This thesis shows that illicit drug consumers in Vietnam who administer product via injection are vulnerable actors in a paradoxical global/glocal phenomenon rooted in historical complexities of globalisation. Therefore, responsibility for HIV risks should be shifted upstream from the level of individuals toward institutional processes that manufacture environments of harm. At the global level, the UN Milennium Development Goals do not provide the required level of leadership on HIV prevention for drug injectors. Association between globalisation, opiates and blood-born disease in Vietnam is not new and is inseparable from historical transportation, migration and trade processes. As a key locale in the Cold War, after 1975, and 1979 in particular, Vietnam was 'at distance' from increasing intra-regional trade flows across its western frontiers and northern border. As a consequence, it was hermetically sealed to nearby HIV sub-epidemics unfolding among heroin cons umers. A latent HIV risk environment awaited Vietnam should geopolitical grievances be resolved and it became re-integrated among Mekong sub-regional flows. Neo-liberal financial flows returned to Vietnam in 1993 and the Mekong was spanned in 1994. In 1995 it normalised relations with the United States, joined ASEAN and announced the resurrection of transportation linkages across the northern border with China. Mid-decade, its borders were made more porous at the same time as local opium production was reduced as part of the UN global programme against drugs. Exploiting enhanced trans-boundary mobilities intended for goods, opiate traffickers quickly transformed Vietnam into a transit nation and a marke for high-quality heroin well suited to a youthful population experiencing socio-economic change including new consumerism. Following traditional pathways, a radical transformation in the fluidity of drug consumption environs ensued, enabling more widespread and efficient flows of blood across complex boundari es. Analysis reveals that a spatio-temporal confluence of structural factors has created conditions which enabled this process. These factors are overlapping and they range from global influences, such as the collapse of the USSR, to micro-economic reform such as privatisation and modernisation of the domestic pharmaceutical sector. The transformation in opiate consumption from injecting opium to heroin injecting occurred faster than expert-driven prevention systems responded, even in time and space where this was most forseeable. Although the opiate transformation was highly predictable, there has been a time-lag of almost a decade between risk transformations and policy responses equated with harm reduction principles. The thesis shows that blame for HIV sub-epidemics in Vietnam should not be attributed to vulnerable youths and young adults. Expert-driven economic transition associated with global inegration has manufactured circumstances in which drug availability has risen dramatically at a time when emp loyment growth has been insufficient and a commercial sex industry has expanded. This research confirms the cimportance of new methods of risk environment analyses, particularly in relation to trans-boundary hazards associated with global flows, including trade and human mobilities.

Thesis (M.Com. (Information Systems)) - Rhodes University, 2007.

This research focuses on the extent to which the Rhodes University Academic Skills Programme (ASP), now known as the Academic Development Programme, is able to act as an agent of progressive change within Rhodes University. In so doing it concentrates on the potential of the strategy of integrated academic development for dealing with the academic needs of university students within the context of South Africa as a society in transition. The candidate considers the inability of structuralist educational theory to account for the potential of human agency at the site of formal education. It is shown that structuralist theories provide deterministic and pessimistic accounts of the role of institutions of formal education. In support of this contention this study explores the history of ASP at Rhodes University, demonstrating that significant change in student academic development has already taken place. ASP has contributed to change within the said University through challenging traditional notions of academic development. This thesis suggests that the non-structuralist critical theory of Jurgen Habermas provides a more holistic account of ASP than do structuralist theories of formal education. Through the incorporation of Habermas's theory of communicative action a process of critical integration is explored, showing that a strategy of integrated academic development has the potential to involve all those who have an interest in university education through a process of rational discourse. This potential is strengthened by the fact that many students and staff have expressed an awareness of the need for an integrated academic development strategy. This thesis subsequently explores the possibility of there being a process of democratic and rational discourse which could lead to a progressive integration programme in the Rhodes University Department of Sociology and Industrial Sociology. This thesis stresses the contested nature of the integration process within departments. It is indicated that Habermas's critical theory is able to account for the changes which have taken place in the past and which are presently under way. It is argued that it not possible to predict future outcomes, but that if ASP pursues a process of rational discourse, it will indeed be able to stimulate a critical integrative approach to academic development in the Rhodes University Department of Sociology and Industrial Sociology.

The work of intercultural communication theorists such as Ting-Toomey (1999) and Gudykunst (2003) has informed curriculum design and teaching methodology of the courses developed for teaching isiXhosa for vocational purposes to second language (L2) learners. This seems to be an appropriate theoretical paradigm within multilingual South Africa, where intercultural communication is becoming a daily reality for a growing portion of the population. We make use of this theory to introduce and develop experiential understanding of multilingualism at Rhodes University in various departments and, more generally, on campus.

Community Engagement (CE) in South Africa is an increasingly important feature of the relationship between the university and a broader community, and may aid in bridging the entrenched social divisions of this nation. This will only be possible if CE succeeds in uniting the knowledge production interests of the university and the broader community. Through CE, knowledge production and dissemination from within the university should be made more relevant and applicable because it is based on a relationship or engagement with a community. Based on the perceptions of student volunteers in a CE programme at a South African university, this thesis set out to ask whether or not students are transformed through university-community collaboration. This research examines the perceptions and motivations of student volunteers entering community partnership programmes. More importantly, it asks whether these engagements are merely a “weekend special” consisting of shallow engagements, which last only a few hours a week that provide institutional window dressing; or well-intended engagements through which students build meaningful relationships and experience learning opportunities that prepare them for real world civic participation. As this thesis focuses on the student perspective, it explores whether or not CE has an impact, both personally and educationally or academically, on the lives of individual student volunteers. The literature on CE argues that students’ participation in CE opportunities should enhance academic learning, personal growth and promote a sense of citizenship or civic responsibility. Based on the perceptions of a small group of student volunteers at one university, this thesis identifies possible successes and limitations of CE volunteering programmes in order to see if what is promoted in the literature or institutional policies is being experienced or achieved in practice at universities. I argue that students are indeed transformed through processes of CE, often in unexpected ways, and despite many difficulties. Therefore, if CE provides students with more holistic learning opportunities while attending universities for academic ends, it is important to look at in what ways this is achieved.

Knowledge Management is associated with organisational initiatives in response to the demands of a knowledge-based economy in which the potential value of knowledge as a source for competitive advantage is recognised. However, the lack of a common understanding about knowledge itself, its characteristics and how it is constructed has led to diverse approaches about how to "manage" it. This study presents a critical overview of traditional and contemporary KM approaches. The main focus of this study was to discover and apply a suitable methodology for assessing an organisation's knowledge processing environment. This includes an analysis of the current practices and behaviours of people within the organisation relating to the creation of new knowledge and integrating such knowledge into day-to-day work. It also includes inferring from the above practices those policies and programmes that affect knowledge outcomes. This research makes extensive use of the Knowledge Life Cycle (KLC) framework and the Policy Synchronisation Method (PSM) developed by advocates of the New Knowledge Management movement. A case study approach was followed using a range of data collection methods, which included personal interviews, a social network survey and focus group discussions. The selected case is the small IT department at the East London campus of Rhodes University. Evidence from the case suggests that the knowledge processing environment within the IT department is unhealthy. The current knowledge processing practices and behaviours are undesirable and not geared towards the creation of new knowledge and the integration of such knowledge within the business processes of the IT department. There is little evidence of individual and organisational learning occurring and the problem solving process itself is severely hampered by dysfunctional knowledge practices. The study concludes that the above state of affairs is a reflection of the quality and appropriateness of policies and programmes in the extended organisation. Equally, the local definition of rules, procedures and the execution thereof at a business unit level is mostly lacking. The study illustrates that a systematic assessment of the knowledge processing environment provides the organisation with a sound baseline from where knowledge-based interventions can be launched.

The entrepreneurial intentions of university students are important factors to consider when developing entrepreneurship offerings at tertiary level institutions. This research study reports on pertinent findings from a study which set out to determine Rhodes university undergraduate students‟ entrepreneurial intentions and their pull and push factors that have brought them to the decision to become entrepreneurs. A survey, using a 43 question structured web-based instrument was used to capture the responses from undergraduate students across different departments at Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Key findings suggest that few undergraduate students intend to enter into an entrepreneurship career immediately after completion of their studies, whereas many of the respondents were more interested in doing so five years after graduation. The vast majority of students were satisfied without having formal entrepreneurial education and factors such as previous employment in entrepreneurial activities, and family influence had a statistical significant relationship with entrepreneurial intention.

This thesis examines the preservation challenges heritage cities face because of climate change, with Venice as a case study and references to Rhodes Town, Edinburgh Castle, and Old San Juan. Dominant literature and scholarship on Venice compete with one another, restricting opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue in producing a more efficient preservation approach to the city. Through a study of the brief history of Venice, the materials, and past and present approaches to preservation, this research signifies the need to understand and preserve building materials. Following an analysis of the scholarship on Venice, this paper reveals the role of building materials in discourse on the city, as materials can bridge the gap among competing literature. Therefore, this thesis makes a key contribution to the understanding of urban history and preserving historic cities. In exploring preservation techniques and considering how the discourse can more effectively address the challenges of sea level rise of historic cities, this thesis argues the history of materials is key to a cohesive preservation approach for Venice's built heritage. The building materials are at the center of the preservation issue, and by serving as the core of dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur. This thesis shows historic building materials can become central to Venice's preservation approach with increased vocal concerns about the building materials from restorers/conservators, non-governing residents, art historians, scientists, and global onlookers to Venice's local government, the Italian government, and international preservation bodies. In exploring preservation techniques and considering how the discourse can develop to address the challenges of sea level rise more effectively on historic cities, this thesis argues the history of materials is key to a cohesive preservation approach for Venice's built heritage. The building materials are at the center of the preservation issue, and by serving as the core of dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur. This thesis shows historic building materials can become central to Venice's preservation approach with increased vocal concerns about the building materials from restorers/conservators, non-governing residents, art historians, scientists, and global on-lookers to Venice's local government, the Italian government, and international preservation bodies. / Master of Arts / This thesis examines the preservation challenges heritage cities face because of climate change, with Venice as a case study and references to Rhodes Town, Edinburgh Castle, and Old San Juan. Literature on Venice compete with one another, restricting opportunities for conversation on producing an efficient preservation approach to the city. Through a study of the brief history of Venice, the materials, and past and present approaches to preservation, this research signifies the need to understand and preserve the building materials. The role of building materials in discussions and debates on the city is necessary as materials can bridge the gap among competing literature. With building materials at the center of the preservation issue and the core of conversation among different disciplines, a more efficient approach to preserving the city's local and global heritage will occur.

Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία θα μελετηθεί η συμπεριφορά των γραμμών Μέσης Τάσης (Διανομής), όταν αυτές πλήττονται από κεραυνούς είτε άμεσα είτε έμμεσα. Οι κεραυνοί είναι ένα φυσικό φαινόμενο με επικίνδυνες συνέπειες για την ασφάλεια των ανθρώπων, κτιρίων και ηλεκτρικών εγκαταστάσεων. Οι γραμμές του ηλεκτρικού δικτύου (είτε Υψηλής είτε Μέσης είτε Χαμηλής Τάσης) είναι ευάλωτες σε πλήγματα κεραυνών. Όταν ένας κεραυνός πλήξει άμεσα μια γραμμή ή το γειτονικό της έδαφος, τότε θα εμφανισθούν σφάλματα στο ηλεκτρικό δίκτυο υπό μορφή επικίνδυνων υπερτάσεων. Οι υπερτάσεις αυτές σε πολλές περιπτώσεις μπορεί να υπερβαίνουν την κρουστική τάση αντοχής της μόνωσης του δικτύου με αποτέλεσμα,αν δεν υπάρχουν διατάξεις προστασίας, να διασπαστεί το διάκενο προκαλώντας ανεπανόρθωτη ζημιά στον εξοπλισμό μας. Η μελέτη για τη συμπεριφορά των εναέριων γραμμών διανομής εμπεριέχει αρκετές προσεγγίσεις. Μερικές από αυτές αφορούν κάποιες βασικές παραμέτρους όπως, η πυκνότητα των κεραυνών στο έδαφος (GFD) και το πλήθος των άμεσων πληγμάτων στη γραμμή. Προκειμένου να εξάγουμε ασφαλή δεδομένα συμβουλευόμαστε τους αντίστοιχους μετεωρολογικούς πίνακες-χάρτες ( π.χ Ισοκεραυνικοί χάρτες). Στο πρώτο κεφάλαιο της εργασίας παρουσιάζεται το φυσικό φαινόμενο του κεραυνού καθώς και τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά αυτού. Εξετάζονται τα είδη των κεραυνών και η εξομοίωση του σε εργαστηριακές συνθήκες μέσω κρουστικής τάσης για δοκιμές της αντοχής των μονώσεων. Στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο γίνεται παρουσίαση της μορφής των συστημάτων ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας με ιδιαίτερη έμφαση στο σύστημα διανομής. Παρουσιάζεται η δομή του συστήματος διανομής , τα επιμέρους μέρη και εξαρτήματα από τα οποία αποτελείται καθώς και τα χαρακτηριστικά τους. Στο τέλος του κεφαλαίου παρουσιάζονται δεδομένα και στατιστικά του ελληνικού συστήματος διανομής. Στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο, γίνεται μια σντομη παρουσίαση των σφαλμάτων και υπερτάσεων που παρουσιάζονται στο σύστημα διανομής καθώς και των μέσω προστασίας που χρησιμοποιούμε προκειμένου να εξασφαλίσουμε την αδιάλειπτη λειτουργία και ακεραιότητα του συστήματος μας. Στο τέταρτο κεφάλαιο, αναφέρεται η οδηγία της IEEE για τη συμπεριφορά των εναέριων γραμμών διανομής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας έναντι κεραυνών. Σκοπός είναι να παρουσιάσει εναλλακτικές λύσεις για τη μείωση των βραχυκυκλωμάτων που προκαλούνται από κεραυνό στις εναέριες γραμμές. Συγκεκριμένα θα προσδιορισθεί η συμπεριφορά των εναέριων γραμμών διανομής σε περίπτωση πτώσης κεραυνού (πλήγματα κεραυνών και βραχυκυκλώματα από επαγόμενη τάση), το επίπεδο μόνωσης των γραμμών διανομής, η προστασία των γραμμών διανομής με προστατευτικό αγωγό καθώς και η προστασία των γραμμών με αλεξικέραυνα. Στο πέμπτο κεφάλαιο της εργασίας, θα αναπτυχθεί η καταγραφή σφαλμάτων και βλαβών λόγω πτώσεως κεραυνών στο δίκτυο Μέσης Τάσης, σε μετασχηματιστές καθώς και στις γραμμές διανομής Μ.Τ. τα τελευταία 6 χρόνια τουλάχιστον (2007-2012) στο νησί της Ρόδου. Θα υπολογισθεί αναλυτικά ο θεωρητικός αριθμός σφαλμάτων σύμφωνα με την οδηγία της IEEE και έπειτα θα συγκριθούν με τα πραγματικά σφάλματα που έχουμε προμηθευτεί από τη ΔΕΗ της Ρόδου με σκοπό την εξαγωγή των συμπερασμάτων μας. / This thesis studies the behavior of Medium Voltage (Distribution) lines, after direct or indirect lightning strokes. Lightning is a natural phenomenon with dangerous impacts for the safety of humans, buildings and electricity premises. The electricity network lines (either High, Medium or Low Voltage) are prone to lightning strikes. When a lightning directly strikes a line or its nearby ground, then faults occur at the power network in the form of risky overvoltage. Such overvoltage in many cases may exceed the shock impulse of the network's insulation resistance. In the event no safety arrangements are in place, this could lead to the gap breakdown, causing irreparable damage to our equipment. The study of the behavior of air distribution lines encompasses several approaches. Some concern the basic parameters, such as the ground flash density (GFD) and the number of direct strikes on the line. In order to reach safe data, we refer to the corresponding meteorological tables-maps (e.g. Lightning maps). The first section of the paper presents the natural phenomenon of the lightning and its main features. The types of lightning are reviewed and its simulation under laboratory conditions through shock impulse for the testing of the insulation resistance. The second section contains the presentation of the form of electric power systems, with special emphasis on the distribution system. It is a presentation of the distribution system structure, the individual parts and devices as well as their features. Data and statistics of the Greek distribution system are presented at the end of the section. The third section is a brief presentation of the faults and overvoltage occurring at the distribution system as well as of the protection measures we use in order to ensure the uninterrupted operation and the integrity of our system. The fourth section is a reference to the directive of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) on the behaviour of air power distribution lines against lightning. The purpose is to present alternative solutions for the decrease of short-circuit occurrences caused by lightning on overhead lines. More specifically, the behaviour of the overhead distribution lines is determined in the event of lightning strike (lightning strikes and short-circuits arising from the induced voltage), the level of insulation of the distribution lines, the protection of the distribution lines by employing a protective tube, as well as the protection of the lines using lightning rods. The fifth chapter of the paper is an elaboration of the faults recorded and the damages caused due to lightning strikes on the Medium Voltage network, on transformers as well as on M.V. distribution lines over the past 6 years at least (2007-2012) on Rhodes Island. The theoretical number of faults will be calculated in detail, based on the IEEE directive and then these faults will be compared to the real faults provided by Rhodes' DEI [Greek Public Power Corporation], in order to reach our conclusions.

Les XVe et XVIe siècles sont les témoins de grands bouleversements au niveau des arts et de la science et sont traversés par des tensions politiques et religieuses extrêmes. L’Empire ottoman, alors en pleine expansion, s’avançait dangereusement vers l’Occident chrétien lui-même déchiré par d’innombrables conflits internes. Située à quelques kilomètres à peine des côtes anatoliennes, l’île de Rhodes représentait un obstacle aux conquêtes de la Sublime Porte et était vue par les Occidentaux comme le dernier bastion chrétien en Méditerranée orientale. Assiégée en 1480 et finalement prise par Suleyman le Magnifique en 1522, l’île occupait une place importante dans l’imagerie occidentale de l’époque comme symbole de la lutte contre l’Empire ottoman. Dans un contexte de découvertes où se développaient les connaissances sur la géographie et où l’on se questionnait sur l’espace et la manière de le représenter, les représentations chorographiques et géographiques de Rhodes se multipliaient. Ces images mettent en scène une vision occidentale des Ottomans ainsi que la réalité conflictuelle des rapports de pouvoir entre l’Orient et l’Occident à la Renaissance. Elles sont étudiées non pas uniquement comme forme d’expression artistique mais comme constructions culturelles porteuses de l’idéologie et des impératifs territoriaux des sociétés européennes. Ce mémoire, à travers l’étude d’un corpus d’images choisies, analyse ces représentations de manière à mettre en lumière leur lien intrinsèque avec la notion de pouvoir et l’idée de possession territoriale. / The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries saw great breakthroughs in the arts and sciences and were traversed by extreme political and religious tensions. The Ottoman Empire, then in full expansion, advanced dangerously towards the Christian West, which was itself torn by innumerable internal conflicts. Located only a few kilometers from the Anatolian coast, the island of Rhodes represented an obstacle to the conquests of the Ottoman Porte, and was seen by the West as the last Christian stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean. Besieged in 1480 and finally taken by Suleyman the Magnificent in 1522, the island occupied an important place in the Western imagery of the time as a symbol of the struggle against the Ottoman Empire. In a context of discoveries and increasing knowledge about geography, and of questioning the space and the way to represent it, the geographical and chorographical representations of Rhodes multiplied. These images depict a Western vision of the Ottomans and the conflictual reality of power relationships between the East and the West during the Renaissance. They are studied not only as forms of artistic expression but as cultural constructions carrying the ideology and the territorial imperatives of the european societies. This dissertation, through the study of a corpus of chosen images, analyzes these representations in order to highlight their intrinsic link with the notion of power and the idea of territorial possession.