Humans are modifying animal populations, indirectly accelerating or reducing the geomorphic alterations caused by animals. Species have been monitored and studied with focus on domesticated animals but little research has been undertaken on wild animals. This study analyses the geomorphic impact of elephants on Tembe Elephant Park, so that the changes they cause to the landscape may be quantified. To conduct this research four sites were chosen: an area where elephants had been excluded for twenty-five years, where excluded for five years, where elephants exist at present and where elephants mud wallow. Three of the four study sites were classed as sand forest (twenty-five-years exclusion, five-years exclusion and where elephants exist) and were analysed and compared to determine the similarities and differences in climate, microclimate, vegetation and the soil’s physical and chemical properties. The wallow site was not compared to any other study site, but was observed and mapped to quantify the geomorphic impact of elephants wallowing. When the sand forest sites were compared the climate, vegetation type and soil were found to be similar. Where elephants were present: the vegetation was inconsistent in basil cover, canopy height, structure and class. Soils were more compacted with a low infiltration rate, higher temperature, lower soil moisture, higher pH and a lower electric conductivity and air relative humidity was the highest. Where elephants have been excluded for twenty-five years, the opposite trends arose from the data analysis. The vegetation was consistent in basil cover, canopy height, structure and class, and the soils were less compacted with a high infiltration rate, low temperature, higher soil moisture, lower pH and a higher electric conductivity. The microclimate showed a trend where the air relative humidity was the lowest. At the elephant wallow site data showed that the wallows were in general circular in shape, 52.5m3 of soil was removed per month for the last nine months and the surface area of the wallows increased by 165.5m2 per month for nine months from April to December 2008. All the results from this study show that the elephant activity in Tembe Elephant Park has geomorphic consequences. From the results, it is possible to conclude that the geomorphic impacts of elephants on Tembe Elephant Park are contributing to a nutrient cycle shift in the sand forest biome, as they change aspects of the vegetation, microclimate, soil and landscape, which are the foundation of the cycle. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / MA / Unrestricted

The Sand Catcher                                                        The thesis project The Sand Catcher investigates the encounter between permanent structures and an ever-changing landscape. The migrating sand dune Råbjerg Mile in northern Denmark is 40 meters high and moves more than 15 meters every year. By introducing a solid structure on the site, the fast movement of the sand dune is emphasised and thereby our view of time and space. Through intuitively building models with varied openings and densities I investigated how architectural elements react with sand. From these experiments a series of spatial features and effects were found, generated from the meeting with the sand. The Sand Catcher is a solid and permanent structure. The sand is the liquid element that generates new spaces, circulations and experiences. The Sand Catcher highlights natural processes in the landscape and its relation to time and rhythm. The structure becomes a watchtower, a landmark, a measuring stick, an hourglass. The Sand Catcher is a concrete structure with doors of glass. Gradually the surface will be sandblasted and polished, marked by the sand dune passing through. In 30 years from now the Sand Catcher will be covered by sand. In another 100 years the Sand Catcher is left alone in the barren landscape. But the traces of the sand dune remain. / Sandfångaren   Projektet Sandfångaren undersöker mötet mellan en permanent struktur och ett landskap i förändring. Den vandrande sanddynan Råbjerg Mile i norra Danmark är 40 meter hög och flyttar sig över Nordjyllands udde 15 meter per år. Genom att introducera en permanent struktur på platsen framhävs sanddynans framfart och därmed också människans syn på tid och plats. Genom att intuitivt bygga modeller med varierade öppningar och förtätningar undersöktes relationen mellan en förändrad sandnivå och en serie fasta element. Resultaten från experimenten visade på rumsligheter och effekter som uppstår i mötet med sanden. När sanddynan möter byggnaden genereras nya rum, rörelsemönster och upplevelser. Sandfångaren uppmärksammar vår syn på tid och landskapets processer. Strukturen blir ett utkikstorn, ett landmärke, en mätsticka, ett timglas. Sandfångaren är gjord av massiv betong och har dörrar av tjockt glas. Sanden lämnar över tid en blästrad och slipad yta, ett spår av sandens framfart. Efter 30 år kommer Sandfångaren nästan att vara helt täckt av sand. Efter ytterligare 100 år står Sandfångaren ensam, lämnad i det karga landskapet. Men spåren finns kvar av sanddynan.

The compacted bentonites are used as buffer and backfill materials for engineering barriers for high-level nuclear waste repositories located underground. For this purpose, it is very important to evaluate the swelling characteristics of this clay. The swelling capacity is one of the most important properties of the bentonite clay. The swelling behaviour is due two mechanisms, the crystalline swelling and the osmotic swelling. These mechanisms produce an increase in the distance between the layers of montmorillonite which is one component of bentonite. The result of the swelling capacity is the swelling pressure. It has been studied in several investigations. The results of experimental tests have been collected and compared in this thesis, considering only the Na-dominant bentonite and sand and distilled water as test solution. The experimental tests show that there is only an unique relation between different bentonites in the Na-dominant bentonite and sand mixture swollen depending on its final dry density. Also, the relation between the swelling pressure and the clay void ratio shows the mechanism of the swelling pressure. On the other hand, a mechanistic model is used to predict the swelling pressure of fully saturated bentonite and sand mixture in distilled water. Firstly, it has been compared with the results of experimental tests and it should be pointed out that the model gives good predictions. In addition, the model has been used to make sensitivity analysis with different parameters of bentonite. The most important conclusions in this section show that the swelling pressure mainly depends on the distance among particles. Also, the sensitivity analyses indicate which parameters should be fitted more carefully for future studies to validate this model with different bentonites.

I mitt examensarbete arbetar jag med minne, plats och identitet. Mitt mål med projektet är att formgiva ett skåp med naturinspiration från Dalsland. Med mina kopplingar till Dalsland har jag tittat närmre på landskapets mönster i naturen. Temat intresserar mig för jag har under många år samlat bilder och filmer på mönster jag har sett i naturen. Dessa mönsterbildningar i naturen väcker minnen hos mig och kan väcka hos andra.  Jag hittar jag mönster i Dalsland som naturen skapat. Under examensarbete vill jag undersöka hur man kan gestalta en plats naturmönster i en möbel. Med mitt examensprojekt hoppas jag kunna uppnå nya erfarenheter till tekniker jag inte testat tidigare. Jag vill bland annat testa att CNC-fräsa som komponent till ett skåp. Samt visa de jag lärt mig under mina år på Konstfack.  På botten av Vänern har vattnet format sandbottnen till ett vågmönster. Det här sandmönstret har jag ritat upp i ett 3D-program utifrån ett fotografi som jag sedan CNC-fräst ut i MDF. Sanden ligger horisontellt på botten av Vänern, men nu har jag rest upp mönstret och satt MDF-skivorna med det frästa mönstret på ett skåp. Med examensarbetet vill jag kunna rekonstruera och hylla naturens vackra mönsterbildningar. Mitt examensarbtet är viktigt för det visar prov på en formgivningprocess jag brukar använda mig av. Mitt arbete visar hur man kan använda CNC-tekniken till möbelformgivning. Arbetet är viktigt för de visar hur mycket minnen och referenser människor kan få av ett mönster.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the convenience and effectiveness of using a disc filter to treat washing water from the sand filters at Sundet wastewater treatment plant. The disc filter is used aiming for the reduction of suspended solids and phosphorus. The study was divided in two main experimental stages. During the first stage laboratory jar-tests were performed in order to identify which flocculation aid was more suitable, this was further on used to improve the water treatment. Based on the laboratory trials results, two different polymers (1 and 2) were chosen to be tested at pilot scale. The second stage involved the pilot filter operation itself; this period was as well divided in two sub-stages where filter cloths with two different pore openings were tested. During the first sub-stage the pilot operated with an 18 μm pore opening filters cloth and both polymers. At the end of the first half polymer 1 showed to be more efficient and so it was further used throughout the second sub-stage in combination with a 10μm pore opening filter cloth. As from theoretical knowledge the phosphorus and suspended solid removal were expected to be between 75% and 90%, results which were achieved during both laboratory trials and pilot filter. The best results were observed with the 10μm pore opening filter cloth and polymer 1. Also, additional results from pilot trials performed at Sundet after the study period are presented.

Distribution of the novel peptide beacon in the hypothalamus of Sprague-Dawley rats was examined by immunohistochemical methods. Beacon-immunoreactive (irBC) neurons were found in the paraventricular, supraoptic, and accessory neurosecretory nuclei, and intensely labeled fibers in the median eminence and infundibulo-pituitary stalk. Scattered cells and/or fibers were noted in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, arcuate nucleus, retrochiasmatic area, lateral and medial preoptic area, as well as anterior and lateral hypothalamic area. The wide distribution of irBC in the hypothalamus of Sprague-Dawley rats suggests that the peptide may influence, in addition to a proposed role in feeding, a multitude of biological activities associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.

To investigate the liquefaction mitigation capability of Rammed Aggregate Piers® (RAP) in silty sand, blast liquefaction testing was performed at a soil profile treated with a full-scale RAP group relative to an untreated soil profile. The RAP group consisted of 16 piers in a 4x4 arrangement at 2 m center-to-center spacing extending to a depth of 9.5 m. Blasting around the untreated area induced liquefaction (ru ≈1.0) from 3 m to 11 m depth, producing several large sand boils, and causing settlement of 10 cm. In contrast, installation of the RAP group reduced excess pore water pressure (ru ≈0.75), eliminated sand ejecta, and reduced average settlement to between 2 to 5 cm when subjected to the same blast charges. Although the liquefaction-induced settlement in the untreated area could be accurately estimated using the CPT-based settlement approach proposed by Zhang et al. (2002), settlement in the RAP treated area was significantly overestimated with the same approach even after considering RAP treatment-induced densification. Analyses indicate that settlement after RAP treatment could be successfully estimated from elastic compression of the sand and RAP acting as a composite material. The composite reinforced soil mass, surrounded by liquefied soil, transferred load to the base of the RAP group inducing settlement in the non-liquefied sand below the group. This test program identifies a mechanism that explains how settlement was reduced for the RAP group despite the elevated ru values in the silty sands that are often difficult to improve with vibratory methods.

Environmental filters play an important role in plant community assembly. Evaluating spatial variation in functional traits across environmental gradients may help determine the environmental filters that play a role in community assembly and how plant communities respond to prevailing environmental conditions. In this study, we evaluated spatial variation in leaf traits (size, thickness, specific area and dry matter content) of coastal sand dune plant communities across 16 sites along a precipitation gradient in the Yucatan Peninsula. We described community-wide trait variation in terms of dispersion and dominant values across the gradient in order to answer the following questions: Which environmental filters explain variation in leaf traits? What ecological strategies, in terms of leaf economics, do these environmental filters favour? Mean specific leaf area and dispersion in leaf thickness tended to be lower in drier sites, suggesting that plants invest more biomass per leaf (a conservative strategy) and become more succulent as aridity increases. Contrary to expectation, leaf size increased with proximity to the coastline and dry matter content was significantly greater in the wettest region. Therefore, variation in these leaf traits content cannot be explained by the precipitation gradient. We have shown that predictable variation in some functional leaf traits can be found, even at small scales within the same vegetation zone in coastal sand dunes. Our study supports the notion that variation in water availability can be an important driver of functional trait distribution in the plant communities of some arid environments.

A sustainable supply of fresh water for the human population is a global concern. Intriguingly, about 70% of the total fresh water consumed in the world annually is claimed by agriculture alone; this fraction is even higher in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where natural regeneration of groundwater is the slowest. Thus, there is a serious need for innovative materials and technologies to enhance the efficiency water usage in agriculture. To this end, plastic mulches have been employed across the developed world to minimize evaporative loss of water from top-soils. While plastic mulches are inexpensive, they do require specialized farm machinery for installation and long processing times. On one hand, plastic mulches have proven to increase crop yields, but on the other their non-biodegradability poses serious environmental concerns. In response, development of low-cost bio-/photo-degradable artificial mulches remains an area of intense research. In this thesis, we report on a novel superhydrophobic material exploiting inexpensive simple components to reduce the amount of water required for irrigation in agriculture by suppressing evaporative losses from the top-soil. Our material consists of ordinary beach sand coated with < 20 nm thick layer of paraffin wax. We synthesized and extensively characterized our material and applied them as mulches for tomato and barley plants at the KAUST greenhouse. We found that when a ~5 mm thick layer of superhydrophobic sand was placed onto the top-soil in pots, it dramatically suppressed evaporative losses and significantly enhanced the yields. Our preliminary field-scale experiments with tomatoes and barley crops at the Hada Al Sham site corroborate these results. Our approach might find applications in desert agriculture and other fields and alleviate water stress in the MENA region.

Detta examensarbete är baserat på experimentella studier med avsikten att studera skillnaden som uppstår vid användning av superplasticerare på betong med krossad betong samt makadam och sand som ballast, med avseende på arbetbarhet, konsistens samt tryckhållfasthet. Fraktionsfördelningen kommer även analyseras på den krossade betongen i jämförelse med makadamen och sanden. Det utformades fyra olika blandningar där första blandningen var utan superplasticerare och hade makadam som ballast, andra blandningen innehöll superplasticerare samt makadam som ballast, den tredje blandningen var utan superplasticerare och hade krossad betong som ballast, den fjärde blandningen innehöll superplasticerare och hade krossad betong som ballast. Betongens arbetbarhet uppskattades på samtliga blandningar innan konsistensen mättes. Konsistensen mättes i form av sättmått med hjälp av en sättkon. Sedan tillverkades fyra provkroppar av varje blandning där tryckhållfastheten testades. Resultaten som erhållits visade att superplasticerare var mer effektiv på blandningarna med makadam. Betongens arbetbarhet och konsistens förändrades endast marginellt, dock ökade tryckhållfastheten med 28,7 och 23,8% för blandningarna med makadam respektive krossad betong som ballast. Den krossade betongen visade på bra fraktionsfördelning men skiljde sig någorlunda från makadamen, den stora skillnaden fanns i de finare fraktionsstorlekarna. / This thesis is based on experimental studies with the intention of determine the efficiency of Superplasticizer in concrete made with recycled concrete aggregate compared with macadam in terms of workability, consistency and compressice strength. The fraction distribution will also be analysed on the recycled concrete aggregate compared to the macadam. Four different mix designs was made in which the first mix was without superplasticizer and had macadam as aggregates, the second mix contained superplasticizer and also had macadam as aggregates, the third mix was without superplasticizer and had recycled concrete aggregate, the fourth mix contained superplasticizer also had recycled concrete aggregates. The workability of was estimated on all mix designs before the consistency was measured. The slump of all mix designs was measured to determine the consistency. Then four specimens were made from each mixture on which the compressive strength was tested. The results obtained showed that superplasticizers were more effective on the mixtures with macadam as their aggregates. The workability and consistency only changed slightly, the compressive strength increased by 28.7 respectively 23.8% for mixtures with macadam and recycled concrete aggregates. The recycled concrete aggregates showed good fraction distribution but differed quite a bit from the sand and the macadam, the big difference was in the finer fractions.