Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Biological invasions are a growing threat to biodiversity, trade and agriculture in South Africa. Though alien reptiles and amphibians (herpetofauna) are not currently a major issue, escalating problems worldwide and increased trade in South Africa suggest a possible increase in future problems. In this thesis I explore practical measures for risk assessment implementable under national legislation. I began by documenting record-keeping and legislative differences between provinces in South Africa. This revealed some serious deficiencies, complicating attempts to compile accurate inventories and discern import trends. International trade data, however, revealed an exponential increase in the number of imports to South Africa over the last 30 years. Characterising the abundance of species in this trade is important as species introduced in large numbers pose a higher establishment risk. In South Africa, I found a tendency for venomous and expensive species to be traded in low numbers, whereas species that are easy to breed and handle, or that are colourful or patterned are traded in higher numbers. Unlike South Africa, California and Florida have had a large number of well-documented herpetofaunal introductions. These introductions were used to verify the role of several key predictors in species establishment. I first evaluated the role of each variable separately. I examined different approaches for bioclimatic modelling, the predictive power of different sources of distribution data, and methods of assigning a climate-match score. I also present the first test of Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis for land vertebrates using two new phylogenies inferred for native and introduced reptiles in California and Florida. I then used boosted regression trees (BRT) to infer the relative contribution of each factor to species establishment success. Results from the BRTs were incorporated into a user-friendly spreadsheet model for use by assessors inexperienced in complex modelling techniques. Introduction effort was found to be the strongest contributor to establishment success. Furthermore, species with short juvenile periods were more likely to establish than species that started breeding later, as were species with more distant relatives in regional biotas. Average climate match and life form were also important. Of the herpetofaunal groups, frogs and lizards were most likely to establish, while snakes and turtles established at much lower rates, though analysis of all recorded herpetofaunal introductions shows slightly different patterns. Predictions made by the BRT model to independent data were relatively poor, though this is unlikely to be unique to this study and can be partially explained by missing data. Though numerous uncertainties remain in this field, many can be lessened by applying case by case rules rather than generalising across all herpetofaunal groups. The purpose for import and potential trade volume of a species will influence the threat it poses. Considering this in conjunction with a species’ environmental tolerances and previous success of species with similar life histories, should provide a reasonable and defendable estimate of establishment risk. Finally, a brief summary of the potential impacts of introduced alien herpetofauna is provided in the thesis. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Indringer spesies hou ‘n al groter bedreiging in vir die biodiversiteit, handel en landbou van Suid- Afrika. Alhoewel uitheemse reptiele en amfibieërs (herpetofauna) tans nie ‘n groot bedreiging in Suid-Afrika is nie, dui groeiende probleme wêreldwyd asook 'n toename in plaaslike handel op moontlike toekomstige probleme. In hierdie tesis, ondersoek ek praktiese metodes vir risikobepaling wat onder nasionale wetgewing toegepas kan word. Ek begin deur die verskille in stoor van rekords en wetgewing tussen provinsies te dokumenteer. Hierdie proses het ernstige tekortkominge uitgewys, wat pogings om akkurate inventarisse saam te stel en invoertendense te bepaal, bemoeilik. Internasionale handelsdata het egter getoon dat daar ‘n eksponensiële toename in die hoeveelheid invoere na Suid-Afrika oor die laaste 30 jaar was. Die hoeveelheid spesies in hierdie handel is belangrik omdat spesies wat in groot hoeveelhede ingevoer word, ‘n hoër vestigingsrisiko het. In Suid-Afrika is ‘n tendens gevind vir handel in giftige en duur spesies teen lae hoeveelhede, terwyl spesies wat maklik teel, maklik hanteer kan word en kleurvol is of mooi patrone het, in groter hoeveelhede mee handel gedryf word. Kalifornië and Florida, in teenstelling met Suid-Afrika, het ‘n hoë aantal goed-gedokumenteerde gevalle van herpetofauna wat in die natuur vrygestel is. Hierdie introduksies was gebruik om die rol van verskeie belangrike faktore in die vestiging van populasies te bepaal. Eerstens het ek die rol van elke faktor apart ondersoek. Ek het verskillende benaderinge vir bioklimatiese model-bou ondersoek, die akuraatheid van verskillende bronne van distribusiedata getoets en drie metodes om ‘n “climate match score” te bereken, voorgestel. Ek bied ook die eerste toets van Darwin se naturalisasie-hipotese vir landwerveldiere aan, deur gebruik te maak van twee nuwe filogenieë wat ek gebou het vir inheemse en ingevoerde reptiele in Kalifornië en Florida. Ek het verder gebruik gemaak van “boosted regression trees” (BRT) om die relatiewe bydrae van elke faktor tot die vestigings-potensiaal van spesies te bepaal. Resultate van hierdie BRTs was ingekorporeerd in ‘n gebruikersvriendelike ontledingstaat wat deur bestuurders, onervare in komplekse modelboutegnieke, gebruik kan word. Invoer-hoeveelheid was die faktor wat die sterktste bygedra het tot suksesvolle vestiging. Verder is spesies met kort jeugperiodes en dié met verlangse familie in streeks-biotas, meer geskik om suksesvol te vestig. Gemiddelde klimaatooreenstemming en lewensvorm was ook belangrik. Paddas en akkedisse was die mees waarskynlikste van die herpetofauna groepe om populasies te vestig, terwyl slange en skilpaaie teen laer tempo’s populasies gevestig het, alhoewel analise van alle gedokumenteerde gevalle van herpetofauna-invoerings wêreldwyd effens verskillende tendense toon. Voorspellings wat deur die BRT-model vir onafhangklike data gemaak is was redelik swak, alhoewel hierdie resultaat onwaarskynlik nie uniek aan die studie is nie, en word gedeeltelik verduidelik deur die gebrek aan data. Alhoewel talle onsekerhede steeds bestaan, kan dié verminder word deur geval-tot-geval reëls toe te pas eerder as om vir herpetofauna as ‘n groep te veralgemeen. Die doel van invoer en potensiële handel-volumes van ‘n spesie, sal die bedreiging wat die spesie toon, bepaal. Hierdie faktore moet saam met omgewingstoleransie en voorafgaande sukses van spesies met soortgelyke lewenswyses oorweeg word, om ‘n aanvaarbare en verdedigbare beraming van vestigingsrisiko te gee. Laastens, word ‘n kort opsomming van die effekte wat uitheemse herpetofauna mag hê, verskaf.

The aim of this diploma thesis called The Human Rights Commissioner of the Russian Federation is to provide a comprehensive insight into the formation and development process of the institute of the human rights commissioner by means of description and analysis. At the same time, it attempts to facilitate a better understanding of this institute inside the Russian social system. The opening section defines the institute of ombudsman from the historical and theoretical point of view and puts it in the post-Soviet context. The following section touches on the key legislation related to this institute in the Russian Federation and on the way it was formed and embedded in Russia. A separate chapter addresses the competences and specific tasks of the public defender of rights. This chapter is supported by annual reports issued by the Russian ombudsman's office. The last section of the thesis deals with the relationship between the ombudsman, the Russian establishment and non-governmental human rights organizations. The relationship is defined theoretically and illustrated by practical examples and specific cases. Keywords Ombudsman, The Human Rights Commissioner, Federal Constitutional Act on the Human Rights Commissioner, Human Rights, Freedoms, the Russian Federation, Russian Establishment, Human...

- RESUME This work is concentrated on issue of purchase of medical practices which in this market period gains the importence. Even though today there is bigger and bigger demand for this transaction, legislation is not very well adapted to that. Medical practice can be perceived as undertaking pursuant to § 502 civil code. Because of that, it is possible to sell it (besides other ways) based on legal title business purchase contract pursuant to § 2175 civil code. Legal title business purchase contract is in practice used often, nevertheless whole process of purchase of medical practice based on legal title business purchase contract is not smooth. I would like to highlight the problems which can emerge. It is possible to divide this work into two parts. The first part deals with legal definitions and legal analysis of basic legal terms as undertaking, medical practice, provider of medical assistance services. We can find here also justification why it is possible to perceive medical practice as undertaking. The second part is focused on business purchase contract in general with specifics, which can arise in case of purchase of medical practice based on legal title business purchase contract. In second chapter (after the introduction), I define in general the concept of undertaking and I also...

Cette recherche interroge les conditions de structuration et de perduration d’un engagement séparé pour les femmes dans les organisations et au sein de mobilisations agricoles bretonnes. Majoritairement composés d’exploitantes installées en couple et situés à la frontière entre associations de défense de l’égalité, cercles de sociabilités professionnelles et groupes de parole, les espaces d’encadrement agricole féminins offrent une occasion idoine de questionner non seulement l’imbrication des identités professionnelles et conjugales dans l’engagement mais également la labilité des usages rhétoriques de l'égalité et du féminisme dans des espaces professionnels non-mixtes. L’analyse de leur position dans l’espace de la représentation agricole questionne le degré d’autonomie des revendications portées au nom des agricultrices, leur influence sur les agendas organisationnels et leur effet sur la construction des carrières militantes. L’enquête s’appuie sur un dispositif cumulant une observation de quatre années des activités formelles et informelles des groupes féminins, une étude de leur documentation professionnelle, un recensement de leurs tribunes dans la presse agricole, auxquels s’ajoutent la réalisation d’entretiens avec les actrices qui y sont engagées et la constitution de données statistiques relatives aux mandats féminins dans les organisations agricoles bretonnes depuis 1990. Sur la base d’une analyse croisant les études de genre, la sociologie du militantisme et celle de la représentation professionnelle agricole, notre thèse consiste à démontrer que les groupes et mobilisations d’agricultrices forgent les contours d’une « cause de femmes » agricole mise sous tutelle des intérêts catégoriels et chevillée à l’idéal normatif de la complémentarité des sexes. En tant que réceptacles de positions professionnelles, organisationnelles et conjugales entrecroisées, les espaces de l’engagement féminin produisent des politisations ambivalentes de ces appartenances multiples, à la fois porteuses de contestation comme de reproduction des hiérarchies sexuées et de l’ordre social et politique. / This research looks into the conditions for the structuring and continuation of a separate female activism within Breton organisations and farmers mobilisations. Mainly made up of professionals living in couples and situated at the intersection between gender equality advocacy groups, professional networks and support groups, farming self-help groups are a case in point to question not only the intertwining of professional and marital identities within activism but also the lability of rhetorical uses of equality and feminism within women-only professional spaces. The analysis of their position within the farmers’ representation spaces makes it compelling to question the degree of autonomy of the claims made in the name of women farmers, their influence upon the setting of professional agendas and their impact on the development of activist careers.Evidence was collected through an apparatus which consisted in the addition of a four-year-long observation of female groups’ formal and informal activities, an analysis of their professional literature, an inventory of their opinion columns inside the farm press, to which can be added semi-structured interviews with women farmers engaged in this activism and the setting up of statistical data about female mandates within Breton farm organisations since the 1990s. Drawing on an analysis which mixes gender studies, sociology of militancy and studies of farming professional representation, this PhD aims to demonstrate that women farmers groups and mobilisations shape the features of a farming “women cause” although it is subordinated to corporatist interests and seen through the lenses of the normative ideal of complementarity between the sexes. Being a repository of interlinked professional, organisational and matrimonial standpoints, female activism spaces lead to the ambivalent politicisation of plural belongings. These multiple affiliations can be a catalyst for protest as well as a way to reproduce sexual hierarchies and social and political order.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:19:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leticia B Tourinho Dantas.pdf: 1597174 bytes, checksum: 5c44043243b574409da20f7947520f9b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-13 / The objective of this work is to study the rules that deal with the impact of the tax services (ISSQN) in situations that characterize the import of services in order to verify its compatibility with positive legislation. The research has as its starting point the analysis of the constitutional text, seeking to build content, meaning and scope of prescriptive statements that impact directly on the legal regime of the ISS. In this plan, we focus the study of standards of competence of the ISS and what constitutes it and other infraconstitucional enunciations, through studying the role of supplementary law on the conformation of the legal system of the ISS. Traced the boundaries of both substance and form that define the institution of Tax Services at the constitutional level, the archetype of this constitutional duty is achieved, partly to investigate these prescriptive statements introduced in the legal system from the LC 116/03, analyzing the limits of positive law, each of the criteria of the rule of taxation possible from the ISS by building their semantic content, focusing on those that can trigger further discussions in relation to the tax in imports of services, namely the substantive test, the space and subjective criteria. We concluded that neither the constitutional legislator nor complement legislator, the determination of the substantive (conjugation of the verb with the complement), limited, both vehicles sheaths to address the possible materiality of the tax as the provision of services. On the space criterion, closely related to the principle of territoriality, we verify the possibility of adopting the principle of origin, as well as the destination on the taxation of services, being indispensable to the location of taxable activity the existence of evidence of connection to the Brazilian legal system, in order to legitimize the tax. Regarding the subjective criterion, especially on the topic of passive submission, we note that the legislature has the freedom to choose those which are responsible for compliance with the tax liability within the prescribed limits, may choose different person from the one who gets the economic benefit arising from activity of service provision, provided that there is another rule that permits restitution (reimbursement or retention). That done, we begin the analysis of rule of tax incidence of the incident ISS on the import of services covered by the same method in the previous steps, proving its compatibility with the Brazilian legal system / O objetivo do presente trabalho é estudar as normas que dispõem sobre a incidência do Imposto sobre Serviços de Qualquer Natureza nas situações que caracterizam a importação de serviços, a fim de verificar a sua compatibilidade com o ordenamento jurídico-positivo. A pesquisa tem como ponto de partida a análise do Texto Constitucional, buscando construir o conteúdo, sentido e alcance dos enunciados prescritivos que influem diretamente no regime jurídico do ISS. Neste plano, as atenções se voltam para o estudo da norma de competência do ISS e dos seus integrantes constitutivos como os princípios e demais enunciados infraconstitucionais, passando pelo estudo do papel da lei complementar na conformação do regime jurídico do ISS. Traçados os limites de fundo e de forma que delimitam a instituição do Imposto sobre Serviços no plano constitucional, alcança-se o arquétipo constitucional deste imposto, parte para a investigação dos enunciados prescritivos introduzidos no ordenamento jurídico a partir da LC n. 116/03, analisando dentro dos limites do direito positivo, cada um dos critérios integrantes da regra-matriz de incidência tributária possível do ISS, a partir da construção dos respectivos conteúdos semânticos, enfatizando aqueles que podem provocar maiores discussões em relação à incidência do imposto na importação de serviços, a saber o critério material, o critério espacial e o critério subjetivo. Conclui que não houve por parte, seja do legislador constitucional seja do legislador complementar, a determinação do critério material (conjugação do verbo com o complemento), limitando-se, ambos os veículos introdutores, a tratar da materialidade possível do imposto como sendo a prestação de serviços. Quanto ao critério espacial, intimamente relacionado ao princípio da territorialidade, verifica-se a possibilidade de adoção do princípio da origem, tanto quanto do destino na tributação da prestação de serviços, sendo indispensável para a localização da atividade tributável a existência de elementos de conexão com o ordenamento jurídico brasileiro, de modo a legitimar a tributação. Em relação ao critério subjetivo, em especial no tópico da sujeição passiva, constata-se que tem o legislador liberdade para a escolha daquele a quem incumbe o cumprimento da obrigação tributária, dentro dos limites previstos, podendo escolher pessoa diversa daquela que obtém o benefício econômico decorrente da atividade de prestação de serviço, desde que exista uma outra norma, que autorize a restituição (retenção ou reembolso). Feito isso, tem início a análise da regra-matriz de incidência tributária do ISS incidente na importação de serviços, pelo mesmo método percorrido nas etapas anteriores, concluindo pela sua compatibilidade com o ordenamento jurídico brasileiro

From the Proceedings of the 1974 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 19-20, 1974, Flagstaff, Arizona / Two native grass species, blue grama and sidecoats, were successfully seeded on a semiarid rangeland on the walnut gulch experimental watershed in southeastern Arizona. Optimum seeding dates selected were those within the time period most likely to receive precipitation, and grass stands were established in two successive years with average rainfall. Shrubs were killed by root-plowing at a depth of 14 inches, a procedure which was more than 95% successful in controlling sprouting shrubs. Forage production measurements taken on nm-28 sideoats and Vaughn sideoats showed a yield of 1,950 and 2,643 pounds of forage per acre, respectively, for the 2 years following the seeding, whereas untreated sites produced 23 and 25 pounds per acre of forage. Results indicate that success in establishing a stand of native grass is increased through use of existing hydrologic data.

From the Proceedings of the 1974 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 19-20, 1974, Flagstaff, Arizona / Tumamoc Hill, an 869-acre (352 ha) desert area near Tucson, Arizona, is being considered as a controlled- access environmental site. Water affects the site's geology, soils, vegetation, wildlife, and archaeology. The Hill is drained by three small watersheds. The largest is rapidly urbanizing upstream. Hydrologic aspects include potential flooding and erosion hazards. These may be reduced simply, economically, and wisely in a land-use plan. Upstream development increases storm runoff volumes, and flood peaks, and frequencies routed through the site, and threatens existing downstream urban development. Return periods of channel-overflow floods become shorter with urbanization. The region may be managed to reduce hydrologic hazards by three procedures: widen channels, install low checkdams, and vegetate drainageways. These methods will slow down runoff velocities, and increase cross -sectional area of flow and roughness coefficient. More water would also be available for vegetation and wildlife. The land-use plan should include environmental education programs. These would present important effects of water on the natural ecology, and hydrologic aspects of watershed urbanization.

From the Proceedings of the 1977 Meetings of the Arizona Section - American Water Resources Assn. and the Hydrology Section - Arizona Academy of Science - April 15-16, 1977, Las Vegas, Nevada / Increased nutritional and economic demands for agricultural products have dictated the need for greater and more efficient use of western grass forage. Vegetation manipulation is the quickest and most economical means of increasing forage. However , the hydrologic effects must be taken into consideration before embarking on a large scale vegetation manipulated program. This study discusses the hydrologic and erosion changes measured from a 110-acre semiarid watershed which was converted from brush to grass by root plowing and seeding. Significant changes were observed in rainfall-runoff relationships as average summer runoff was considerably in excess of predictions. Sediment yield also varied, and both of these results were tied to the change in vegetative cover and post conversion rainfall conditions.

Historically, the Kentucky Inner Bluegrass blue ash-oak savanna-woodland was the primary ecosystem of the Inner Bluegrass Region (IBR) of Kentucky. After European settlement, the majority (>99%) of Bluegrass savanna was converted to agricultural and urban land uses. Currently remnant savanna tree species are failing to recruit. Therefore, a long-term restoration ecology project researching competition and disturbance on seedling establishment, survival, and growth has been established at Griffith Woods (the largest remaining savanna in Kentucky) in Harrison Co., KY. Fourteen native hardwood tree species (a total of 6,168 seedlings) have been experimentally planted. Light, soil, surrounding vegetation, and herbivory, factors thought to influence seedling survival, have been initially assessed. Results show that soils differed spatially in P, Ca, Mg, Zn, pH, N percent and soil organic matter percent. Light was significantly reduced by diffusive filtering through vegetation. Vegetation biomass was influenced by pH and Mg. Initial seedling survival was high, but significantly differed by species type, location, and soil pH, Mg, and Zn. This research demonstrates that under a similar range of conditions, native hardwood tree seedling establishment is possible. Therefore, the potential exists to restore Bluegrass savanna-woodland in order to return proper ecological functioning into a degraded landscape.

An increase in economic globalisation and international trade the past two decades has amounted to an increase in the number of multinational enterprises that conduct business, own assets and have debt in various jurisdictions around the world. This, coupled with the recent worldwide economic recession, has inevitably caused the increased occurrence of multinational financial default, also known as cross–border insolvency (CBI). CBI refers to the situation where insolvency proceedings are initiated in one jurisdiction with regard to a debtor’s estate and the debtor also has property, debt or both in at least one other jurisdiction. When a multinational enterprise is in financial distress, the structure of such an enterprise poses significant challenges to the question of how to address its insolvency. This is due to the fact that, although the multinational enterprise is found globally in different jurisdictions around the world, the laws addressing its liquidation are local. The possibility of restructuring the multinational enterprise or liquidating it in order the satisfy creditor claims optimally depends greatly upon the ease with which the insolvency law regimes of multiple jurisdictions can facilitate a fair and timely resolution to the financial distress of that multinational enterprise. The legal response to this problem has produced two important international instruments which were designed to address key issues associated with CBI. Firstly, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) adopted the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross–Border Insolvency in 1997, which has been adopted by nineteen countries including the United States of America (in the form of Chapter 15 of the US Bankruptcy Code) and South Africa (in the form of the Cross–Border Insolvency Act 42 of 2000). Secondly, the European Union adopted the European Council Regulation on Insolvency Proceedings (EC Regulation) in 2000. These two instruments address the management of general default by a debtor and are aimed at providing a legal framework which seeks to enhance legal certainty, cooperation, coordination and harmonization between states in CBI matters throughout the world. After discussing the viewpoints of various writers, it seems clear that “modified universalism” is the correct approach towards CBI matters globally. This is mainly due to the fact that the main international instruments currently dealing with CBI matters are all based upon “modified universalism”. By looking at various EU and US case law it is also evident that, although there is currently still no established test for the determination of the “centre of main interest” (COMI) of a debtor–company under Chapter 15, there is a difference in the approach adopted by courts in the EU and those in the US in this regard. This dissertation further discusses the requirements for a debtor–company to possess an “establishment” for the purpose of opening foreign non–main insolvency proceedings in a jurisdiction as well as the choice–of–law considerations in CBI matters. / Thesis (LL.M. (Import and Export Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.