This research investigates the effectiveness of land reform in Kenya in relation to its stated policy aims of improving farm productivity through case studies of three districts where land reform has been implemented. One was an area with dense population and predominant customary form of land tenure (Kakamega); another one had the most recent land reform programme - group-ranching system (Kajiado); and the third had an early land reform acclaimed as a success within the former 'white highlands (Trans Nzoia). Although many studies on land reform suggest that collateral is one of the common ways of funding agricultural development, this was found to be defective as it does not test the borrower's ability to repay the loan, encourages excessive borrowing, and repayment schedules are often not realistic. For many farmers, the use of land as collateral depended on their ability to process title deeds; financial institutions to lend money; no market distortions/information asymmetry; and absence of cultural restrictions. We have also demonstrated that how land rights are assigned and the land tenure security determines households ability to generate income, their social and economic status, incentives to make investments, and a farmer's ability to access financial markets. Creation of land board committees in Kenya composed of local elders for resolving land disputes was aimed at increasing their (elders) involvement leading to decisions that reflected community wishes. Our findings were that on average, about 70 per cent of such decisions on land disputes were upheld by courts of appeal on technicalities because land boards lack a sufficient basis in law and there was no training programme for the members. Group ownership of land with shared possession and communal decision making on its administration hardly existed in the case study areas but was used to foster unity, address social needs, and provided a mechanism for disbursing inequalities in ability, knowledge and wealth. On gender issues and land tenure, the need for increased tenure security to women was found not be enough for their participation in the land market without access to credit, information, and appropriate technologies. This research has proposed an improved system of managing land reforms based upon an analysis of existing land record system, and formulated an alternative address referencing system.

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This study examined if nutrient loading of phosphorus-rich pollen into small mountain lakes has a significant impact on lake productivity. Increased pollen input into lakes due to changes in vegetation (e.g., timberline advance) may increase lake production. Deteriorated pollen was recorded for frozen and freeze-dried sediment samples to determine if storage method effects pollen preservation. There were no strong relationships between pollen accumulation rates (PAR) and pigment concentrations for Sentinel Lake and Eiffel Lake. A lagged response of pigment concentrations to increased PAR was illustrated for Eiffel. Examination of pollen ratios and stomata suggests recent timberline advance for Eiffel, but pollen ratios were a poor indicator of timberline for Sentinel. Sediment storage methods did not play a significant role in differential preservation of pollen grains. Further investigation of the potential effect of PAR on lake productivity is required because timberline advance may alter lake productivity through increased pollen input. / Ecology

Heavy construction and mining general contractors record on a daily basis large amount of operational data. Nevertheless, this information is rarely used to enhance the knowledge and capabilities of the companies that spent great amount of money and resources recording it. This research presents different approaches on how to process this data to convert it in useful information. The prime goal of this analysis is to determine a suitable and convenient method to obtain and present historical productivities of key equipment, in order to provide a tool to aid estimating and generate reference information to support decision making. Data mining, artificial neural networks and summarization tools proved to assist effectively in the assessment of historical productivities and in the identification of the attributes that most influence the results. / Construction Engineering and Management

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University of Pennsylvania. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 1999. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 23 p. : maps (some col.) Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 23).

Thesis--University of Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-169). Photocopy of typescript. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms, 1972.-21 cm. Also issued in print.

Diss.--Zürich. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. x-xxiii).