The research focuses on the implementation of project management in South African public sector work departments. These departments are typically responsible for managing the construction activities whereby building accommodation is provided for rendering collective services such as health and education. The theoretical basis of the research stems from the earlier work of Schellenberg (1983) who suggested that strategy formulation and implementation be viewed from both content and process school perspectives. The content-related issues of the formulation and implementation of a strategy for project management were examined through the use of a force field analysis, as utilized elsewhere by both Nicholas (1990) and Kerzner (1992). The process-related issues of formulating and implementing a strategy for project management were examined through the application of the Connor and Lake (1988) general change management model. The research strategy involved the use of a questionnaire comprising five parts namely, A: the general classification of the respondents, 8: the general orientation of respondents to project management, C: the management of organizational change, D: a force field analysis of the success driving and restraining factors in the implementation of project management, and E: a theoretical assessment of the chances of successfully implementing project management. All results were analyzed first for the respondents as a whole, secondly for the different managerial levels (top-level, middle and lower management), and thirdly for the different application groups (formal, informal and no project management). While it was found that formal project management was already being applied in a large proportion of work departments, the results of the research could be of benefit to the work departments where informal project management is applied or where no project management is currently being applied. / Thesis (DBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Business Management / unrestricted

Strike-slip faults evolve to accommodate more fault slip, resulting in less off-fault deformation. In analog experiments, the measured fault slip to off-fault deformation ratios are similar to those measured in crustal strike-slip systems, such as the San Andreas fault system. Established planar faults have the largest fault slip to off-fault deformation ratio of ~0.98. In systems without a pre-existing fault surface, crustal thickness and basal detachment conditions affect shear zone width and roughness. However, once the applied plate displacement is 1-2 times the crustal thickness, partitioning of deformation between fault slip and off-fault distributed shear is >0.90, regardless of the basal boundary conditions. In addition, at any moment during the evolution of the analog fault system, the ratio of fault slip to off-fault deformation is larger than the cumulative ratio. We also find that the upward and lateral propagation of faults as an active shear zone developing early in the experiments has greater impact on the system’s strike-slip efficiency than later interaction between non-collinear fault segments. For bends with stepover distance of twice the crustal thickness, the fault slip to off-fault deformation ratio increases up to ~0.80-0.90, after applied plate displacement exceeds twice the crustal thickness. Propagation of new oblique-slip faults around sharp restraining bends reduces the overall off-fault deformation within the fault system. In contrast, fault segments within gentle restraining bends continue to slip and the propagation of new oblique-slip faults have less effect on the system’s efficiency than for sharp restraining bends.

In this study, the structure, depositional system, and the seismic stratigraphy of the VLE 196 area, Block V in Lamar Field were interpreted using 3-D seismic data and well logs to characterize structural and depositional settings of the Guasare-Misoa interval. To demonstrate structural settings of the study area 3-D seismic data were interpreted. Three main seismic reflectors, which are the Late Eocene unconformity, Guasare, and La Luna formations, were picked. The most dominant structure in the area is the VLE 400 Fault which was interpreted as a left-lateral strike-slip reverse fault due to its behaviors as a reverse fault in cross sections and as a strike-slip fault in strike sections. The VLE 400 Fault subdivides the VLE 196 area into two main structural blocks, a downthrown block in the western part and the upthrown block in the eastern part of the field where the hydrocarbons were trapped. Several en echelon normal and reverse faults were located along the both sides of the area. The main importance of these faults are that they fractured the La Luna source rock and created migration pathways through the reservoir layers of the Misoa Formation. To interpret depositional system of the Guasare-Misoa interval, tops of the C4 and C5 intervals and associated C4 layers were picked based on well logs and lithofacies maps were prepared. The results of this part of the study show that the sandstones of the Misoa Formation are delta front and fluvial/distributary channel facies of delta system. The net sand thickness map of the C4 interval also exhibits southeast northwest contour patterns reflecting depositional axes in the area. Shaly units of the C4 interval interpreted as potential seals and are of variable thickness and extend. Seismic stratigraphic interpretation of the area shows that the four main seismic facies are dominant which mainly represent the recent sediments, "C" sands of the Misoa Formation, underlying Colon and Mito Juan shales, and basement respectively. Some distributary eroded channel fill structures were also observed within the Misoa Formation, but they were not continuous through the area because of the intensive faulting.

Numerical simulations of a 15° restraining bend analog claybox experiment include considering the fault geometry, rheology, and boundary conditions. The numerical models show that a growing fault from an analog experiment propagates at depth rather than at the surface and is exposed in later stages of the experiment, and that the wet kaolin clay from the analog experiment is partially decoupled from the steel plate. The numerical models provide the stresses to predict accurate fault growth from the analog experiment and provide the evolution of external work within the fault system. The external work from the numerical models decrease as faults continue to grow, which agrees with the continuously increasing kinematic efficiency within the analog experiment. Three-dimensional mechanical models are used to simulate the southern San Andreas fault. These models show that incorporating fault interaction, time since last earthquake rupture, and nearby earthquakes affects the stress state along a fault. Absolute shear tractions are calculated by multiplying time since last earthquake rupture with the simulated interseismic stressing rates for each fault strand. From our multi-cycle model, fault interaction affects local normal stressing rates so that the stresses are not relieved in between earthquakes. We provide our absolute shear tractions and scale our multi-cycle normal stressing rates to be near to failure so that dynamic rupture modelers from University of California, Riverside use our results to simulate earthquake propagation for the complex fault region of the San Gorgonio Pass.

Bakgrund:  I december 2019 började ett coronavirus spridas. SARS-CoV-2 är det virus som orsakar sjukdomen covid-19. Sjukdomen fick snabb spridning och klassades som pandemi kort därefter. På särskilda boenden bor människor som har stort behov av stöd och omvårdnad. De är den främsta riskgruppen för covid-19. Sveriges regering fattade den 30 mars 2020 ett beslut om besöksförbud på alla Sveriges särskilda boenden för att skydda de äldre från covid-19, förbudet upphörde 30 september. Besöksförbudet har för många äldre inneburit en saknad efter närstående som inte tillåtits komma på besök.   Motiv: Ett besöksförbud på särskilt boende för äldre har aldrig tidigare existerat i Sverige. Föreliggande studie kommer att kunna leda till kunskap om hur besöksförbudet har upplevts av närstående.   Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa närståendes upplevelser av besöksförbudet och besöksrestriktioner på särskilt boende under covid-19 pandemin.   Metod: En kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats valdes. Individuella intervjuer genomfördes för att samla in data. Kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes för att analysera materialet.   Resultat: Resultatet presenterades i två kategorier; att hantera en prövande vardag, att känna tillförsikt och sex underkategorier; att känna vanmakt, att tappa kontakten, att uppleva oklara rutiner, att känna hopp, att uppleva positiv kontakt och att acceptera besöksförbudet.   Konklusion: Närstående upplevde ett hinder i att upprätthålla kontakt med sin anhörig. Känslor av vanmakt och hopplöshet uppstod då. Närstående kände tillförsikt när de kunde upprätthålla en god kontakt. Närstående upplevde oklara regler och rutiner men accepterade samtidigt besöksförbudet.

Sliding isolation bearings are used widely around the world to minimize damage to structures and their contents during earthquakes. Past studies have typically focused on the behavior of sliding isolation bearing under design conditions; however, as the performance-based earthquake engineering advances, it is necessary and critical to understand the ultimate or even failure behavior, of structural systems under extreme conditions. Using a double friction pendulum bearing with non-articulated slider as an example, this thesis comprehensively investigates the extreme behavior of the sliding bearing components as well as steel frame buildings isolated using these bearings. This thesis is comprised of two major parts. The first includes numerical and experimental studies of double friction pendulum bearings at the component-level. Finite element investigation shows that depending on the superstructure mass there are two major failure modes for the double friction pendulum bearings. When the superstructure mass is sufficiently large, the failure mode is dominated by the restraining rim yielding; however, when the mass is relatively small, its failure mode shifts to bearing uplift. A simplified analytical model which can directly simulate the impact and uplift behavior of double friction pendulum bearing is also implemented, comparing well to the finite element analysis. Then, to validate the ability of the models to predict extreme behavior as well as to investigate the effect of the restraining rim design, which varies around the world, an experimental study was carried out. Uplift behavior and significant rim yielding were observed during the shake table tests. Moreover, other response parameters, including uplift and shear forces, are evaluated and compared among different rim designs. It is found the restraining rim design has a substantial influence on the bearing’s extreme behavior. The second part of the thesis investigates the system-level behavior of steel frame buildings isolated with double friction pendulum bearings. It is found that the stiffness of the superstructure largely dictates the system-level failure modes and collapse probability. Initially, bearings with rigid restraining rims are investigated. For flexible moment-resisting frames, the system-level failure modes are mixed: both the bearing uplift and superstructure yielding contribute; also, using current code-minimum design results in acceptably low probability of collapse. However, for stiff concentrically-braced frames, the impact force can impose large ductility demands on the superstructure regardless of its strength. As a result, the system-level failure comes exclusively from superstructure yielding, and only by increasing bearing’s displacement capacity beyond the minimum code allowed can the design meet as acceptably low collapse probability. When flat rims are used instead for the bearing design, the failure modes for both building types are exclusively bearing failure. Furthermore, while it is more apparent for concentrically-braced frames, using flat rims for the bearings can reduce the collapse probability compared to using rigid rims. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The geomorphic expression, sedimentation, and near-field deformation of a fault system may be characterized to obtain an understanding of its kinematic evolution and potential seismic hazards. The dynamics and deformation history of the Eastern California shear zone (ECSZ), a wide and complex network of right-lateral strike-slip faults, is not well understood, despite hosting three large (>Mw 7.0) earthquake ruptures in recent decades. The low-net slip faults of the ECSZ (each with <10 km) offer a unique opportunity to assess strain distribution in a developing, kinematically immature strike-slip system. To do so, I conducted field-based investigations of these faults within the Mojave Block of the ECSZ. First, I investigated the morphology, structure, and controls of restraining bend growth along the numerous faults of the ECSZ via field mapping and numerical deformational modeling. I found that the ECSZ restraining bends are small (kilometer-scale), exhibit high-angle, doubly fault-bound geometries with positive flower structures, and have self-similar morphologies characterized by a "whaleback" longitudinal profile and an arrowhead shape in map view. Gradual changes in form with increasing restraining bend size suggest a common growth mechanism influenced more by the kinematics of local fault geometries than by the fault's obliquity to plate motion. Modeling results indicate that concentrated shear strain at single transpressional bends facilitates the development of new secondary faults with cumulative strain as a mechanism to accommodate horizontal shortening via uplift between the faults. The ECSZ restraining bends contribute minimally to regional contractional strain due to their small size, steep fault angles, and shallow crustal penetration (< 5 km), which also suggests that they are unlikely to obstruct large earthquake ruptures. Second, I conducted a spatiotemporal slip rate analysis of the Calico fault with new mapping and geochronology of offset alluvial fans from North Hidalgo Mountain. From this work I obtain several findings. 1) The slip rate along North Hidalgo Mountain ranges from 1.5-2.1 mm/yr in the Holocene and 0.8-2.0 mm/yr in the late Pleistocene. 2) The similarity in slip rates between North Hidalgo Mountain and the Rodman Mountains suggests that this 38 km stretch is a kinematically coherent fault segment with a relatively steady slip rate of 1.7 +0.4/-0.3 mm/yr over the past 60 ka. Faster rates reported from Newberry Springs suggest either a significant increase in slip rate from the Rodman Mountains to Newberry Springs or temporal variations in slip rate. 3) The new rates support previous work which showed the central section of the Calico fault has the highest slip rate in the Mojave Block. However, it does not resolve the discrepancy between ECSZ geodetic and geologic slip rates, implying that transient changes in slip rate, or the contribution of off-fault deformation or other structures may be required. Additionally, the lack of geological slip rate data might contribute to this discrepancy if significant spatial and temporal variations exist on other ECSZ faults. / Doctor of Philosophy / The topography and geology within a fault system may be studied to understand tectonic plate motion over time and assess earthquake hazards. The Eastern California shear zone is a complex network of strike-slip faults within the Mojave Desert, which has hosted three large earthquakes (>Mw 7.0) in recent decades. Despite this significant seismic activity, the mechanisms of motion across the numerous faults in the Eastern California shear zone remain poorly understood. The individual faults have accumulated relatively little strike-slip motion since their inception (less than 10 kilometers), offering a unique opportunity to investigate the early-stage kinematics and seismic hazards of a strike-slip fault system. To do so, I conducted field-based investigations of the faults within the Eastern California shear zone. First, I investigated the early evolution and controls of compressional strike-slip fault bends in the Eastern California shear zone. From mapping and numerical modeling, I characterized the shape, structure, and uplift of numerous small compressional bends dispersed across the faults. From these efforts, I found that uplifted crust in the fault bends exhibit self-similar forms with shallow crustal depths (<5 km). Small changes in the shape of these structures occur with increasing size indicating a predictable pattern of growth with increasing cumulative slip that appears to be partially controlled by local fault conditions. Numerical modeling of simple compressional fault bends indicate that shear strain concentrates at bend corners, which may facilitate the growth of a new fault that more efficiently accommodates contraction in the bend via uplift of the crust between the two faults. The compressional strike-slip fault bends in the Eastern California shear zone are too small to significantly impact regional contractional strain and are therefore also unlikely to impede large earthquake ruptures. Second, I studied the slip rate (or rate at which the fault moves) of the Calico fault via new mapping and age data of displaced alluvial fans. I found that 1) the Calico fault at North Hidalgo Mountain slips at a rate of 0.8-2.0 mm/yr since ~70,000 years ago. 2) The slip rates from North Hidalgo Mountain and the Rodman Mountains are similar, indicating that the 38 kilometers between them behaves consistently, with a steady rate of ~1.7 mm/yr over the last ~60,000 years. However, faster slip rates reported at Newberry Springs suggest either a significant increase in slip rate from the Rodman Mountains to Newberry Springs or that it varies over time. 3) These findings confirm that the central Calico fault has the fastest slip rate in the Mojave Block but does not reconcile regional differences between rates from geodetic and geological measurements. The difference between the slip rates measured by geodetic methods and those from geological studies in the Eastern California shear zone suggests that there could be temporary changes in slip rates or that deformation might be occurring in areas away from the main fault. Also, the lack of geological slip rate data might contribute to this discrepancy if significant spatial and temporal variations exist on other Eastern California shear zone faults.

A manutenção de animais em zoológicos, criadouros e centros de reprodução tem como objetivo auxiliar os programas de conservação in situ e ex situ, além de contribuir para os programas de educação ambiental. A cada dia, torna-se mais clara a importância do bem-estar dos animais cativos, e a redução do estresse é fundamental neste contexto. A contenção manual faz parte do manejo realizado em zoológicos e criatórios para diversos procedimentos, como tratamentos tópicos, colheita de sangue ou sêmen ou mesmo para exames físicos. Sabe-se que este tipo de procedimento provoca resposta do tipo estresse, porém não é claro a intensidade da resposta, ou se este mecanismo fisiológico poderia potencialmente alterar o padrão de secreção de cortisol e/ou testosterona. O objetivo do projeto foi avaliar o efeito da contenção física manual por cinco minutos, sobre os perfis de metabólitos fecais e urinários de testosterona e de cortisol, em cinco machos adultos de sagui-de-tufos-pretos (C. penicillata), mantidos em casais, no Parque Municipal Quinzinho de Barros em Sorocaba, SP. Considerando-se o dia da contenção física, como o dia 0, foram colhidas amostras fecais diárias, sempre pela manhã, a partir do dia -5 até o dia + 4. Para as amostras urinárias, foram realizadas múltiplas colheitas diárias, do dia -5 ao +1. As amostras foram dosadas através de radioimunoensaio. Baseado nos resultados encontrados foi verificado que a contenção física de C. penicillata por cinco minutos pode induzir resposta do tipo estresse, porém não de forma sustentada ou duradoura. Contudo, a variação individual e a adaptação dos animais às condições experimentais possivelmente desempenharam papel relevante na modulação da resposta / The maintaining of animals in Zoo\'s, breeders and reproduction centers have as objective to help in situ and ex situ conservation programs , besides contributing to environmental education programs. Every day, the importance of captive animals well being becomes more clear, and the reduction of stress is fundamental in this context. Manual restraining is part of the handling performed in zoos and breeders for many procedures, such as topic treatments, blood or semen draw or even for physical exams. It is known that this kind of procedure provokes a stress response, however the intensity of the response is not clear, or if this physiological mechanism could potentially alter the cortisol and/or testosterone secretion pattern. The objective of the project was to evaluate the effect of manual physical restraint for five minutes, over the fecal and urinary metabolites profiles of testosterone and cortisol, in five adult males of Black tufted marmosets (C.penicillata), maintained in couples, at the Parque Municipal Quinzinho de Barros in Sorocaba, SP. Considering the day of physical restraint as day 0, daily fecal samples were collected, always in the morning, starting from -5 until +4. For the urine samples, daily multiple collections were done, from day -5 to +1. The samples were measured with radioimmunoassay. Based on the results found, it was verified that the physical restraining of C.penicillata for five minutes can induce a stress response, though not in a sustained or long lasting manner. However, the individual variation and the adaptation of the animals to experimental conditions possibly had a relevant role over the modulation of the response.

Many e-voting techniques have been proposed but not widely used in reality. One of the problems associated with most of existing e-voting techniques is the lack of transparency, leading to a failure to deliver voter assurance. In this work, we propose a transparent, auditable, end-to-end verifiable, and mutual restraining e-voting protocol that exploits the existing multi-party political dynamics such as in the US. The new e-voting protocol consists of three original technical contributions -- universal verifiable voting vector, forward and backward mutual lock voting, and in-process check and enforcement -- that, along with a public real time bulletin board, resolves the apparent conflicts in voting such as anonymity vs. accountability and privacy vs. verifiability. Especially, the trust is split equally among tallying authorities who have conflicting interests and will technically restrain each other. The voting and tallying processes are transparent to voters and any third party, which allow any voter to verify that his vote is indeed counted and also allow any third party to audit the tally. For the environment requiring receipt-freeness and coercion-resistance, we introduce additional approaches to counter vote-selling and voter-coercion issues. Our interactive voting protocol is suitable for small number of voters like boardroom voting where interaction between voters is encouraged and self-tallying is necessary; while our non-interactive protocol is for the scenario of large number of voters where interaction is prohibitively expensive. Equipped with a hierarchical voting structure, our protocols can enable open and fair elections at any scale.

A manutenção de animais em zoológicos, criadouros e centros de reprodução tem como objetivo auxiliar os programas de conservação in situ e ex situ, além de contribuir para os programas de educação ambiental. A cada dia, torna-se mais clara a importância do bem-estar dos animais cativos, e a redução do estresse é fundamental neste contexto. A contenção manual faz parte do manejo realizado em zoológicos e criatórios para diversos procedimentos, como tratamentos tópicos, colheita de sangue ou sêmen ou mesmo para exames físicos. Sabe-se que este tipo de procedimento provoca resposta do tipo estresse, porém não é claro a intensidade da resposta, ou se este mecanismo fisiológico poderia potencialmente alterar o padrão de secreção de cortisol e/ou testosterona. O objetivo do projeto foi avaliar o efeito da contenção física manual por cinco minutos, sobre os perfis de metabólitos fecais e urinários de testosterona e de cortisol, em cinco machos adultos de sagui-de-tufos-pretos (C. penicillata), mantidos em casais, no Parque Municipal Quinzinho de Barros em Sorocaba, SP. Considerando-se o dia da contenção física, como o dia 0, foram colhidas amostras fecais diárias, sempre pela manhã, a partir do dia -5 até o dia + 4. Para as amostras urinárias, foram realizadas múltiplas colheitas diárias, do dia -5 ao +1. As amostras foram dosadas através de radioimunoensaio. Baseado nos resultados encontrados foi verificado que a contenção física de C. penicillata por cinco minutos pode induzir resposta do tipo estresse, porém não de forma sustentada ou duradoura. Contudo, a variação individual e a adaptação dos animais às condições experimentais possivelmente desempenharam papel relevante na modulação da resposta / The maintaining of animals in Zoo\'s, breeders and reproduction centers have as objective to help in situ and ex situ conservation programs , besides contributing to environmental education programs. Every day, the importance of captive animals well being becomes more clear, and the reduction of stress is fundamental in this context. Manual restraining is part of the handling performed in zoos and breeders for many procedures, such as topic treatments, blood or semen draw or even for physical exams. It is known that this kind of procedure provokes a stress response, however the intensity of the response is not clear, or if this physiological mechanism could potentially alter the cortisol and/or testosterone secretion pattern. The objective of the project was to evaluate the effect of manual physical restraint for five minutes, over the fecal and urinary metabolites profiles of testosterone and cortisol, in five adult males of Black tufted marmosets (C.penicillata), maintained in couples, at the Parque Municipal Quinzinho de Barros in Sorocaba, SP. Considering the day of physical restraint as day 0, daily fecal samples were collected, always in the morning, starting from -5 until +4. For the urine samples, daily multiple collections were done, from day -5 to +1. The samples were measured with radioimmunoassay. Based on the results found, it was verified that the physical restraining of C.penicillata for five minutes can induce a stress response, though not in a sustained or long lasting manner. However, the individual variation and the adaptation of the animals to experimental conditions possibly had a relevant role over the modulation of the response.