The salt flats of west Texas are large ephemeral lakes, Pleistocene to Holocene in age. The evaporite material in these lakes represents the sedimentary history of the lake and the surrounding area. Recently, a fossil assemblage was found in the sediments of this deposit. This assemblage includes four species of ostracoda (Limnocvthere staplini, Candona rawsoni, Candona thomasi, and Cvprideis salbrosa), two species of gastropoda, (Amnicola decepta, and Amnicola pilsbrvi), and discovery is significant because this assemblage has not been previously reported, and it provides an opportunity to reconstruct part of the physical and chemical environment of the salt flats during a portion of its history. Autecological comparison of these species indicate that they lived in a shallow, alkaline, brackish water environment. The known paleoclimate of the area, and the sedimentology support this interpretation. / Department of Geology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

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This study is informed by the rising demand for power needs in South Africa and aims at understanding the geophysical and geochemical characteristics of the energy minerals in the Springbok Flats Basin and relating them to the prevailing geological and structural setting for improved exploration targeting. The Springbok Flats Basin is part of the Karoo sediments and host to uranium, coal and coal bed methane (CBM) resources. The lithology sections in the basin indicate presence of basaltic lavas at the top, underlain by mudrocks, siltstones, sandstones, conglomerates and diamictite, with interbedded coal beds occasionally. The coals are uraniferous and shale bounded and of lower Beaufort age at 250 Ma. The regional radiometric data identifies the regional extent of the Springbok Flats Basin as a basin with low total count values. This information is useful in exploration as it gives an idea of the limits of the area where to focus application for prospecting licenses. The reduced to pole of the total magnetic field, residuals and first vertical derivative maps clearly show the high magnetic susceptibility nature of the surrounding Bushveld rocks as compared to the low Karoo sediment susceptibility within the basin. There are distinct ring shaped picks within the basin possibly due to known Karoo dolerite sills in particular to the central south western part of the grid. The regional geochemical mapping program is a cost-effective way of providing an overview of the relative abundance levels, regional trends and anomalous patterns in the underlying lithological units. Background values of elements in soils over different lithological units and the identification of anomalous values relative to these elements can easily be identified. The geochemical results show an excellent correlation between soil chemistry and underlying geological formations. A few distinct gravity highs are clearly shown within the basin. Assuming the effect of the Letaba basalt to the gravity readings is uniform across the basin; these distinct anomalies could be due to Karoo dolerite sills as they coincide with areas of distinct high magnetic signature. A conceptual model was generated assuming that the Karoo sediments’ layering is uniform across the gravity profile but changes in the residual are due to an increased thickness of the sill supported by the gentle changes on the surface topography. Satellite imagery has got its challenges especially in areas of vegetation but it does provide a very useful tool in exploration. A number of spectral analysis techniques and band rations can be used to differentiate the areas underlain by the Letaba basalts, the Karoo sandstones/shale and Bushveld granites for mapping purposes. The priority focus will be on the shallower Karoo sediments because of the potential for cheaper mining. Exploration targeting needs to be guided by observed geochemical and geophysical characteristics in order to prioritize areas taking into account the presence of Karoo intrusives such as the dolerite sills that tend to devolatize the coal hence affecting the quality/rank. Structures and gravity signatures are very important in delineating areas with thick sediments that have a potential for CBM. The same understanding in targeting goes a long way in planning drill holes, resource modelling and pre-feasibility stages for mine planning. A high resolution airborne geophysical survey is recommended over the basin to better resolve structures. Geophysical borehole logging is recommended to be part of the exploration drilling programs in the Springbok Flats Basin in order to define the in-situ geophysical characteristics. Geophysical logging is useful in particular for the uranium reserves that cannot be delineated from the surface due to deep intersection.

This thesis deals with the topic of rent. The level of rent in Karviná and the factors which influence it are investigated. Mainly apartment layout, type of building, ownership, whether a balcony or loggia belongs to the flat, or if there is a lift in the house. The diploma thesis also deals with the so-called mining flats, which are specific to the town of Karviná.

The topic of this master thesis is the elaboration of the project documentation of the new construction of a multifunctional building of the registered office of the company. New building is situated on the land in Ružomberok in the area intended for production and warehouse function. The proposed facility represents the background for a company that is a leading supplier of spare car parts. The building consists of a three floors with a partial basement. 1.PP and the part of 1.NP are storage areas. The rest of the first overhead floor is the shop. The second floor represents the administrative part of the business. The last, third floor, has 3 corporate apartments of various inclinations. The object is based on the concrete strip foundations. The structural system uses the ceramic blocks of type Therm. The walls of the basement are made of a concrete structural system. The ceilings of the building are designed as cast-in-place reinforced slabs. Screed to fall of the flat roof is thermal insulation and the finish is made of pea gravel.

The master´s thesis is focused on the preparation and design of project documentation of the multi-functional building. The building is designed on the corner of Sportovců and Waldhauserova streets in Kutná Hora. The concept of the building respects the territorial plan of the city and complements the existing buildings. The building has one underground and four floors. There is basement, two shops and fourteen flats. The building is designed from construction system Vapis.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study aimed to ascertain in what ways violence and crime influence the teaching and learning programme in schools in a disadvantaged community. The context is a primary school in an informal settlement in Samora Machel, Philippi, in the Cape Flats, where violence is endemic. The study shows that violence does not occur in school playgrounds and areas around the school only; classrooms are becoming common sites for violence. This study sought to establish teacher and learner experiences of violence at school, and the role of school management and parents in dealing with it, with a specific focus on school policies on discipline and how violence affects teaching and learning. The investigation also included learner behaviour during recess.

Matorids provide useful abstraction in combinatorics and have a number of applications in many areas. Gammoids,  which is one of many classes of matroids, and they can be represented by directed graphs, which make them easy to visualize. Due to matroids being discovered quite a long time ago, there are a number of great papers and books to do research on. From results made by Albrecht Immanuel and others, it is made clear that by transforming a gammoid into its standard representation, the cyclic flats can be found via its dual representation. Based on his results, it is possible to find the cyclic flats of any gammoid by finding the dual.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The need to ensure groundwater security is vital, particularly in urban areas. Assessing the impact of land use and climate variables on groundwater quality can help improve sustainable management. The vulnerability mapping of groundwater contamination identifies high-risk areas. Using models and technologies that forecast the distribution of contamination risk over time and place can help prioritize groundwater monitoring. Based on such needs, the Cape Flats aquifer in Cape Town, South Africa, was chosen as the case study for assessing the potential for groundwater contamination risk in urban and coastal hydrogeological settings. The Cape Flats aquifer has been highlighted as an alternate water supply source to augment current supply sources in Cape Town. However, the shallow aquifer is under pressure from agricultural and industrial activities and long-term climate variables, among other factors.