Shallow excavations through variable rockmasses in urban centers present significant design challenges, whether considering small diameter tunnels for utilities or large span underground caverns. In designing shallow excavations in urban environs, it is especially critical to minimize the impact of the excavation on surface. In small diameter projects, minimal surface disturbance is often achieved by the employment of TBMs as the excavation method. While reducing the risk of surface subsidence due to displacements in front of the face, TBM progress is sensitive to variable ground conditions and the TBM design must be appropriately matched to the expected geology. Sufficient understanding of the geology and development of geological models are critical in the selection of an appropriate TBM and cutting tools. In this study, recent projects in Calgary, AB are used to highlight the challenges faced with using TBMs through sedimentary rock with distinct, variable units. In larger scale projects, long term excavation stability is critical in the reduction of surface disturbance. Due to the low confining stresses, structural failure is often the primary failure mode in shallow excavations, especially within fractured, heterogeneous rockmasses. In these cases, numerical methods are often used in excavation design. The ability of numerical methods to capture the expected failure modes of shallow excavations through layered rockmasses is explored, with an emphasis placed on the ability of support elements to reduce shear slip for increased stability. Passive bolt models are analysed using both 2D and 3D numerical models to adequately capture the behaviour of a passive support system in shear. The shortcomings of some current support models are discussed, and modifications are suggested. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-25 20:56:52.083

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The Integrated Development Plans developed by local municipalities are the tool that should be used to ensure the sustainable development of both urban and rural areas through combating service-delivery backlogs and also high levels of unemployment and poverty. Yet, the IDPs developed by municipalities (the study focuses on three local municipalities in the Free State) often fall short of achieving this objective as a result of various obstacles, three of which were subjected to scrutiny during this research. Firstly, the use of development indicators aims to ensure the measurability of development initiatives, thereby also ensuring the accountability of decision makers in local government (Paper One). Development indicators guide municipalities in the allocation of scarce resources to those areas where they are most needed and, therefore form an essential part of an IDP. This paper explores the use of these indicators in the IDPs of the three local municipalities in order to demonstrate the critical absence of adequate development indicators in the IDPs. The implications for development planning and local governance are also discussed. Secondly, community participation in development planning will be discussed on the basis of the theory of community participation at both the international and the national level (Paper Two). The focus of the discussions is on levels of participation, as well as approaches to and methods of participation. The factors affecting community participation and the preconditions for effective community participation are also considered. The process of community participation in integrated development planning in the three local municipalities is evaluated, with a particular focus on the dangers of the tendency to engage in community participation in the IDP process for the sole purpose of compliance with legislation rather than for community empowerment. Thirdly, local economic development within the three municipalities is examined (Paper Three). The research focuses on the strategic approaches to Local Economic Development, in accordance with international and national guidelines, suggesting that in most cases, LED is limited to a number of small capital projects, and that it is neither regarded as an integral part of all projects, nor directed at addressing the real structural problems associated with small towns. These LED projects are identified haphazardly with no strategic approach or guidelines, and this leads to their being both unsustainable and dependent on continuous funding. In conclusion, the thesis presents principal findings and recommendations to alleviate the challenges presented with regard to the use of development indicators, community participation and local economic development at the local government level.

There is wide scientific consensus that concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are increasing due to human activities, causing global climate change. Climate change exerts significant pressure on the agricultural sector and economic development of Africa. Despite a growing number of country-level case studies, knowledge gaps continue to exist at the level of impact analysis. In addition, while adaptation and coping with climate variability and change have become key themes in current global climate discussions and policy initiatives, literature on adaptation in Zimbabwe and Zambia appears to be still limited. In this regard, this study addressed the following objectives: ⢠To investigate farmer perceptions of threats from climate variability and change and how these may differ across countries; ⢠To identify and analyse the impacts of climatic variability and change on farmer households in the two countries; and, ⢠To identify coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability and change employed by farmers and investigate factors influencing choice of adaptation/ coping strategies across the study districts Methods used to collect data for this study are both qualitative and quantitative methods. The specific method used in the Quantitative approach is the survey. Qualitative methods used include Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), specifically, resource mapping, historical trend lines, seasonal and daily activity calendars and matrix scoring and ranking. FGDs and indepth case studies were also used. Conclusions drawn from the findings of the study are listed below: ⢠While farmers report changes in local climatic conditions consistent with climate change, there is a problem in assigning contribution of climate change and other factors to observed negative impacts on the agricultural and socio-economic system ⢠While there are multiple stressors that confront farmers, climate variability and change remain the most critical and exacerbate livelihood insecurity for those farmers with higher levels of vulnerability to these stressors ⢠There are variations in manifestations of direct and structural impacts from climate variability and change as a result of differences in types of farming systems and general economic and political contexts ⢠Apart from its overwhelmingly negative effects, climate variability might also have a positive impact and localised benefits in the context of structural changes in communitiesâsocial organization and economic activities-under certain circumstances ⢠Significant responses to climate variability and change involve organizing agriculture and related practices, than switching to off farm initiatives ⢠While farmersâ selection of coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability and change and the associated outcomes may be intrinsic, this selection tends to be overwhelmingly shaped by diverse factors such as demography, access to information and assets and vulnerability levels Following the above conclusions, the study recommended that there is need to: ⢠Strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions for identifying and assessing climate changes through programmes to educate farmers and other relevant stakeholders on climate change and variability and their potential impacts on farmersâ livelihoods ⢠Make a transition from designing policies that target climate change issues as a distinct entity to policies that address climate change issues as an integral component of multiple stressors that confront farmers ⢠Design appropriate policies that buttress farming systems against climate variability and change through taking into account variations in these farming systems and other relevant factors ⢠Make a transition from conceptualisation of climate change impacts in the policy framework as being inherently negative, to research and policy making with an openminded lens that dissects climate change and variability impacts in order to enhance alternative livelihoods for farmers ⢠Provide support for appropriate agricultural innovations and development of new livelihood activities emerging as farmers respond to climate variability and change ⢠Integrate sectors through interventions that target agricultural extension, meteorology, academic research and other developmental activities through civil society organisations

Recent advances in antiretroviral treatments have simplified dosing regimens for people living with HIV. Yet, typical regimens still remain far more complex than treatments for other health conditions and adherence continue to concern health care providers. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy still dominates debates as one of the challenges facing HIV positive patients and the health service delivery. Thus, support for people on antiretroviral therapy becomes fundamental. It sis therefore argued that treatment buddies can be critical element in enhancing adherence and in retaining patients in care Against this background, research was undertaken to assess the role of treatment buddies in the South African public sector antiretroviral treatment programme as implemented in the Free State province. To achieve this aim certain objectives and hypothesis were identified and based on these objectives, five key outcomes for the study were identified. This study used two sources of data: (i) data collected from a longitudinal study conducted among patients enrolled in the public sector antiretroviral treatment programme (patient survey) and (ii) data from once-off individual interviews conducted with treatment buddies of patients interviewed as part of the patient survey (treatment buddy survey). Patients included in the analysis represent the sub-sample of patient respondents in the survey observed at least once in each of the four phases of the treatment career (n=160). Following the completion of the sixth and final round of the patient interviews, telephonic interviews were conducted with treatment buddies (n=55) using a semi-structured interview schedule to supplement information on treatment buddies collected in the patient survey as well as to provide insight into some findings from the patient survey data. Analyses for the purposes of this study focused on an investigation of treatment support and related outcomes over the treatment career. Various bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed separately for point estimates and change outcomes for each of the five main outcomes. Differences and transitions in key explanatory variables were regressed on point estimates of the main outcomes, while point estimates and lagged differences or transitions in key explanatory variables were regressed on differences and transitions in main outcomes respectively to avoid problems of endogeneity and to focus on causal dynamics of cause-and -effect. The study reveals that throughout the study, access to a treatment buddy declined over the treatment duration. As expected, health related quality of life consistently impacted on access to and transitions in access to a treatment buddy. Patients who had access to a treatment buddy had improved health-related quality of life. The treatment career phase featured as a strong predictor of access to a treatment buddy. Access to treatment buddy declined as months on treatment increased. The study reveals that similar to access to a treatment buddy, access to alternative support mechanisms declined as treatment duration increased. However, a significant decline over the treatment career phase was only observed in access to informal, individualised support such as emotional and physical caregivers. Access to more formal support and to group-based support did not exhibit a similar significant declining trend over the treatment career. The findings revealed that access to a treatment buddy was associated with perfect adherence knowledge. Moreover, the frequency of treatment buddy visits declined over the treatment career. Access to other forms of support increased the frequency of treatment buddy visits. Marital status was strongly associated with access to treatment buddy and other key outcomes. Clinical adherence varied significantly across the treatment career, increasing as treatment duration increased. The transition results indicate that patients who had been on treatment for six to twelve months and patients who had been on treatment for 18 to 30 months were less likely to transition from clinical adherence to non-adherence. This statement denotes that patients who have been on treatment for a longer period are more likely to maintain clinical adherence. Overall, the research indicates that treatment buddies represent an important form of informal adherence and psycho-social support in the early phase of the ARV treatment career, particularly among married ART clients. Access to treatment buddies declines later in the treatment career as clientsâ health-related quality of life improves. Policy makers and programme managers should develop suitable adherence support strategies for single clients as well as suitable longer-term adherence support strategies for clients facing challenges with medication adherence later in the treatment career.

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The primary purpose of this study was to investigate and analyse the livelihood strategies of AmaZizi, and to identify the constraints preventing the initiatives of the people of AmaZizi --- which is adjacent to the Royal Natal National Park (RNNP) in the northern Drakensberg of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa --- from taking an active part as entrepreneurs in the local tourism economy and derive socioeconomic benefits from such participation. Using the sustainable livelihoods approach, this investigation was done by examining the capital assets people possessed that could help them become active participants as entrepreneurs in the local tourism economy instead of being limited to wage employment. In order to answer the research question, the following objectives were posited: o To analyse the livelihood strategies of AmaZizi o To contribute to the understanding of the sustainable livelihoods approach o To determine the extent to which AmaZizi participated in the local economy o To identify the constraints/barriers acting against local initiatives among the people of AmaZizi o To determine opportunities for integrating local communities into the first economy o To provide key information about the availability of resources which could be of benefit to in the area The sustainable livelihoods framework provided a tool to determine sustainability, not only of lives, but also of the production process in the study area. This framework enabled the research to be people-centered in that it enquired into the capital assets that could be used to escape poverty and unemployment. The framework proved a critical tool, because it queried the assets people possessed and the way in which they could use these assets to better themselves. Pro-poor tourism was considered, as the local people in the study area should have been able to benefit greatly from local tourism. This proved to be an elusive point, however, as many people depended on state social grants and remittances. Although handicrafts had served as a safety net,this had not really alleviated poverty. Wage employment could be obtained from time to time, but it was not sufficient; moreover, it was unsustainable as it had no long term benefits. Consequently, the poor became even more vulnerable in the long run, as the temporary jobs carried no pension benefits, for example. The research argues that pro-poor tourism as a strategy against poverty is unlikely to be of any consequence if not supported by relevant pro-poor policies. Without policies, pro-poor tourism will merely remain a poverty alleviation strategy; a mechanism to provide a safety net against poverty.

This thesis entitled Self-help housing in South Africa: paradigms, policy and practice was conducted as the first thorough evaluation of self-help housing policy in South Africa. Selfhelp housing policy and practice in both South Africa and globally are evaluated by means of Turnerâs concept of dweller control. The thesis starts off by analysing the origin and development of low-income housing policies in developing countries, with specific reference to self-help housing policy. It is pointed out that the discussion on the influence of Turnerâs theory and the role of the World Bank are central to the analysis of the origin and development of self-help housing policy in developing countries. Turnerâs theory played a crucial role in the acceptance of self-help housing as an alternative housing-delivery mechanism in the 1960s, while the World Bank provided the necessary funding for its implementation through site-and-services schemes by governments in developing countries in the early 1970s. Despite self-help housing commonly being associated with neo-liberal policy trends, the thesis shows that self-help is practised in both capitalist and socialist countries. The international theoretical background on self-help housing is followed by an assessment of the development and application of various low-income housing policies in post-apartheid South Africa, with specific reference to self-help housing. South African policy on self-help is officially called the Peopleâs Housing Process (PHP) and is implemented through self-help groups called housing support centres. It has been found that though Turnerâs ideas and principles on self-help housing are entrenched in PHP policy, in practice this policy, to a large extent, neither conforms to Turnerâs ideas particularly those on dweller control nor to certain principles stipulated in the policy. Thus, a technocratic rather than a people-centred approach (envisaged in policy documents) dominates the PHP programmes in South Africa. The levels of the influence exerted by local people in project design, project implementation and housing design remain low, and the housing outcomes do not differ much from the conventional project subsidy approach. This leads the author to conclude that self-help housing in South Africa is, in effect, dominated by the state. However, despite state control of the housing process, both the available South African literature on self-help housing and the empirical findings seem to be in agreement that the houses in PHP projects are generally much bigger than those provided by means of the conventional contractor-driven mechanism. The comparison between the laissez-faire self-help project and the aided self-help project using a contractor-driven approach confirms that better housing outcomes have resulted from the laissez-faire self-help example (larger houses, more extension activity). Against this background, the thesis proposes that government officials should become facilitators rather than dominant role players in the application of self-help housing, programmes on consumer education should be emphasised and used as means to enhance community participation and empowerment, the emphasis on sweat equity in the self-help mechanism should be reconsidered, the self-help mechanism inherently needs to accept a certain degree of informality, government should ensure accountability and oversight without necessarily controlling state-funded self-help housing projects, and, the emphasis in self-help should be on embracing housing as a process rather than as a one-off activity.

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