The speed and accuracy of conservation planning could be improved if maps indicating areas where grassed waterways should be placed to reduce erosion could be easily created. For five central Kentucky fields, elevation data were obtained with real time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) and from US Geological Survey (USGS) digital elevation models (DEMs). Terrain attributes were calculated from these datasets which were used as predictor variables for neural network and logistic regression analyses. Grassed waterway prediction models were developed with these analyses. The type of activation function, type of standardization procedure, number of neurons, number of preliminary runs, and number of hidden layers had little impact on the results of the neural network analysis. Logistic regression and neural network analyses produced similar erosion prediction maps. The type of flow direction algorithm used to calculate terrain attributes did not change prediction maps substantially. Grassed waterways could be predicted in most cases with the RTK data but only in some cases with the USGS data. This modeling approach was robust and could aid conservation planners in identifying suitable areas for waterways more efficiently if accurate elevation data can be acquired.

The Maputaland Coastal Plain is situated in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The Maputaland Coastal Plain and underlying aquifer are two separate but inter-linked entities. This area with high permeable cover sands, low relief and regional geology that slopes towards the Indian Ocean, hosts a variety of important wetlands in South Africa (e.g. 66% of the recorded peatlands). The wetlands overlie and in some cases also connect to the underlying regional water-table. The apparent distribution of wetlands varies in response to periods of water surplus or drought, and over the long-term has been reduced by resource (e.g. agriculture, forestry) and infrastructure (e.g. urbanisation) development. Accurate wetland mapping and delineation in this environment is problematic due to the ephemeral nature of wetlands and extensive land-use change. Furthermore the deep aeolian derived sandy soils often lacks soil wetness indicators in the soil profile. It is postulated that the aquifer is the source of water to rivers, springs, lakes and wetlands (and vice versa). However, the role of groundwater in the sustainability of hydro-ecological systems is unclear. Consequently this research attempted to determine spatial and temporal changes in the distribution of these wetlands, their susceptibility to human development, understand the landscape processes and characterise and classify the different wetland types. An underlying assumption of the hydrogeomorphic wetland classification concept in South Africa is that wetlands belonging to the same hydrogeomorphic unit share common features in terms of environmental drivers and processes. Given the above, the objectives of this thesis relating to the north-eastern corner of the Maputaland Coastal Plain are to: 1) Map the distribution of wetlands and their relation to other land-use; 2) Characterise the landscape processes shaping the dynamics of wetland type and their distribution; 3) Classify wetlands by applying hydrogeomorphic wetland classification system. This study used Landsat TM and ETM imagery acquired for 1992 and 2008 (dry) and Landsat ETM for 2000 (wet) along with ancillary data. Wetland type characteristics were described using terrain unit position in the landscape, SRTM DEM, land surveyor elevation measurements along with long-term rainfall records, in situ water-table levels with soil analysis and geology and vegetation descriptions. A conceptual model was used to account for the available data, and output from a hydrology model was used to support the interpretation of wetland distribution and function. Wetlands in the study area include permanent wetlands (swamp forests and reed/sedge wetlands), but the majority of sedge/moist grassland wetlands are temporary systems. The wetland distribution reflects the rainfall distribution and groundwater discharge in lower lying areas. The weathering of the Kosi Bay Formation is a key factor in wetland formation. Because of an increase in clay content with depth, the pore-space and hydraulic conductivity are reduced which causes water to impede on this layer. The nature of the aquifer and regional geology that slope towards the east along with extreme rainfall events in wet and dry periods are contributing drivers of wetland and open water distribution. In 2008 (a dry year) the smaller wetland extent (7%) could primarily identify “permanent” groundwater-fed wetland systems, whereas for the wet year (2000) with larger wetland extent (18%) both “temporary” and “permanent” wetlands were indicated. Comparison between both dry years (1992 and 2008) indicates an 11% decrease in wetland (sedge/moist grassland) and a 7% increase in grassland distribution over time. Some areas that appear to be grassland in the dry years were actually temporary wetland, based on the larger wetland extent (16%) in 2000. The 2008 Landsat TM dataset classification for the entire Maputaland Coastal Plain gave an overall 80% mapping accuracy. Landscape settings identified on this coastal aquifer dominated by dune formations consist of 3 types: plain (upland and lowland), slope and valley floor. Although the wetland character is related to regional and local hydrogeology as well as climate affecting the temporal and spatial variability of the wetlands this research confirms that the patterns and wetland form and function are predominantly shaped by the hydrogeomorphic setting and not the rainfall distribution. The following wetland types were identified: permanent wetlands such as peat swamp forests, peat reed and sedge fens; temporary wetland systems such as perched depressions, and sedge/moist grasslands. The Hydrogeomorphic wetland classification system was applied using a semi-automated method that was 81% accurate. The following hydrogeomorphic units could be identified: one floodplain, i.e., Siyadla River Floodplain, channelled valley-bottoms, unchannelled valley-bottoms, depressions on modal slope values <1%, seepage wetlands on modal slope values 1-2%. However, evaluation of the hydrogeomorphic classification application results suggests that the “flat” hydrogeomorphic class be revised. It did not fit meaningfully on the upland plain area. This research finding concludes wetland function does depend on landscape setting and wetland function is not truly captured by the hydrogeomorphic type classification. Not all depression on the coastal plain function the same way and three types of depressions occurs and function differently, i.e., perched depression with no link to the regional water-table vs. depressions that are linked with the regional water-table on plain, slope and valley floor landscape settings. Overall, this research study made a useful contribution in characterising and classifying wetland type and distribution for a high priority wetland conservation area in South Africa. Applying similar methods to the broader Maputaland Coastal Plain will particularly benefit from the research findings. The importance of using imagery acquired in wet and dry periods as well as summer and winter for a more comprehensive wetland inventory of the study area, is stressed. To manage the effects of climate variability and development pressure, informed land-use planning and rehabilitation strategies are required based on landscape analysis and interpretation.

The central theoretical argument of this study proposes that God reveals Himself to man through the biblically presented metaphor of Father, as portrayed by the Biblical covenants between God and man. The primary aim of this research is to describe the Biblical attributes of God the Father as a foundation of fathering. In order to achieve this objective, the study aims to identify what Scripture revealed about the attributes of God as our Father. It also investigates the ancient patriarchal traditions pertaining fatherhood and delves into what contemporary Christian literature proposes about the important aspects of fathering. It also proposes that such revealed attributes can serve as a foundation for human parents (which include fathers) to better understand the important aspects that they need to consider in order to father their own children with greater consistency according to the image of their heavenly Father. After delving into Scripture, the two relevant meta-theoretical fields of psychology and sociology were investigated to see what each respective field has put forth about the importance of a father who engages with his children in specific ways. An empirical research followed where participants answered open-ended questions that address their impressions about their own fathers or male role-models, God as their Father and what effect they think fathering has had on them. From there, the empirical research validated certain recurrent attributes which were also verified through a process of triangulation, what has been found in Scripture and the meta-theory about the important attributes of God as Father. The results of the interaction lead to a proposition of a model of pastoral foundation for fathering. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

With the rapid growth and competitiveness in the South African apparel retail industry, retailers and marketers face numerous challenges to remain competitive. Contributing to the dynamic nature of this phenomenon is the impulsive nature and individual preferences of consumers when buying apparel, which necessitate retailers to be more responsive towards consumer needs and preferences in order to attract potential, and retain existing, customers. This can be done by formulating a retail strategy that will enrich consumers' total retail experience. When developing a total retail experience, all the elements that would encourage or inhibit the consumer to buy from the retailer should be considered, which among others include the store attributes applied within the store environment. This implies that apparel retailers, and especially those selling casual wear, should identify the importance attached to store attributes of their particular target market and how satisfied they are with the attributes offered. Since consumers use store attributes during store selection, it is essential for retailers and marketers to understand consumer behaviour, and more specifically the consumer decision-making process, since store attributes are used as evaluative criteria during this process. To satisfy consumer needs, retailers should meet consumer expectations in order to generate a positive attitude towards the store, which will increase the chances of repeat patronage. Consumer expectations form an essential part throughout the consumer decision-making process, which in the end will determine whether consumers experience post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Since consumer expectations are formed by previous experiences, marketers should ensure that they offer the necessary store attributes consumers perceive as important when purchasing products, services or selecting a store. Evidently, this will influence both consumers' satisfaction towards a certain retail store, as well as future store selection. The primary objective of this study was to determine the importance of, and satisfaction with, store attributes to black Generation X consumers when choosing a store selling casual wear. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to survey 252 black respondents at a mall in Soweto. The questionnaire aimed to determine which store attributes are important to black Generation X consumers when selecting a store selling casual wear, and how satisfied they were with the store attributes offered by the store they most often buy casual wear from. Results identified 10 reliable Importance factors when determining which factors black Generation X consumers consider when selecting a store selling casual wear, namely service provided by salespeople; check-out points, dressing. rooms, store hours and proximity to store; display of casual wear and in-store advertising; store appearance, styles, sizes and quality of casual wear; physical facilities to enhance shopping convenience; offering cell phones and accessories; music played; price of casual wear; variety of brand names and credit card facilities; and the alteration of clothing and lay-buy services. It was also found that respondents were less satisfied with certain store attributes offered by the store they most often buy their casual wear from when compared to how important these factors were to them, including service provided by salespeople, check-out points, dressing rooms, store hours and proximity to the store. It is recommended that retailers who sell casual wear to black Generation X consumers should determine which attributes are considered as important to their target market and apply it in their retail and marketing strategies accordingly. It is also recommended that stores selling casual wear should conduct research to determine whether differences exist between their target markets' demographic profile with regard to the importance of store attributes as well as their satisfaction with those attributes offered by the store. Based on these results, marketers will be able to identify the attributes consumers are not satisfied with, which gives the opportunity for improving and amending strategies and gaining a competitive advantage. Future research can focus on the importance of store attributes to black Generation X consumers or other groups in other units of analysis, such as different retail formats and industries, as well as expanding the study to include more geographic areas. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The central theoretical argument of this study proposes that God reveals Himself to man through the biblically presented metaphor of Father, as portrayed by the Biblical covenants between God and man. The primary aim of this research is to describe the Biblical attributes of God the Father as a foundation of fathering. In order to achieve this objective, the study aims to identify what Scripture revealed about the attributes of God as our Father. It also investigates the ancient patriarchal traditions pertaining fatherhood and delves into what contemporary Christian literature proposes about the important aspects of fathering. It also proposes that such revealed attributes can serve as a foundation for human parents (which include fathers) to better understand the important aspects that they need to consider in order to father their own children with greater consistency according to the image of their heavenly Father. After delving into Scripture, the two relevant meta-theoretical fields of psychology and sociology were investigated to see what each respective field has put forth about the importance of a father who engages with his children in specific ways. An empirical research followed where participants answered open-ended questions that address their impressions about their own fathers or male role-models, God as their Father and what effect they think fathering has had on them. From there, the empirical research validated certain recurrent attributes which were also verified through a process of triangulation, what has been found in Scripture and the meta-theory about the important attributes of God as Father. The results of the interaction lead to a proposition of a model of pastoral foundation for fathering. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

With the rapid growth and competitiveness in the South African apparel retail industry, retailers and marketers face numerous challenges to remain competitive. Contributing to the dynamic nature of this phenomenon is the impulsive nature and individual preferences of consumers when buying apparel, which necessitate retailers to be more responsive towards consumer needs and preferences in order to attract potential, and retain existing, customers. This can be done by formulating a retail strategy that will enrich consumers' total retail experience. When developing a total retail experience, all the elements that would encourage or inhibit the consumer to buy from the retailer should be considered, which among others include the store attributes applied within the store environment. This implies that apparel retailers, and especially those selling casual wear, should identify the importance attached to store attributes of their particular target market and how satisfied they are with the attributes offered. Since consumers use store attributes during store selection, it is essential for retailers and marketers to understand consumer behaviour, and more specifically the consumer decision-making process, since store attributes are used as evaluative criteria during this process. To satisfy consumer needs, retailers should meet consumer expectations in order to generate a positive attitude towards the store, which will increase the chances of repeat patronage. Consumer expectations form an essential part throughout the consumer decision-making process, which in the end will determine whether consumers experience post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Since consumer expectations are formed by previous experiences, marketers should ensure that they offer the necessary store attributes consumers perceive as important when purchasing products, services or selecting a store. Evidently, this will influence both consumers' satisfaction towards a certain retail store, as well as future store selection. The primary objective of this study was to determine the importance of, and satisfaction with, store attributes to black Generation X consumers when choosing a store selling casual wear. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to survey 252 black respondents at a mall in Soweto. The questionnaire aimed to determine which store attributes are important to black Generation X consumers when selecting a store selling casual wear, and how satisfied they were with the store attributes offered by the store they most often buy casual wear from. Results identified 10 reliable Importance factors when determining which factors black Generation X consumers consider when selecting a store selling casual wear, namely service provided by salespeople; check-out points, dressing. rooms, store hours and proximity to store; display of casual wear and in-store advertising; store appearance, styles, sizes and quality of casual wear; physical facilities to enhance shopping convenience; offering cell phones and accessories; music played; price of casual wear; variety of brand names and credit card facilities; and the alteration of clothing and lay-buy services. It was also found that respondents were less satisfied with certain store attributes offered by the store they most often buy their casual wear from when compared to how important these factors were to them, including service provided by salespeople, check-out points, dressing rooms, store hours and proximity to the store. It is recommended that retailers who sell casual wear to black Generation X consumers should determine which attributes are considered as important to their target market and apply it in their retail and marketing strategies accordingly. It is also recommended that stores selling casual wear should conduct research to determine whether differences exist between their target markets' demographic profile with regard to the importance of store attributes as well as their satisfaction with those attributes offered by the store. Based on these results, marketers will be able to identify the attributes consumers are not satisfied with, which gives the opportunity for improving and amending strategies and gaining a competitive advantage. Future research can focus on the importance of store attributes to black Generation X consumers or other groups in other units of analysis, such as different retail formats and industries, as well as expanding the study to include more geographic areas. / Thesis (M.Com. (Marketing Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Firms may gain benefit from each other‘s skills and resources when they engaged in a long term supply chain relationship, hence, improving their competitive advantage. Adoption of information technology initiatives such as e-procurement systems may further enhance the effectiveness of the relationship. Trust and dependency factors have been identified as important elements that influence business relationships. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of technology attributes, inter-organizational trust and inter-organizational dependency manufacturer‘s have towards their suppliers and customers when making an e-procurement adoption decision. This study also aims to determine if there is a critical gap between trust and dependency towards suppliers and customers and to identify which trust and dependency constructs have the most critical gap. Data was collected through case study interviews and mail survey questionnaires. It was analysed using the Partial Least Square Regression (PLS) analysis where the results indicate that dependency did have a significant positive influence on e-procurement adoption decisions, while trust did not. Size of the company, which is a control variable, has a significantly negative effect on adoption decision. Hence, this study confirmed that the level of dependency and size of company did influence an e-procurement adoption decision. Three gap analysis methods, namely the T-test analysis, weighted mean gap and the un-weighted Important Performance Analysis (IPA), were adopted and the results indicate that there is a significant gap between trust and dependency towards the supplier and customer, where the level of both variables are higher towards the customer than the supplier. Construct related to communication of problem is identified as trust factor with the most critical gap, while how partners help improve a firm‘s reputation and the level of knowledge transfer have the most critical gap for dependency. This study extends the body of literature related to information technology adoption factors by investigating the effect of trust and dependency in supply chain relationships within a single study. While findings on dependency and size of company are consistent with previous studies, findings on trust provide a new paradigm to trust-related studies as it is identified as not an important factor that influence e-procurement adoption decisions, particularly in a developing country such as Malaysia.

It is a truism in contemporary understandings of semantics that there is no simple one-to-one correspondence between a word and its referent. As Wittgenstein has suggested, we can only know the meaning of a word by understanding the way it is used, and these uses are known often to be variable and highly context-dependent. / The issue of the variable meanings of terms is especially important when the term in question has assumed some centrality within a particular social domain, when its meanings are contested, and when the way the term is interpreted has a major bearing on subsequent social and institutional practices. In contemporary debates about the aims and purposes of higher education one such term is ‘critical thinking’. Whilst there is general unanimity in the higher education literature about the importance of ‘critical thinking’ as an educational ideal, there is surprisingly little agreement about what the term means exactly, as well as what exactly students should be taught in order to be appropriately critical in their field. / This thesis reports an empirical study which investigated conceptions of critical thinking as they are held by academics from a range of humanities disciplines: History, Philosophy, and Literary/Cultural Studies. The broad method used was a ‘textographic’ one, focusing both on how the concept of critical thinking was talked about by informants in interview, and also how it was constructed in a range of texts used by them in their teaching on undergraduate programs. / The study found a good deal of variation in the meaning of the term ‘critical’, not only between the three disciplines, but also within them. This variation was located in a number of areas: in the epistemic entities to which students needed to direct their thinking (e.g. textual vs. phenomenal entities), and in the various analytical modes they were required to adopt (e.g. evaluative vs. interpretative modes). The broad principle to be drawn from these findings is that the nature of one's thinking is indivisible from the object to which that thinking is directed. / The varieties of critical thinking found in the study provide some challenge to certain generic understandings of critical thinking, ones that have assumed increasing influence in higher education debates in recent years. The study concludes by suggesting that the teaching of critical thinking is likely to be more effective if handled within the context of students’ study in the disciplines, as opposed to a generic extra-disciplinary approach. It is also suggested that an important part of becoming a critical thinker in the academy is being able to recognise and to negotiate this variety of critical modes.

Sendo o corpo e a mente, respectivamente, modos dos atributos pensamento e extensão, a experiência mental e a corpórea devem desenvolver-se tal como estes atributos constituem e exprimem a natureza da substância única, ou seja, sem qualquer relação causal entre eles e seguindo uma mesma ordem de sucessão e conexão de causas e coisas. Na ausência de um mecanismo que explique a relação entre mente e corpo por qualquer tipo de interação direta, a questão reside em como compreendermos a unidade de uma essência expressa em duas realidades diferentes, no caso do homem, e em infinitas, no caso de Deus, sem estarem estas apartadas, mas reunidas na atualidade autoprodutora da substância. Esta dissertação visa, enfim, tratar da unidade da mente e do corpo em Espinosa e da maneira como ela pode ser melhor compreendido através da ciência espinosana dos sentimentos humanos. Com isto, pretendendo ir além da unidade em termos ontológicos, visaremos investigá-la na igualdade entre mente e corpo tal como eles se mostram em uma experiência afetiva determinada. / If are body and mind, respectively, modes of thought attributes and extension, the mental and the body experience must be developed as these attributes are and express the nature of the one substance, ie without any causal relationship between them and following the same order of succession and connection of causes and things. In the absence of a mechanism to explain the relationship between mind and body for any kind of direct interaction, the question is how to understand the unity of a essence expressed in two different realities, in the case of man, and endless, in the case of God, without being separated from them, but reunited in the self- producing actuality of substance. This text aims at last deal with the mind and body unity in Espinosa and how it can best be understood through it to Spinoza science of human feelings. With this, intending to go beyond the unit in ontological terms, we will target investigate it on equality between mind and body as they are shown in a certain affective experience.

Masters of Science / In this study, a traffic generator software package namely MTGawn was developed to run packet generation and evaluation on a mobile device. The call generating software system is able to: simulate voice over Internet protocol calls as well as user datagram protocol and transmission control protocol between mobile phones over a wireless network and analyse network data similar to computer-based network monitoring tools such as Iperf and D-ITG but is self-contained on a mobile device. This entailed porting a ‘stripped down’ version of a packet generation and monitoring system with functionality as found in open source tools for a mobile platform. This mobile system is able to generate and monitor traffic over any network interface on a mobile device, and calculate the standard quality of service metrics. The tool was compared to a computer–based tool namely distributed Internet traffic generator (D-ITG) in the same environment and, in most cases, MTGawn reported comparable results to D-ITG. The important motivation for this software was to ease feasibility testing and monitoring in the field by using an affordable and rechargeable technology such as a mobile device. The system was tested in a testbed and can be used in rural areas where a mobile device is more suitable than a PC or laptop. The main challenge was to port and adapt an open source packet generator to an Android platform and to provide a suitable touchscreen interface for the tool. ACM Categories and Subject Descriptors B.8 [PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY] B.8.2 [Performance Analysis and Design Aids] C.4 [PERFORMANCE OF SYSTEMS] Measurement techniques, Performance attributes