A thesis submitted to the faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Johannesburg, 2019 / Due to increasing urbanisation occasioned by population explosion and the attendant waste management challenges in most developing country-cities, scholars have theorised that residents who exhibit strong place attachment (PA) are likely to embark on pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). This school of thought maintain that their immediate environment is regularly maintained to retain and increase its aesthetic appeal. However, the environmental behavioural patterns of Urora residents – a settlement located on the outskirts of Benin City, Nigeria – contradict this theory. While Urora residents demonstrate strong PA with regular socio-cultural meaning making interactions between them and their habitat, indiscriminate disposal of solid waste both at household and community levels is the normal rather than the exception. In this light, the study applied a combination of direct ethnographic observation methods guided by the principles from (neuro)phenomenology, with focus group discussions among purposefully selected participants to explore the underlying drivers of the apparent coexistence of strong PA with weak PEB. The data were analysed using content analysis/thick description, and phenomenological analysis of the lived-experiences in relation to the indiscriminate solid waste disposal practices. The study finds that residents exhibit strong PA as mediated through rituals such as worship, marriage, burial and community forums, which address issues such as quarrels between neighbours, levies to offset burial expenses, and degraded surroundings. However, these practices do not translate into PEB. Instead, the study finds that, in the absence of municipal waste services such as communal waste collection bins, residents engaged in anti-environmental practices such as open-air burning, ad hoc landfills, and indiscriminate waste disposals in open fields, street corners, and secluded nooks and crannies. The study also finds that rituals could be used to bridge the disconnect between PA and PEB. This is because both religious and traditional worship leaders, as key stakeholders, have the unique leverage needed to drive the agenda of ensuring effective solid waste management in Urora. This assertion is premised on the fact that despite having a population of less than 50 000 residents, Urora is host to 36 public worship centres, apart from private and individual altars. / PH2020

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Joan Didion, a native of Sacramento, California, is the author of many acclaimed collections of journalism and memoir, the first of which were Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968) and The White Album (1979). Eve Babitz, a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, has produced two such volumes: Eve’s Hollywood (1974) and Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, The Flesh, and L.A. (1977). While much critical ink has been spilled over Didion’s oeuvre, Babitz was, until the recent reprinting of the aforementioned titles, known best as an artist and muse. Perhaps due to this disparity in recognition and renown, no extant critical piece serves to compare the nonfiction of Didion and Babitz, despite their close geographic and social proximity. In viewing their early work side by side, the Golden West of the 1960s and ’70s emerges as the clearest point of comparison; however, the ways in which Didion and Babitz use place and time in their work often differ due to the marked contrasts in the identities they convey. In characterizing herself as a journalist and an observer, Didion offers a perspective that feels objective but is, at turns, wry and cool. Babitz, writing in a manner that was, at one time, considered autofiction, positions herself as the freewheeling focal point around which Hollywood’s dizzying cultural landscape unfolds. By manipulating the constructs of place and persona, these writers are better equipped to tell the story at hand and analyze their places within it, cementing their work in California’s literary canon.

The kinetics of the oxidation of platinum metal have long been a topic of interest in the field of electrochemistry. Using a combination of cyclic voltammetry, potential step experiments, and sweep-hold experiments, this research studies the kinetics of the initial stages of oxide growth on Pt(100), Pt(111), and Pt(110) surfaces. By comparing the electrochemical results with surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) experiments conducted at synchrotron facilities, it was found that the charge of the oxide peak is within 15 μC cm⁻² or about 0.1 ML for all three surfaces. This means that the amount of oxide formed on each surface is similar. It was also determined that the oxide formed on Pt(111) is a Pt(II) species, consistent with an oxide like PtO. From calculations from the potential step experiments, it was determined that on Pt(100) there are two distinct regions of current decay, but that double layer charging is not one of the two seen. Instead, it was determined that the oxidation is likely a two step process with the first step being an adsorption step and the second being a place exchange oxide formation step. It was also found that more charge is passed when conducting potential step experiments to the oxide region from potentials in the hydrogen underpotential deposition (HUPD) region than from potentials in the double layer region. Finally, the results of a sweep-hold experiment on Pt(100) show that the values for charge are similar when calculated via the data from a sweep-hold and potential step experiment from a potential in the double layer region. The results of this research help further the kinetic understanding of the platinum surface during its oxidation and reduction. / Graduate

The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship between the personalization of one’s physical environment and the degree of place identity the person has toward their space, specifically those living in temporary student housing. There have been several studies on peoples’ inherent need to personalize their space. While previous research has identified key factors that help to define place identity in general, this study addresses the fact that not much has been said about how people in temporary housing, specifically student housing, actually go about creating their living spaces. The key issues this research addressed were the degree of place identity achieved by those living in temporary student housing, the manner in which they went about personalizing their spaces, and the relationship between the two. Also, because this is a study of the primary residence or home of the participants, special attention was given to the concept of home. Undergraduate students living in student housing on a university campus were recruited to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview. The purpose of this research technique was to better understand each person’s attitude toward their space and the factors involved in the way they personalized their space. The researcher also conducted a visual analysis of each space to determine the level and type of personalization. Eight methods (or factors) of personalizing space were compared to the three dimensions of place identity. Significant positive correlations emerged between the place-self congruity dimension of place identity and the personalization of space factors of traditional decoration, decorative complexity, and decoration to create image, therefore showing there is a possible link between gaining a sense of place identity and the level and type of personalization of space displayed in a temporary student housing setting. The study also found that the definition of home is dependent on the context and can have various meaning for the same person.

This is a collection of short stories linked by place and subject. I rely on concrete details, rhythm and tone to create the place and setting of the Tivoli Bay, which acts as a central force in the lives of the characters. The characters are drawn to the bay and to one another by the neediness of secrets.

Bildverarbeitungssysteme bieten innovative Lösungen für den Fertigungsprozess. Kameras und zugehörige Bildverarbeitungssysteme können zur Identifizierung, Prüfung und Lokalisierung von Teilen auf einem Förderband oder in einem Behälter mit Teilen eingesetzt werden. Roboter werden dann eingesetzt,um jedes Teil aufzunehmen und im Montagebereich zu platzieren oder sogar um die Grundmontage direkt durchzuführen. Das System für dieses Projekt besteht aus einem Roboter Kuka KR6 900, der die Position (x-, y- und z-Koordinaten des Objektschwerpunkts) und die Ausrichtung eines Bauteils von einem Bildverarbeitungssystem basierend auf einem Jetson Nano erhält. Das Ziel dieses Projekts ist es, eine automatische Erkennung eines Objekts mit Hilfe einer 2D-Kamera und der Auswertung mit dem Deep Learning Algorithmus Darknet YOLO V4 durchzuführen, so dass der Roboter das Objekt greifen und platzieren kann. Dieses Projekt verwendet zwei verschiedene Objekttypen: einen Quader und einen Zylinder. Die Bilderkennung erfolgt mit Hilfe des Jetson Nano, dort erfolgt aus den Pixelkoordinaten die Berechnung der realen Koordinaten, die dann über die TCP/IP-Schnittstelle des Kuka KR6 900 zur Durchführung der Entnahme und Platzierung übermittelt werden. Die Flexibilität des Roboters, dessen Steuerung auf diese Weise von der Bildverarbeitung unterstützt wird, kann den Bedarf an präzise konstruierten Teilezuführungen verringern und so die Flexibilität in der Fertigungszelle erhöhen und kurze Produktionsläufe und Anpassungsfähigkeit ermöglichen.

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