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A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 2017 / The study sought to establish the applicability of rock mass classification as a primary input to wall control blasting. Conventional rules of thumb are used to develop blast designs based on parametric ratios with insufficient consideration of the rock mass factors that influence the achievability of final wall designs. Control of the western highwall of the Phoenix pit had proven to be challenging in that the designed catchment berms and wall competence were perpetually unachievable from the pit crest to the current mining levels. This exposed the mining operation to safety hazards such as local wall rock failure from damaged crests, frozen toes and rolling rock falls from higher mining levels. There was also an effect of increased standoff distances from the concerned highwall which reduce the available manoeuvring area on the pit floor and subsequently the factor of extraction that is safely achievable. The study investigated the application of rock mass classification and the Blastability Index (BI) as a means to improve wall control. This was achieved by establishing zones according to rock type forming the western highwall rock mass wherein distinguishing rock mass classification factors were used to establish the suitable wall control designs through a Design Input Tool (DIT). The DIT consolidated rock mass classification methodologies such as the Geological Strength Index (GSI) and the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) and related them to the BI and discontinuities of the rock mass to produce a tool that can be used to develop objective wall control designs. The designs driven by the tool inherently take into account the rock mass characteristic factors at the centre of rock mass classification methods and significantly reduce the dependence on rule of thumb. It was found that this approach yields designs with powder factors that are consistent with the rock breaking effort and the behaviour of discontinuities while remaining biased towards preservation of perimeter wall rock. / MT 2017

The three most common rock mass classification systems in use in the South African mining industry today are Bieniawski’s (1976) Geomechanics or RMR System, Barton et al.’s (1974) Q-System and Laubscher’s (1990) MRMR System respectively. Of these three systems, only the MRMR Classification System was developed specifically for mining applications, namely caving operations. In response to the increased use of the MRMR Classification System in the mining industry, and concerns that the MRMR System does not adequately address the role played by discontinuities, veins and cemented joints in a jointed rock mass, Laubscher and Jakubec introduced the In-Situ Rock Mass Rating System (IRMR) in the year 2000. A quantitative comparison of the MRMR and IRMR Classification Systems has been undertaken to determine a correlation between the two classification systems, the results of which indicate that there is not a major difference between the resultant rock mass rating values derived from the two Classification Systems. Therefore, although the IRMR System is more applicable to a jointed rock mass than the MRMR System, the MRMR System should not be regarded as redundant, as it still has a role to play as a mine design tool.

Através da utilização de letras de músicas produzidas entre os anos de 1981 e 1989, busquei analisar o papel que o rock brasileiro teve como elemento de manifestação da juventude que havia crescido sob a ditadura de 1964. Utilizei os conceitos de utopia e distopia para compreender de que maneira essas letras, ao mesmo tempo, serviram como representação da compreensão desses jovens de seu momento histórico e como instrumento de crítica da realidade econômica e social ao seu redor. Mais do que reflexo cultural de seu período, tais letras manifestavam a contradição ideológica da época, na qual a utopia em torno de uma sociedade melhor era negada pela própria distopia presente nas relações econômicas e sociais cotidianas. Esta mesma contradição foi observada na relação entre arte e mercado, criticada por muitas bandas, mas necessária para que suas músicas alcançassem seus ouvintes. É importante ressaltar que o movimento punk brasileiro teve papel fundamental para as bandas do rock brasileiro da década de 1980, pois ele mostrou que era possível produzir músicas para e pela juventude que vivia a transição da ditadura para a democracia. / Using lyrics of songs produced from 1981 to 1989, I tried to analyze the role Brazilian rock n roll had as an element of manifestation of youngsters who had grown up during the 1964 dictatorship. I used the concepts of utopia and dystopia to understand in which way these lyrics, at the same time, served as a representation of the understanding of these youngsters of their historical moment and as an instrument of criticism of the economic and social reality that surrounded them. More than just a cultural reflex of their period, these lyrics demonstrated the ideological contradiction of their time, in which utopia regarding a better society was denied by dystopia that could be found on daily economic and social relations. That same contradiction was observed on the relation between art and market, criticized by many bands, but necessary for the dissemination of their songs among their listeners. It is important to say that the Brazilian punk movement had a fundamental role for the Brazilian rock bands of the 1980s, since it showed it was possible to make songs for and by the youngsters that were living the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Através da utilização de letras de músicas produzidas entre os anos de 1981 e 1989, busquei analisar o papel que o rock brasileiro teve como elemento de manifestação da juventude que havia crescido sob a ditadura de 1964. Utilizei os conceitos de utopia e distopia para compreender de que maneira essas letras, ao mesmo tempo, serviram como representação da compreensão desses jovens de seu momento histórico e como instrumento de crítica da realidade econômica e social ao seu redor. Mais do que reflexo cultural de seu período, tais letras manifestavam a contradição ideológica da época, na qual a utopia em torno de uma sociedade melhor era negada pela própria distopia presente nas relações econômicas e sociais cotidianas. Esta mesma contradição foi observada na relação entre arte e mercado, criticada por muitas bandas, mas necessária para que suas músicas alcançassem seus ouvintes. É importante ressaltar que o movimento punk brasileiro teve papel fundamental para as bandas do rock brasileiro da década de 1980, pois ele mostrou que era possível produzir músicas para e pela juventude que vivia a transição da ditadura para a democracia. / Using lyrics of songs produced from 1981 to 1989, I tried to analyze the role Brazilian rock n roll had as an element of manifestation of youngsters who had grown up during the 1964 dictatorship. I used the concepts of utopia and dystopia to understand in which way these lyrics, at the same time, served as a representation of the understanding of these youngsters of their historical moment and as an instrument of criticism of the economic and social reality that surrounded them. More than just a cultural reflex of their period, these lyrics demonstrated the ideological contradiction of their time, in which utopia regarding a better society was denied by dystopia that could be found on daily economic and social relations. That same contradiction was observed on the relation between art and market, criticized by many bands, but necessary for the dissemination of their songs among their listeners. It is important to say that the Brazilian punk movement had a fundamental role for the Brazilian rock bands of the 1980s, since it showed it was possible to make songs for and by the youngsters that were living the transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Traditional stylistic classifications have not provided conclusive dates for the rock art of the Sahara, and the imagery can therefore not be placed securely in its cultural or environmental context. This thesis proposes a new methodology in which content and patina of the engravings are used to establish a chronological sequence, against the background of changing palaeoenvironmental conditions. This framework can then be used to explore aspects of the relationship between the rock art and the changing Holocene landscape. The engravings of the Wadi al‐Hayat, which were recently recorded by the Fezzan Rock Art Project, form the basis of this research. A total of 2466 images of animals were individually analysed and entered into a database. The depicted species are shown to reflect the local fauna, and their habitats coincide with the palaeoclimatic conditions of the central Sahara. Additionally, recent geomorphological analyses of the rock surfaces of the Messak provide a chronology for the patina, and show that the formation of each type of patina was dependent on environmental conditions. Through analyses of the animal engravings, categorised according to positively identifiable species and patina types, this thesis demonstrates a direct correlation between the content (i.e. species depicted) and patina of the engravings, and the palaeoenvironment. Both content and patina of the engravings indicate a development from wet savanna to dry savanna, and finally to desert conditions, consistent with the Holocene climatic sequence. This provides a chronological framework for the engravings and places them into a palaeoenvironmental context. The locations of the engravings of each patina group also correspond to the changing lake levels of the al‐Hayat palaeolake identified in previous palaeoenvironmental research projects, which in turn supports the chronology of the engravings. Through spatial analyses, the locations and landscapes preferred by the engravers for the creation of rock art can be identified, whilst the new chronological sequence allows us to explore changes in the cultural conventions that underlie the creation of the engravings. As well as providing a chronological framework and environmental context for the engravings for the Wadi al‐Hayat, the research presented in this thesis therefore has the potential to change our understanding of Saharan rock art.

acase@tulane.edu / I present three essays in applied microeconomics. In the first, I use police records to explore whether changing self defense policies, known as Stand Your Ground, have differential effects across race. I find that implementing these policies leads to an additional 1.611 monthly killings of black Alleged Perpetrators of Crimes, 70.8 percent of whom are killed by black citizens, while only causing an additional 0.345 monthly killings of white Alleged Perpetrators, 97.7 percent of whom are killed by white citizens. In the second, I examine the causal relationship between waterborne uranium exposure and birth outcomes in order to more fully understand the external costs of the activities that increase the probability of human exposure to uranium. I find that waterborne uranium contamination does not cause an observable decrease in human capital endowment proxies. In the third, I estimate the national average passive use value for Alaskan National Parks. I find that respondents are willing to pay $115 to $409 for a 5 percent expansion of the Denali National Park. / 1 / Michael Steven Spanbauer

Although The Tragically Hips <i>Fully Completely</i> is an unorthodox historical text, in-depth exploration of the landmark album prompts us to reconsider the role of musical experience in the production of gender in late twentieth-century Canada. This thesis frames gender as a reiterative performative-discursive production consisting of four interrelated elements: cultural symbol-systems; normative concepts; the politics of social institutions and organizations; and subjective identity. These elements operate symbiotically in a field of multiple, mobile, and routinely unequal relations. In order to further trace the construction of masculinity in Canada during the early 1990s, this thesis outlines the interacting historical contexts The Tragically Hip navigated through while writing, recording, and producing Fully Completely. Careful interdisciplinary consideration of the songs <i>Looking For A Place To Happen</i> and <i>Fifty-Mission Cap</i>provide specific examples of the performative-discursive formation of masculinity in the best-selling recording. This thesis concludes that <i>Fully Completely</i> functioned as an important platform for the constitution of gender in Canada. The album deployed and formed multiple comparative and contrasting masculinities as part of the compulsory maintenance of sexual difference as gender. This study of English-Canadian rock music urges scholars to continue exploring the role of musical experience in the production of gender identities.

Although The Tragically Hips <i>Fully Completely</i> is an unorthodox historical text, in-depth exploration of the landmark album prompts us to reconsider the role of musical experience in the production of gender in late twentieth-century Canada. This thesis frames gender as a reiterative performative-discursive production consisting of four interrelated elements: cultural symbol-systems; normative concepts; the politics of social institutions and organizations; and subjective identity. These elements operate symbiotically in a field of multiple, mobile, and routinely unequal relations. In order to further trace the construction of masculinity in Canada during the early 1990s, this thesis outlines the interacting historical contexts The Tragically Hip navigated through while writing, recording, and producing Fully Completely. Careful interdisciplinary consideration of the songs <i>Looking For A Place To Happen</i> and <i>Fifty-Mission Cap</i>provide specific examples of the performative-discursive formation of masculinity in the best-selling recording. This thesis concludes that <i>Fully Completely</i> functioned as an important platform for the constitution of gender in Canada. The album deployed and formed multiple comparative and contrasting masculinities as part of the compulsory maintenance of sexual difference as gender. This study of English-Canadian rock music urges scholars to continue exploring the role of musical experience in the production of gender identities.

Rock glaciers are dynamic landforms and, as such, exhibit interesting and welldeveloped structural features, which translate to surface morphology in the form of ridges and furrows. These distinguishing features have led researchers to study the physics behind the movement and internal deformation of rock glaciers. For years researchers had no access to the internal makeup of rock glaciers. Thus, proposed models and discussion have been based on theoretical concepts of electromagnetic (EM) wave propogation. With the application of ground penetrating radar (GPR) to provide a view of the interior structure of a rock glacier, researchers had “real” data to verify their models. However, no comparison has been made between a GPR profile and an actual cross-section of a rock glacier. The purpose of this thesis is to validate the fidelity of GPR in showing the actual structure of a rock glacier. A trench that was excavated through the toe of a rock glacier on Mount Mestas in south central Colorado provided a view of the actual structure of the landform. The structure in the trench was compared with GPR and EM data. The GPR study was conducted using a PulsEKKOTM 100A subsurface imaging radar with 25, 50, and 100 MHz antennas, to detect dielectric contrasts within the rock glacier. A frequency domain EM34 by Geonics LtdTM was also used to supplement the GPR data by measuring the rock glacier’s conductivity at various depths. This thesis proved, by utilizing statistics, that GPR is a useful tool in visualizing the interior structure of rock glaciers. The 100 MHz antennas clearly show small scale reflection horizons caused by changes in clast orientation and subsurface material composition. These events coincide with structures seen in the trench. Individual clasts greater than 0.375 m were also recognized as point sources in the GPR profiles. Large continuous bedding layers were observed with the 25 and 50 MHz antennas, which reflect the structure seen in the trench. A large scale thrust fault was also located with the GPR. However, this was not visible in the panoramic photograph because the fault occurs below the base of the trench.