The physical properties of a relativistic star are briefly reviewed. We specify two particular choices for one of the gravitational potentials. The behaviour of the remaining gravitational potential is governed by a second order differential equation. This equation has solutions in terms of elementary functions for some cases. The differential equation, in other cases, may be expressed as Bessel, confluent hypergeometric and hypergeometric equations. In such instances the solution is given in terms of special functions. A number of solutions to the Einstein field equations are generated. We believe that these solutions may be used to model realistic stars. Many of the solutions found are new and have not been published previously. In some cases our solutions are generalisations of cases considered previously. For some choices of the gravitational potential our solutions are equivalent to well-known results documented in the literature; in these cases we explicitly relate our solutions to those published previously. We have utilised the computer package MATHEMATICA Version 2.0 (Wolfram 1991) to assist with calculations, and to produce figures to describe the gravitational field. In addition, we briefly investigate the approach of specifying an equation of state relating the energy density and the pressure. The solution of the Einstein field equations, for a linear equation of state, is reduced to integrating Abel's equation of the second kind. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.

In this thesis we utilise a form for the Hubble constant first proposed by Berman (1983) to study a variety of cosmological models. In particular we investigate the Robertson-Walker spacetimes, the Bianchi I spacetime, and the scalar-tensor theory of gravitation of Lau and Prokhovnik (1986). The Einstein field equations with variable cosmological constant and gravitational constant are discussed and the Friedmann models are reviewed. The relationship between observation and the Friedmann models is reviewed. We present a number of new solutions to the Einstein field equations with variable cosmological constant and gravitational constant in the Robertson-Walker spacetimes for the assumed form of the Hubble parameter. We explicitly find forms for the scale factor, cosmological constant, gravitational constant, energy density and pressure in each case. Some of the models have an equation of state for an ideal gas. The gravitational constant may be increasing in certain regions of spacetime. The Bianchi I spacetime, which is homogeneous and anisotropic, is shown to be consistent with the Berman (1983) law by defining a function which reduces to the scale factor of Robertson-Walker. We illustrate that the scalar-tensor theory of Lau and Prokhovnik (1986) also admits solutions consistent with the Hubble variation proposed by Berman. This demonstrates that this approach is useful in seeking solutions to the Einstein field equations in general relativity and alternate theories of gravity. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 1992.

No description available.

This thesis examines the notion of a 'third space'. 'Third space' is a way to examine the question of culture in a time marked by large epistemic, political and representational shifts. Recent theorization of 'third space' often locates this as a cultural 'in-between' or field of liminality, beginning with the polarities of hierarchical and binary dualisms. The body, as one half of dualistic thought and practice, remains conspicuously absent from concepts of 'third space' and its activities. A series of dynamic modes of engagement, in which embodiment figures centrally, constitutes 'third space' in this theorization of it. Rather, however, than approach the articulation of a 'third space' solely through academic and literary texts, its primary 'sources' of 'information' to date, photographic imagery is proposed as a means to access 'third space'. The photographic, through its mediation of "vision," provides visual 'clues' by which to approach the "subjects" and "objects" of 'third space'. A trialectical relation of Visuality, Embodied Inter(ob)subjectivity and Space therefore characterizes a feminist approach to, and conceptualization of, 'third space'. An interpretative analysis of the contemporary photographic practices of Genevieve Cadieux, Marlene Creates, and Sylvie Readman contributes to an understanding of the significance of a notion of 'third space'.