The mountains of Lesotho form the catchments for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP), which is presently under construction, and their condition will determine the longevity of the LHWP. The mountain rangelands also support an extensive livestock system. However, there is concern that grazing is negatively affecting the mountain vegetation to the detriment of both livestock production and catchment function. Therefore, the impact of environment and grazing on the vegetation was investigated to aid the development of management policy for the conservation of the grazing, floristic and water resources of the mountains. Vegetation surveys were conducted in the mountains in the east (Study Area 1: 2 625 - 3 350 m a.s.l.) and in the west (Study Area 2: 2 240 - 3 125 m a.s.l.). Indirect gradient analysis (IGA) and classification were used to investigate the influence of environment on vegetation pattern. Results of the IGA indicated that variation in species composition in the mountains is related primarily to topographic variation, in particular elevation and aspect. Five vegetation communities were identified in Study Area 1 and seven in Study Area 2. These communities occurred consistently in specific topographic positions in the landscape and were arranged along a temperate/subtropical grass species continuum which was associated with a gradient in elevation and aspect. In Study Area 1, the elevation boundary between the high-lying temperate grasslands and the lower subtropical grasslands corresponded with the generally recognised boundary between the Alpine and Subalpine vegetation belts (viz. c. 2 950 m a.s.l. on northerly aspects and c. 2 750 m a.s.l. on southerly aspects). This boundary was lower in Study Area 2 (viz. c. 2 800 m a.s.l. on northerly aspects and c. 2 300 m a.s.l. on southerly aspects). Vegetation-insolation relationships were investigated in Study Area 1 using a model for simulating solar radiation, temperature and potential evaporation patterns on sloping terrain (RADSLOPE). The spatial distribution of the identified vegetation communities and the ratio of temperate (C₃) and subtropical (C₄) grasses in the sward were related to solar irradiance patterns, as influenced by topography. Results suggest that exposure, which increases with altitude, is probably also an important determinant of vegetation pattern in the mountains. The influence of grazing on the vegetation was studied by examining changes in species composition and cover that were associated with gradients in grazing intensity that exist around cattleposts in the mountains. There was little evidence of a shift in species composition and cover under grazing in the Alpine Belt but there was an identifiable grazing gradient in the Subalpine belt. There, short dense grasslands, dominated by palatable species, degrade to a dwarf karroid shrubland with sparse cover under prolonged, intense grazing. The optimum position along the grazing gradient of the more abundant species was identified. It was proposed that the relative positions, or scores, of these species along the grazing gradient can be used in a weighted scoring procedure to provide an index for monitoring the response of the mountain vegetation to grazing. However, the species’ scores still require verification. The need for monitoring temporal changes in vegetation composition and cover in order to assess the possible effects of the LHWP and other development initiatives was noted. Such monitoring should be undertaken in conjunction with an overall programme to assess the dynamics of the socio-economy in the mountains. Therefore, interdisciplinary monitoring programmes are required to achieve this. These programmes should be focused in a few key study locations rather than spread over a wide area. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.

Domestic violence against women and children is a significant international issue. There are many obstacles survivors face, and the problem is more complex than is often perceived. This interior design practicum responds by focusing on the design of a transitional housing facility that creates a paradigm shift away from the institutional approach. The key interior spaces include areas that help individuals nourish and heal from their challenging experiences; the overall approach focused on establishing community networks amongst the residents. The overarching architectural language and designs were informed primarily by Japanese Zen, Theory of Supportive Design, Lifeboat theory, and Experiential Learning Theory. Additional literature investigation on Shinrin-yoku and Therapeutic Landscapes have helped to shape the final programme and design. Along with relevant precedent studies, a design has been proposed called Hana's Place, a transitional housing facility that is aimed at being a place survivors of domestic violence can call home.

I denna uppsats behandlar vi ämnen som relationer, emotioner och sociala band som är baserar på verksamheter inom vården i Västra Götalandsregionen. Vi har undersökt hur man som sjuksköterska, undersköterska och läkare förhåller sig till patienter som är dödligt sjuka på ett professionellt och medmänskligt sätt. Vi vill belysa hur sjuksköterska, undersköterska och läkaren hanterar eventuella svåra emotioner i mötet med sjuka patienter. Ytterligare en aspekt på vår studie är förhållandet mellan individ och gruppnivå i dessa yrken samt hur stödet mellan kollegorna ser ut när det gäller ventilering av emotioner. Vi har även studerat hur arbetsliv och privatliv interagerar med vartannat i detta fall. Vi har undersökt området genom åtta kvalitativa intervjuer med individer som arbetar med människor som är dödligt sjuka inom vården. Vi har använt oss av den hermeneutiska ansatsen vilket innebär att vårt förhållningssätt att tolkning och förståelse snarare än att etablera sanningar. Detta innebär att de resultat och reflektioner som vi grundar vår studie på är baserade på det empiriska material vi har fått genom intervjuerna. Alla svar är grundade på informanters egna upplevelser, tankar och emotioner. Genom våra semi-strukturerade intervjuer har vi sedan analyserat dessa utifrån följande teorier: Skam och stolthet av Thomas Scheff, Rolltagande av Erving Goffman, Hänsynsemotionssystemet av Thomas Scheff, Yt och djupagerande av Arlie Hochschild, Emotionellt arbete av Arlie Hochschild och Över och under differentiering av Tomas Scheff. Resultatet av vår studie visar att yrkesroll och privatpersonen är svåra att särskilja för de som arbetar inom vården i mötet med döende patienter. Enligt vår studie blir det extra svårt för exempelvis en onkolog att distansera sig till patienten om denne har blivit behandlad av läkaren under en längre period. Studien visar också att stödet bland kollegorna är väldigt viktigt där kollegorna över lag känner en stor samhörighet, bland annat genom att de ventilerar negativa känslor och erfarenheter i sina arbeten. Oftast kommer man patienten för nära emotionellt men i vissa sammanhang kan det också vara svårt att inte ha en för stor del distans till patienten om man exempelvis nyligen har börjat behandla denne. Det har visat sig att vissa patienter gör mindre intryck på vårdpersonalen även om man har träffat denne under flera år. Differentieringen och relationen till patienten beror också på personkemi samt hur personliga läkare och patienter är gentemot varandra. / In this paper we threat topics such as relationships, emotions, and social ties that are based on activities in health care in the Västra Götaland region. We have examined how nurses’ and a doctor relate to patients who are terminally ill in a professional and humane manner. We want to illustrate how nurses’ and the doctor handle any difficult emotion when meeting patients. Another aspect of our study is the relationship between the individual and group levels in these professions and how the support of their colleagues will look like when it comes to venting of emotions. We have also studied how the workplace and the private life interact with each other in this case. We have investigated the field by eight qualitative interviews with individuals who work with people who are terminally ill in hospitals. We made use of the hermeneutic approach, which means that our approach to interpreting and understanding rather than establishing truths. This means that the findings and reflections that we base on our study on are based on the empirical material we have received through the interviews. All answers are based on informants’ own experiences, thoughts and emotions. Through our semi-structured interviews, we then analyzed them based on the following theories: Shame and pride by Thomas Scheff, Role-taking by Erving Goffman, The deference-emotion system by Thomas Scheff, Surface- and deep acting by Arlie Hochschild , Emotional labour by Arlie Hochschild and Over- and under differentiation by Thomas Scheff . The results of our study show that the role and the private person are difficult to distinguish for those working in health care in the face of dying patients. According to our study, it is especially difficult for example; an oncologist to distance himself or herself to the patient if the doctor has treated him or her for a longer period. The study also shows that support among colleagues is very important and that colleagues generally feel a great affinity, including through venting negative feelings and experiences in their jobs. Most often the doctor gets too close emotionally to the patient but in some contexts it may also be hard not to have too large distance to the patient if, for example he or she recently have begun to treat the patient. It has been shown that some patients make less impression on the nursing staff even if they 've met them several years. The differentiation and relationship with the patient also depends on personal chemistry and how personal physicians and patients are to each other.

I denna socialpsykologiska uppsats har vi undersökt svenska ledares upplevelse kring balansen mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Ämnet är av relevans att studera då dagens föränderliga arbetsvillkor ställer höga krav på de anställdas anpassningsbarhet. Behovet av anpassning medför en alltmer komplex tillvaro i hanteringen av en tillfredställande gränsdragning mellan dessa domäner. Vårt syfte med studien var att förmedla en förklaring och helhetsbild som påvisar vad som är mest angeläget för ledarna i hanteringen av denna gränsdragningsprocess. Vi har genomfört en kvalitativ studie, och utifrån syftet och frågeställningarna har vi använt Grundad teori som metodval. Det insamlade datamaterial har därmed analyserat grundligt med hjälp av transkribering och kodning, som resulterade i följande kategorier: Vikten av att upprätthålla sociala relationer, organisatorisk stöttning, stöd i privatlivet, stöd via frizon och eget förhållningssätt. Resultatet visar sammanfattningsvis att det som möjliggjorde en tillfredställande gränsdragning var ett fungerande socialt stöd. Det mest angelägna för ledare var att kunna upprätthålla de stödjande sociala relationerna som möjliggjorde en lyckad kombination av arbetet och privatlivet, som i sin tur resulterar i ökat välbefinnande genom tillfredställd gränsdragning. / In this social-psychological essay we have examined Swedish leaders experience about the balance between work and personal life. The topic is relevant to study when today's changing working condition puts high demands on the employees' adaptability. The need for adaptation involves an increasingly complex existence in dealing with a satisfactory distinction between these domains. Our purpose of this study was to convey a statement and overview that demonstrates what is most indicate for the leaders in the management of this demarcation process. We conducted a qualitative study, and based on the purpose and the issues we have used Grounded theory as our method. The collected datasets from semi-structured interviews and written submissions have thus analyzed thoroughly by means of transcribing and coding, that resulted in the following categories: The importance of maintaining social relationships, organizational support, private life support, free zone support, and own approach. The result shows that what enabled a satisfactory demarcation was a functioning social support. The most important thing for leaders was to maintain the supportive social relationships that enabled a successful combination of work and private life, which in turn resulted in improved well-being through a satisfied boundary.

As the world shifts and changes, so do its people, and every day, more refugees are forced out-of-place, out of their homelands, and into a foreign and unfamiliar context. Many of these refugees are women, single mothers, who along with their children, are set to face many challenges in the process of re-settling into a new cultural landscape. This project is a study on how the design of an interior can aid in the difficult process of transitioning between lands and cultures. Within it, I explore the making of place through the design of a transitional residence for women and children refugees, set within the dynamic urban landscape of West Broadway in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I proceed through this project through an exploration of four conceptual frameworks and examine the project and its users in relation to movement and migration, to boundaries, to the contact zone, and finally to weaving.

Domestic violence against women and children is a significant international issue. There are many obstacles survivors face, and the problem is more complex than is often perceived. This interior design practicum responds by focusing on the design of a transitional housing facility that creates a paradigm shift away from the institutional approach. The key interior spaces include areas that help individuals nourish and heal from their challenging experiences; the overall approach focused on establishing community networks amongst the residents. The overarching architectural language and designs were informed primarily by Japanese Zen, Theory of Supportive Design, Lifeboat theory, and Experiential Learning Theory. Additional literature investigation on Shinrin-yoku and Therapeutic Landscapes have helped to shape the final programme and design. Along with relevant precedent studies, a design has been proposed called Hana's Place, a transitional housing facility that is aimed at being a place survivors of domestic violence can call home.

Reading is a complex cognitive task based on the analyses of visual stimuli. Due to the physiology of the eye, only a small number of letters around the fixation position can be extracted with high visual acuity, while the visibility of words and letters outside this so-called foveal region quickly drops with increasing eccentricity. As a consequence, saccadic eye movements are needed to repeatedly shift the fovea to new words for visual word identification during reading. Moreover, even within a foveated word fixation positions near the word center are superior to other fixation positions for efficient word recognition (O’Regan, 1981; Brysbaert, Vitu, and Schroyens, 1996). Thus, most reading theories assume that readers aim specifically at word centers during reading (for a review see Reichle, Rayner, & Pollatsek, 2003). However, saccades’ landing positions within words during reading are in fact systematically modulated by the distance of the launch site from the word center (McConkie, Kerr, Reddix, & Zola, 1988). In general, it is largely unknown how readers identify the center of upcoming target words and there is no computational model of the sensorimotor translation of the decision for a target word into spatial word center coordinates. Here we present a series of three studies which aim at advancing the current knowledge about the computation of saccade target coordinates during saccade planning in reading. Based on a large corpus analyses, we firstly identified word skipping as a further factor beyond the launch-site distance with a likewise systematic and surprisingly large effect on within-word landing positions. Most importantly, we found that the end points of saccades after skipped word are shifted two and more letters to the left as compared to one-step saccades (i.e., from word N to word N+1) with equal launch-site distances. Then we present evidence from a single saccade experiment suggesting that the word-skipping effect results from highly automatic low-level perceptual processes, which are essentially based on the localization of blank spaces between words. Finally, in the third part, we present a Bayesian model of the computation of the word center from primary sensory measurements of inter-word spaces. We demonstrate that the model simultaneously accounts for launch-site and saccade-type contingent modulations of within-word landing positions in reading. Our results show that the spatial saccade target during reading is the result of complex estimations of the word center based on incomplete sensory information, which also leads to specific systematic deviations of saccades’ landing positions from the word center. Our results have important implications for current reading models and experimental reading research. / Lesen ist eine komplexe kognitive Aufgabe, die auf der Analyse visueller Reize beruht. Aufgrund der Physiologie des Auges kann jedoch nur eine kleine Anzahl von Buchstaben um den Fixationsort mit hoher visueller Genauigkeit wahrgenommen werden, während die Sichtbarkeit der Buchstaben und Wörter außerhalb der sogenannten fovealen Zone mit zunehmender Entfernung stark abnimmt. Während des Lesens sind deshalb sakkadische Augenbewegungen erforderlich, um die Fovea zur visuellen Identifikation neuer Wörter wiederholt innerhalb des Textes zu verschieben. Auch innerhalb eines direkt betrachteten Wortes erlauben mittige Fixationsorte eine effizientere Wortverarbeitung als randnahe Blickpositionen (O’Regan, 1981; Brysbaert, Vitu, and Schroyens, 1996). Die meisten Lesemodelle nehmen deshalb an, dass Leser auf die Mitte von Worten zielen (für eine Übersicht siehe Reichle, Rayner, & Pollatsek, 2003). Es zeigt sich aber, dass Landepositionen innerhalb von Wörtern im Lesen von der Distanz der Startposition einer Sakkade zur Mitte des Zielwortes moduliert werden (McConkie, Kerr, Reddix, & Zola, 1988). Noch ist weitgehend unklar, wie Leser die Mitte eines Zielwortes identifizieren. Es fehlt an computationalen Modellen die die sensumotorische Umwandlung der Auswahl eines Zielwortes in eine räumliche Koordinate der Wortmitte beschreiben. Wir präsentieren hier eine Reihe von drei Studien, die darauf abzielen, das Wissen über die Berechnung von Sakkadenzielkoordinaten im Lesen zu erweitern. In einer umfangreichen Korpusanalyse identifizerten wir zunächst das Überspringen von Wörtern als weiteren wichtigen Faktor bei der Sakkadenprogrammierung, der einen ähnlich systematischen und großen Effekt auf die Landepositionen hat wie die Startpositionen der Sakkaden. Anschließend zeigen wir Ergebnisse eines einfachen Sakkadenexperiments, welche nahelegen, dass der Effekt übersprungener Wörter das Ergebnis hoch automatisierter perzeptueller Prozesse ist, die wesentlich auf der Bestimmung von Leerzeichen zwischen Wörtern basieren. Schließlich präsentieren wir ein Bayesianisches Modell der Berechnung von Wortmitten auf der Grundlage der primären sensorischen Erfassungen von Leerzeichen zwischen Wörtern. Wir zeigen, dass das Modell gleichzeitig Effekte der Startposition und des Sakkadentyps erklärt. Unsere Arbeiten zeigen, dass die Berechnung räumlicher Koordinaten für die Sakkadenprogrammierung im Lesen auf einer komplexen Schätzung der Wortmitte anhand unvollständiger sensorischer Informationen beruht, die zu systematischen Abweichungen von der tatsächlichen Wortmitte führt. Unsere Ergebnisse haben wichtige Folgen für gegenwärtige Lesemodelle und für die experimentelle Leseforschung.

Pets like dogs and cats have a considerable importance for humans and research demonstrate a variety of positive economic and social effects in society due to our pet companions. The presences of pets are increasing on a global scale with correlation to economic development in low- and middle income countries. For example dogs have doubled in India over a five year period. The feed industry for dogs and cats is also the fastest growing sector in the food industry and certain pets have a significant animal protein intake which, depending on the choice of resources may provide a high ecological footprint. Examples of environmental effects with distribution and manufacturing of pet food are increased greenhouse gas emissions, waste, use of water and energy. Pet food producers have an important role to play in terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development efforts, especially in their choice of sustainable protein resources as by-products from sustainable fisheries and livestock production. The purpose of this study was to investigate how pet food industry for dogs and cats generally working on sustainable development and CSR from primarily an ecological perspective in terms of ingredients, communication and production process. Ecological sustainability within pet food industry is more or less unexplored, and this study aims to create a broader understanding and interest for further studies in this field. This study was conducted using the multi method research including qualitative and quantitative methods on a global and national scale.   The result is not possible to generalize, but some conclusions can be drawn. In relation to resources, by-products from food industry are a commonly used pet food content. But several companies are also marketing pet food containing “real meat, fish, poultry” with no or less byproducts. This seems to be a consumer driven trend. Indications that resources in pet food partly competes with human food system, give further considerations how to feed a growing human and pet population within planetary boundaries. All national and multinational cooperation’s in this study work more or less with CSR and sustainability from an ecological perspective. Generally there is visibly a weak relationship between companies’ sustainability activities and animal protein which should be a prerequisite in a production that is largely made of this resource, in relation to acute environmental degradation like climate change and depletion of fish stocks. Another conclusion is that corporate communication of environmental CSR and sustainability efforts on different pet food brand websites are almost non-existent. Finally, working with this study gave rise to many further questions and study subjects in relation to ecological sustainability within Pet food industry, not at least it´s relation to food industry and how this may effect global human meat consumption. / Sällskapsdjur i form av hund och katt har stor betydelse för människan och forskning påvisar en mängd positiva ekonomiska och sociala effekter som dessa ger oss. Förekomsten av sällskapsdjur visar en tydlig korrelation med ekonomisk utveckling och hundägandet har exempelvis fördubblats i Indien under en femårs period. Foderindustrin för hund och katt är samtidigt den snabbast växande sektorn inom livsmedelsindustrin. Hund och katt har som regel ett högt intag av animaliskt protein vilket beroende på resursval kan ge ett påtagligt ekologiskt fotavtryck. Själva foderproduktionen samt transporter ger också upphov till miljöpåverkan i form av t.ex. ökade  utsläpp av växthusgaser,  ökad vatten- och energianvändning samt avfall.  Foderproducenterna har en viktig roll att fylla vad gäller sitt företagsansvar (CSR) samt arbete med hållbar utveckling ur ett ekologiskt perspektiv. Exempel på detta kan vara val av proteinresurser som biprodukter ifrån hållbart fiske och animalieproduktion. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur foderindustrin för hund och katt generellt arbetar med hållbar utveckling samt CSR ur framförallt ett ekologiskt perspektiv vad gäller produktionsförfarande, kommunikation samt om foderingredienser kompletterar eller konkurrerar med livsmedelsingredienser. Området är relativt outforskat och studien syftar till att skapa en bredare förståelse samt intresse för djupare studier inom området. Undersökningen har utförts med hjälp av flermetodsforskning i form av kvalitativ samt kvantitativ metod på global och nationell nivå.  Resultatet går inte att generalisera på foderindustrin globalt även om vissa slutsatser kan dras. I relation till resurser är förekomsten av biprodukter ifrån livsmedelsindustrin vanligt foderinnehåll men flera företag marknadsför också foder som innehåller ”riktigt kött, fisk, fågel” med frånvaro av eller lägre innehåll av biprodukter. Detta verkar vara en konsumentdriven trend. Både nationella samt multinationella företag i studien arbetar mer eller mindre med CSR och hållbarhet ur ett ekologiskt perspektiv. Generellt är det dock en svag koppling mellan miljöarbetet och animaliskt protein, vilket borde vara en förutsättning i en produktion som till stor del består av denna resurs i relation till akuta miljöproblem som klimatförändringen samt utfiskning. Ytterligare en slutsats är att företagens kommunikation av miljömässigt CSR- och hållbarhetsarbete på sina varumärkens hemsidor är närmast obefintlig. Slutligen väckte arbetetet med uppsatsen ett antal djupare frågeställningar samt ideér till fortsatta studier i relation till ekologisk hållbarhet inom foderindustrin. Inte minst avseende foderindustrins relation till livsmedelsindustrin och hur detta samband eventuellt kan påverka global köttkonsumtion. Foder för hund och katt konkurrerar dessutom till viss del med livsmedel vilket skapar utmaningen att föda både en ökande befolkning samt population av sällskapsdjur som skall livnära sig inom planetens gränser i framtiden.

The purpose of the present thesis is to study whether and how professionals from such different areas as medicine, preschool and school develop and reorganize, through inter-disciplinary focus group discussions, their competence regarding reading-and-writing difficulties/dyslexia. The theoretical framework is based on sociocultural theory of mediated action, focusing on notions such as alterity, intersubjectivity, dialogicality, mastery, appropriation, practical consciousness and discursive consciousness. The data consists of participant field observations, seven individual interviews and fifteen focus group interviews, as well as narratives and written documents concerning collaboration between pre-schools and schools. The method relates to ethnographic and action research. The data is collected over three years. The interviews are audio-recorded and transcribed as close to oral language as possible. The data is analysed with regard to alterity, intersubjectivity, dialogicality, mastery and appropriation, and with regard to professional languages, professional boundaries and domains of responsibility as well as competencies. The results from the individual interviews show that each participant’s conception of dyslexia is closely attached to her or his own field of pracitice. The focus group results show that, over time, the participants changed their conception of dyslexia, and their way of communicating about dyslexia. And, that they thereby deepened their competence on the issue. The written documents show a similar development during the focus group discussions. From hastily scrawled notes they developed into computerised, and well-structured plans of actions for supporting children of special needs. Both the spoken and written data show that inter-disciplinary co-operation leads to the development of inter-disciplinary competence, and a change in organising reading and writing for children of preschool and school.

Computerized data visualization and analysis tools, especially Geographic Information Systems (GIS), constitute an important part of today&amp / #65533 / s water resources development and management studies. In order to obtain satisfactory results from such tools, accurate and comprehensive hydrography datasets are needed that include both spatial and hydrologic information on surface water resources and watersheds. If present, such datasets may support many applications, such as hydrologic and environmental modeling, impact assessment, and construction planning. The primary purposes of this study are production of prototype national hydrography and watershed datasets for Turkey, and development of GIS-based tools for the analysis of local water quality and quantity data. For these purposes national hydrography datasets and analysis systems of several counties are reviewed, and based on gained experience / 1) Sub-watershed boundaries of 26 major national basins are derived from digital elevation model of the country by using raster-based analysis methods and these watersheds are named according to coding system of the European Union, 2) A prototype hydrography dataset with built-in connectivity and water flow direction information is produced from publicly available data sources, 3) GIS based spatial tools are developed to facilitate navigation through streams and watersheds in the hydrography dataset, and 4) A state-of-the art GIS-based stream flow and water quality data analysis system is developed, which is based on the structure of nationally available data and includes advanced statistical and spatial analysis capabilities. All datasets and developed tools are gathered in a single graphical user-interface within GIS and made available to the end-users.