Master of Science / Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology / Ram K. Raghavan / Dermacentor variabilis (Say) (Acari: Ixodidae), commonly known as the American dog tick is a medically important tick species in N. America, which has been implicated as a competent vector for several diseases, including tularemia, bovine anaplasmosis and canine tick paralysis. This tick is also the primary suspect for the transmission of Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). The spatial distribution and geographic extent of D. variabilis territory in N. America is suspected to have changed in the recent times due to natural and anthropogenic, non-stationary forces. A clear understanding of the spatial distribution and environmental factors contributing to the distribution has public health significance, allowing us to make informed management decisions and for setting robust future research goals aimed at understanding vector-biology and disease management. Additionally, ongoing climate-change is expected to alter species spatial distribution and abundance within distribution range. In this research, I studied the current and likely future spatial distribution of D. variabilis ticks in N. America based on two representative concentration pathways, RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, representing lower and higher emission scenarios, respectively, under several global circulation models (GCM). The spatial distribution models were constructed using MaxEnt program and BioClim data was used as environmental data for modeling. Best models were selected based on Partial ROC curves, AIC, and omission rates. Median prediction of these models indicate a wider spread of D. variabilis from its currently known extent, and much further spread as a result of climate change. Different environmental variables that significantly influenced current and future D. variabilis distribution included annual mean temperature, mean diurnal range, maximum temperature of the warmest month, annual precipitation, precipitation seasonality, and precipitation of the wettest quarter.

Previous experimental and numerical studies showed that two-dimensional roughness elements can stabilize disturbances inside a hypersonic boundary layer, and eventually delay the transition onset. The objective of the thesis is to evaluate the response of disturbances propagating inside a hypersonic boundary layer to various two-dimensional surface deformations of different shapes. The proposed deformations consist of a backward step, forward step, a combination of backward and forward steps, two types of wavy surfaces, surface dips or surface humps. Disturbances inside of a Mach 5.92 flat-plate boundary layer are excited by pulsed or periodic wall blowing and suction at an upstream location. The numerical tools consist of the Navier-Stokes equations in curvilinear coordinates and a linear stability analysis tool. Results show that all types of surface deformations are able to reduce the amplitude of boundary layer disturbances to a certain degree. The amount of reduction in the disturbance energy is related to the type of pressure gradient created by the deformation, adverse or favorable.

In this thesis I describe fine-scale spatial patterns in rain forest termites, from the colony to the assemblage level, sampled from one hectare plots in Central African and South East Asian lowland rain forest. By so doing the ecological interactions that structure this functionally important and abundant soil community were identified. The African termite assemblage, dominated by soil-feeding termites, saturated the upper soil profile (collected from 90% of soil pits). In contrast termites were collected from <50% of soil pits in Asia, with this difference reflecting the lower species densities and abundances of soil-feeding termites in Asian forests. Territoriality and inter-specific competition was shown to be important between colonies of soil-feeding species in the African plot. The termite assemblages were spatially associated with several environmental properties. However these could not explain the spatial patterns in the functional components of the assemblages. Wood-feeding termites were highly patchily distributed, due to the heterogeneous nature of their food material, but also due to possible competitive interactions for this. Humus-feeding termites were homogenously structured, due to the continuous nature of soil as their feeding and nesting material. True soil-feeding termites, unique to the African assemblage, were heterogeneously distributed despite the equally continuous nature of their feeding and nesting material. This structure may arise from facilitative interactions, such as co-operative defence against ant predation which may be intense in African systems, or through the transfer of soil material at different stages of decomposition. Competition for space is apparent in both regions, both at the colony level among soil-feeding genera, and between aggregations of functional groups. Positive and negative biotic interactions, operating at various spatial and functional scales, appear to be important in influencing how assemblage composition is spatially structured. If indeed facilitation is important in maintaining the taxonomic and functional diversity in termite assemblages, it would be valuable to confirm the mechanism(s) that drives this (i.e. predation and/or food transfer), as these may then influence ecosystem stability.

Svenska branschen för bostadsbolag bidrar till en stor del av landets miljöpåverkan. Tillsammans står bostadsbolagen för 10 till 40 % av Sveriges förbrukning av energi och farliga kemikalier, avfallsgenerering och utsläpp. Trots denna påverkan råder det stor variation i vilken omfattning som svenska allmännyttiga kommunala bostadsbolag miljöredovisar. Ur tidigare forskning identifierades variabler som antas påverka miljöredovisningens omfattning vilket formade studiens syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utreda i vilken omfattning som allmännyttiga kommunala bostadsaktiebolag i Sverige miljöredovisar och analysera hur mängden lagenliga miljöupplysningar påverkas av bolagsstorlek, lönsamhet, skuldsättningsgrad, miljöledningssystemets kvalitet och kommunalpolitik.   Denna dokumentstudie genomför en innehållsanalys för att samla in numerisk data främst från årsredovisningar från 134 allmännyttiga kommunala bostadsaktiebolag. För att analysera insamlad data sammanställdes deskriptiv statistik och en multipel linjär regressionsanalys utfördes.   Studien finner att det råder stor spridning i vilken omfattning som allmännyttiga kommunala bostadsaktiebolag miljöredovisar. Dessutom urskiljer studien att miljöredovisningen är av liten omfattning i större delen av bolagen. Slutsatserna är i linje med tidigare forskning som studerat miljöredovisning i bostadsbolag. Regressionsanalysen visar att skuldsättningsgrad och kommunalpolitik har en signifikant positiv inverkan på miljöredovisningens omfattning.   Då denna studie enbart granskar miljöredovisning för ett specifikt räkenskapsår kan en intressant aspekt för vidare forskning vara att undersöka en längre tidsperiod. Det hade även varit av intresse att studera andra former av bostadsbolag, förslagsvis privatägda.   Det finns få studier som fokuserar på allmännyttiga kommunala bostadsbolag och miljöredovisning. Till skillnad från tidigare studier bedöms miljöredovisningens omfattning genom att beräkna antal ord relaterat till bolagets interaktion med miljön. Med hjälp av denna studie kan bostadsbolag se om förbättringar är nödvändiga. / The Swedish real estate sector contributes to a large part of the country’s environmental impact. Collectively, real estate companies account for 10 to 40 % of Sweden's energy consumption and hazardous chemicals, waste generation and emissions. Despite this impact, there is a large spread in the extent to which Swedish public municipal housing companies conduct environmental reporting. From previous research, variables were identified that are assumed to affect the extent of environmental reporting, which formed the purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to investigate to what extent municipal housing company in Sweden conduct environmental reporting and analyze how the amount of legal environmental disclosures is affected by company size, profitability, leverage, quality of the environmental management system and local government politics.   This document analysis conducts a content analysis to collect numerical data mostly from annual reports of 134 public municipal housing companies. To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics were compiled and a multiple linear regression analysis was performed.   The study finds that there is a large spread in the extent to which public municipal housing companies conducts environmental reporting. In addition, the study distinguishes that the environmental reporting is small in scaleamong many of the companies. The findings are consistent with previous research that also studied environmental reporting in real estate companies. The regression analysis shows that leverage andlocal government politics have a significant positive impact on the extent of environmental disclosures.   Since this study only examines environmental reporting for a particular fiscal year, an interesting aspect for future research can be to examine a longer period of time. It had also been of interest to study other types ofhousing companies, such as privately owned.   There are few studies that focus on public municipal housing companies and environmental reporting. Unlike previous studies, the extent of environmental reporting is assessed by counting number of words related to the company's interaction with the environment. With the help of this study, real estate companies can see whether improvements are required.

Studiens syfte är att få kunskap om hur förrättningslantmätare tillsammans med mätningsingenjörer förhåller sig till behövlig omfattning av gränsmarkering. Begreppet behövlig omfattning återfinns i Fastighetsbildningslagen, FBL, 4 kap. 27 §.   Metoder som tillämpats för att uppnå studiens syfte består, utöver en pilotstudie, av intervjuer och en kvalitativ enkätundersökning. Urval har gjorts bland statligt och kommunalt anställda förrättningslantmätare och mätningsingenjörer. 11 personer intervjuades och 36 personer besvarade enkät. I pilotstudie intervjuades 2 personer.   Erfarenhet av yrket är en viktig faktor som påverkar synen på gränsmarkering i lantmäteriförrättning. Bedömning, tolkning och tillämpning av behövlig omfattning grundas på sakägares behov av att tydligt förstå var fastighetsgränser går. Det råder delade meningar om hur tydliga tillgängliga riktlinjer är. Handbok för Enhetligt arbetssätt används som bedömningsunderlag, vilket innefattar en basnivå för fältarbete. Rättssäkerhet från juridiskt perspektiv är den enskilt viktigaste faktorn som styr behövlig omfattning av gränsmarkering. Mätningsingenjör har också de facto stor del i beslutsprocessen.   Slutsatser från genomförd studie visar att det finns svårigheter med att markera gränser i exploateringsområden. Erfarenhet ligger ofta till grund för bedömning, tolkning och tillämpning av behövlig omfattning. / The purpose of the study is to gain knowledge how surveying engineers together with cadastral surveyors relates to necessary existent when marking a boundary. The term necessary extent can be found in the Swedish property formation law, chapter 4 § 27.   The methods used to reach the purpose of the study were, besides a pilot study, interviews and a qualitative questionnaire. A selection was made among employees from the National cadastral authority and Municipal cadastral authority. 11 people were interviewed and 36 people answered the questionnaire. In the pilot study 2 people were interviewed.   Experience of the profession is an important factor which affects the view of marking a boundary in cadastral procedure. Assessment, interpretation and application of necessary extent are based on the interested parties’ need of clear understanding of property boundaries location. The opinion is divided of how clear existing guidelines are. The instruction manual Handbok för Enhetligt arbetssätt is used for assessments which consist of a base level for field work. The most important factor for necessary extent is to ensure the rule of law from a legal perspective when marking a boundary. Surveying engineers has in reality a major part in the decision making.   The conclusion from completed study shows difficulties when marking boundaries in land development sites. Experience is often the basis for the evaluation, interpretation and application of the necessary extent.

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Problem: In today’s competitive business world, companies are faced with challenges due to increasing competition, changes in customer demands, new technologies, and globalization. Due to these changes, competition does not take place between single companies anymore but rather whole SCs. To cope with such challenges, more and more companies focus on SCI. Business managers and academics emphasize the potential of integration. However, existing literature shows a gap concerning the integration of LSPs. In this thesis, LSPs are divided into three different types; carriers, intermediaries, and 3PL providers. Due to differences in their business focus and the deriving logics, their way of integrating with customers will likely differ. Hence, based on these differences and the gap in literature concerning the integration of LSPs, this thesis focuses on an investigation of two carriers, two intermediaries, and two 3PL providers. Purpose: The purpose of this Master thesis is to explore how and why LSPs integrate with their main customers. Therefore, motivators and obstacles, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the extent of integration and possible integration approaches are investigated. Method: This qualitative study makes use of a case study strategy which includes six companies. Data is gathered from semi-structured interviews and documentary secondary data. The findings are analyzed using a two-stage process. First, a comparison of the findings for each of the three types of LSP is conducted. Second, a cross-analysis among carriers, intermediaries, and 3PL providers is performed in order to identify similarities and differences. Conclusions: The findings of this thesis reveal integration of technologies and systems, flows, and relationship evaluation as approaches for LSPs. Further, LSPs integrate externally, upstream and downstream in terms of intermediaries and 3PL providers and downstream in regards to carriers, and on different levels ranging from relatively shallow in case of carriers to deep in terms of 3PL providers. Moreover, LSPs are motivated by factors such as competition, differentiation, and business safety, whereas aspects such as resource investments and customer power differences present potential obstacles. Furthermore, LSPs benefit from integration, e.g. due to improved problem-solving ability, expansion of business, and better responsiveness to market changes. In contrast, aspects such as increased customer expectations, the risk of sunk costs, and dependence present potential disadvantages for LSPs.

Observations of Antarctic sea ice thickness are sporadic in space and time, hindering knowledge of its variability. A proxy based on stage of development data from the National Ice Center (NIC) weekly operational charts is used to create a high-resolution time series of sea ice concentration, thickness and volume for 2000-2009. Record-length mean thickness and volume of Antarctic sea ice are 66.7 cm and 7.7 x10^3 km^3. The mean growth and decay seasons in the Southern Ocean and in the Ross sector are 210 days and 155 days, but at least at least one week shorter (growth) and longer (decay) in the Amundsen/Bellingshausen sector. Over 90% of the Antarctic continental shelf is covered with sea ice for 3-5 months, and for 2 to 4 months longer periods in the Amundsen/Bellingshausen and Ross sectors. Yearly mean sea ice area (extent) in the Southern Ocean increased at a rate of 0.71 x 10^6 km^2/decade (0.70 x 10^6 km^2/decade), equivalent to a 7.7 %/decade (6.3 %/decade) rise. A comparable trend of 9.1 %/decade (8.5 %/decade) is estimated in the Ross sector, at 0.21 x 10^6 km2/decade (0.23 x 10^6 km2/decade). The opposite trend is found in the Amundsen/Bellingshausen sector: a -0.15 x 10^6 km^2/decade (-0.17 x 10^6 km^2/decade) decline, or -14.6 %/decade (-13.4 %/decade). The estimated annual increase of Antarctic sea ice thickness is 22.6 cm/decade (49.2 %/decade) and of volume is 3.78 x 10^3 km^3/decade (68.3 %/decade). The Ross sector showed similar trends for thickness, at 23.8 cm/decade (47.0 %/decade), and volume, at 1.11 x 10^3 km^3/decade (75.8 %/decade). Thickness has increased in the Amundsen/Bellingshausen sector, 20.7 cm/decade (44.8 %/decade), but with a less pronounced volume rise of 0.17 x10^3 km^3/decade (26.0 %/decade). Monthly sea ice thickness anomalies show a weak response to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index. A strong positive response is observed in 2008 when a negative a negative ENSO index compounded to a positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM) index. Therefore the estimated increase of sea ice thickness in the Southern Ocean could be attributed to the prevailing atmospheric conditions with a positive SAM phase over the past decade.

Arktis är den plats där den globala uppvärmningen är som mest märkbar på hela jorden (Arktiska rådet). Därför är Arktis ett intressant område att studera ur klimatsynpunkt. Enligt Gore (2006) så kan en ökning av jordens medeltemperatur på 1,5 °C leda till att de ekvatoriala områdena får en temperaturökning på 0,5 °C medan temperaturen vid Arktis kan stiga med hela 6 °C. De senaste 30 åren har medeltemperaturen vid Arktis stigit med drygt en grad per decennium (Anisimov, 2007) medan den globala medeltemperaturen för samma period endast stigit med ca 0.15 grader per decennium. Arktis tros ha varit isfritt under en värmeperiod för ca 6000 – 8500 år sedan (Founder, 2011) men det som är unikt med den aktuella situationen är att avsmältningen går så snabbt. Mycket snabbare än naturliga cykler (Gore, 2006) och det råder inom forskarvärlden ingen tvekan om att det är de antropogena utsläppen av växthusgaser som är orsaken. Frågeställningen som ligger till grund för den här rapporten är att ta reda på vilket årtal som Arktis kommer att vara isfritt. Detta görs genom att undersöka hur den Arktiska isutsträckningen minskat under perioden 1979-2011.  Isdata till beräkningarna i den här rapporten är tagna från National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado USA, och värdena för temperaturerna kommer från National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Genom att med minstakvadratanpassning göra en linjär approximation av varje års minsta värde av isutsträckningen vid Arktis för perioden 1979-2011 erhålls att Arktis kommer att vara isfritt år 2062. / The Arctic is the place where global warming is most significant in the whole world (Arctic Council). That is why the Arctic is an interesting area to study from a climate perspective. According to Gore (2006), an increase in global temperature of 1.5 °C might lead to an increase of 0.5 °C in the equatorial regions while the Arctic could receive a teperature rise by as much as 6 °C . During the past 30 years, average temperatures in the Arctic have risen by more then one degree per decade (Anisimov, 2007) while the global average teperature for the same period only increased by about 0.15 degrees per decade. Arctic is believed to have been ice-free during a heating period for about 6000 - 8500 years ago (Founder, 2011) but what is unique about the current situation is that the melting is so quickly. Much faster than natural cycles (Gore, 2006) and there is within the scientific community no doubt that the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is the cause. The issue which forms the basis for this report has been to investigate how the Arctic extent decreased over the period 1979-2011 and then to attempt to determine a year for when the Arctic will be ice free. Ice data to the calculations in this report are taken from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado USA, and the temperature values comes from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). By making a linear approximation with the least square method of each year’s minimum value of the Arctic sea ice extent for the period 1979-2011 it is obtained that the Arctic sea will be ice free by the year of 2062.

Invasive Prosopis trees pose significant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Several estimates have been made of the spatial extent of alien plant invasion in South Africa. The South African Plant Invaders Atlas (SAPIA) suggested that about 10 million hectares of South Africa has been invaded. However, the rate and spatial extent of Prosopis invasion has never been accurately quantified. The objective of the study is to use Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to: (i) reveal areas susceptible to future invasion, (ii) describe the current extent and densities of Prosopis, (iii) to reveal the spatial dynamics and (iv) establish the extent of fragmentation of the natural vegetation in the Northern Cape Province. Image classification products were generated using spectral analysis of seasonal profiles, various resolution image inputs, spectral indices and ancillary data. Classification approaches varied by scene and spatial resolution as well as application of the data. Coarse resolution imagery and field data were used to create a probability map estimating the area vulnerable to Prosopis invasion using relationships between actual Prosopis occurrence, spectral response, soils and terrain unit. Multi-temporal Landsat images and a 500m x 500m point grid enabled vector analysis and statistical data to quantify the change in distribution and density as well as the spatial dynamics of Prosopis since 1974. Fragmentation and change of natural vegetation was quantified using a combined cover density class, calculating patch density per unit (ha) for each biome The extent of Prosopis cover in the Northern Cape Province reached 1.473 million hectare or 4% of the total land area during 2007. The ability of the above mentioned Remote Sensing and GIS techniques to map the extent and densities of Prosopis in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa demonstrated a high degree of accuracy (72%). While neither the image classification nor the probability map can be considered as 100% accurate representations of Prosopis density and distribution, the products provide use full information on Prosopis distribution and are a first step towards generating more accurate products. For primary invasion management, these products and the association of a small area on a map with Prosopis plants and patches, mean that the management effort and resources are efficiently focused. Further studies using hyper-spectral image analysis are recommended to improve the classification accuracy of the spatial extent and density classes obtained in this study. / Thesis (M. Environmental Science)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.