Street trees are an important component of the urban forest that can provide direct and indirect benefits to social and ecological sustainability in cities. Temporal and spatial interactions between human and non-human management agents determine the distribution and health of street tree populations in urban areas. This dissertation seeks to enhance our understanding of the spatial patterns and processes affecting street trees by investigating the agents and social-ecological determinants of changes to street tree distributions in urban residential neighborhoods. The research was guided by three primary questions: (1) Are recent changes to the spatial distribution of street trees influenced by socio-demographic household and neighborhood characteristics? (2) Which management agents are the strongest predictors of recent changes to street tree distributions and does the contribution of these agents vary in relationship to social-ecological patterns within a city? (3) To what extent are household street tree management decisions related to the built and bioecological material characteristics of the public right-of-way? These questions were investigated in a case study that examined street tree management and public right-of-way (PROW) canopy change associated with single-family residential areas in and near the City of Tampa, Florida. The methodological approach employed a multi-method design using a conceptual framework developed to capture the complexity of management within human ecosystems. Urban remote sensing and spatial analytical techniques were used to examine the geographic association between patterns of street tree change and socio-demographic characteristics. Household survey techniques were utilized to examine the determinants of street tree management; specifically planting, removal, and trimming. Interviews with key informants familiar with urban forest management provided additional insights to complement the location specific knowledge of household survey respondents. Street tree change was examined for the period of 2003 to 2006, and information about household management actions also included recent years (i.e., 2009-2011). A citywide pattern of street tree increases was disproportionately distributed with respect to socioeconomic status; with greater increases in affluent neighborhoods. Patterns of change within local portions of the study area revealed significant and spatially variable relationships with socioeconomic status, as well as race/ethnicity variables and indicators of lifestyle differences. The findings suggest that the citywide pattern of change associated with socioeconomic status may perpetuate an inequitable outcome in the distribution of street trees at the expense of less affluent neighborhoods. The local patterns of change indicate that the processes driving street tree distributions may also reflect differences in attitudes toward trees. The case study did not find sufficient evidence to link the actions of individual agents with street tree change. Street tree increases were more likely in areas where tree trimming had been reported and where property market values were greater, but less likely in PROW segments with overhead power lines. Households, public agencies and builders, but not neighborhoods, were the primary human street tree management agents. Past and ongoing land development and redevelopment decisions, including the configuration of PROW infrastructures, may be one of the most important factors affecting patterns of street tree change. Landscape decisions and practices influenced by household and neighborhood group dynamics also appear to be important factors affecting street tree change. Damages caused by storm event and differences in tree species lifecycle characteristics represent important non-human agents of street tree change. The findings indicated that public agencies are not the only managers of street trees and household tree management does not stop at the boundary of private property. There was no evidence of a relationship between household management actions and the material conditions of the PROW. However, there was a relationship between the presence of either power lines or sidewalks and household survey responses about who should bear responsibility for street tree management and the liability. Household respondents expressed an increased sense of personal responsibility for street tree management when a sidewalk was in front of their home. This dissertation addressed an important gap in understanding about the factors driving street tree change. Planting, removal, and trimming of street trees in Tampa is a shared responsibility with complex spatial patterns and multi-scalar drivers. An important conclusion is that the sustainability of street tree populations within the urban forest will require urban planners and managers to better understand how these management agents cooperate if they are to promote healthy, safe and beneficial street tree populations as a part of the urban forest.

The fast development of wireless networks, which are intrinsically exposed to eavesdropping, has created a growing concern for confidentiality. While classical cryptographic schemes require a key provided by the end-user, physical-layer security leverages the randomness of the physical communication medium as a source of secrecy. The main benefit of physical-layer security techniques is their relatively low cost and their ability to combine with any existing security mechanisms. This dissertation provides an analysis including the theoretical study of the two-way wiretap channel to obtain a better insight into how to design coding mechanisms, practical tests with experimental systems, and the design of actual codes. From a theoretical standpoint, the study confirms the benefits of combining several multi-user coding techniques including cooperative jamming, coded cooperative jamming and secret key generation. For these different mechanisms, the trade-off between reliability, secrecy and communication rate is clarified under a stringent strong secrecy metric. Regarding the design of practical codes, spatially coupled LDPC codes, which were originally designed for reliability, are modified to develop a coded cooperative jamming code. Finally, a proof-of-principle practical wireless system is provided to show how to implement a secret key generation system on experimental programmable radios. This testbed is then used to assess the realistic performance of such systems in terms of reliability, secrecy and rate.

Although companies and organisations worldwide publish in-house journals, there is no comprehensive theory (including technical and normative dimensions) available on this important public relations instrument. In particular, no research is available on what the characteristics of excellent South African in-house journals are or ought to be. In this study a number of dimensions are thus introduced in order to help create a comprehensive framework for analysing in-house journals, in particular South Africa’s leading in-house journals. Firstly, James Grunig’s excellence in public relations theory (published in 1992), which incorporates the concept of two-way symmetrical communication (which in turn is informed by a “symmetric” world view), is put forward as basic point of departure. Secondly, a set of technical criteria for excellent in-house journals gleaned from a wide range of sources, is compiled. Furthermore, the internal and external environments in which South African in-house journals function are identified. The role of other new media (such as e-mail, intranet, television and radio) is also taken into account. Five leading South African in-house journals are then analysed and the views of editors reflected. It was found that Abacus (Absa Bank), Harmonise (Harmony Gold Mining Company), Hello the future (MTN), Pick ’n Patter (Pick ’n Pay) and Sandaba (Sanlam) all measured up well against the theoretical statements flowing from the said theoretical points of departure. However, the analysis did also bring to the fore deviations from the said statements which give new insight into what is required to publish an excellent in-house journal. In conclusion, the criteria are evaluated against some of the more detailed findings of the analysis and adapted to create a set of theoretically based guidelines that can be used by South African companies, focusing inter alia on how the unique character and environment of a company influence its internal communication, to create excellent in-house journals. In final analysis, it is argued that all factors, starting with the philosophical points of departure informing communication strategies, management’s attitude toward internal communication, organisation culture, the socio-political environment in which in-house journals function as well as the technical aspects of these publications, need to be considered when formulating criteria for “excellent” in-house journalism. This study thus endeavours to contribute to the professional integrity of public relations in a sea of asymmetric, marketing-driven internal communication. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The kinematics and white dwarf distribution have been studied for the Globular Cluster NGC 6397. The data was obtained from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2005. In particular, we used the images of a field 5’ Southeast of the core of NGC 6397 from Advanced Camera for Surveys to conduct our analyses. The first part of the study is about the kinematics of the globular cluster. Isotropy of velocity distribution and cluster rotation have been considered. As anticipated, this relaxed cluster exhibited no strong signs of anisotropy. However, there appears to be some level of rotation. The rotational motion turns out to be mu sub alpha cos(delta) = 3.88 ± 1.41 mas yr −1 and mu sub delta = −14.83 ± 0.58 mas yr −1. This result is not entirely expected and deserves further investigation in future studies. The second of the thesis is based on white dwarf populations in the globular cluster and the Galactic Bulge. As a first glance, there appears to be a lacking of white dwarfs at the age of approximately 0.6 Gyr. Further investigation reveals this to be statistically insignificant. Through this analysis, another pattern of white dwarf abundance is discovered. There appeared to be much more stars at the age between 0.9 − 2.0 Gyr. This could be a manifestation of modeling error. As the final consideration of this thesis, white dwarf candidates in the Galactic Bulge are illustrated. Approximately 10 candidates are found at the most probable location of stars in the Bulge. The analyses conducted in this thesis set stage for further development in understanding of globular clusters. In particular, the rotation analysis raises curiosity about the dynamics of NGC 6397 in the plane of the sky. Moreover, the velocity distribution analysis confirms properties and theories pertaining to globular clusters.

SANTRAUKA Magistro darbe analizuojami su bendrovių reorganizavimu jungimo būdu susiję klausimai apimantys nacionalinius ir vienos valstybės ribas peržengiančius bendrovių jungimus. Darbą sudaro trys dalys. Pirmoje dalyje yra atskleidžiamos bendrovių jungimosi priežastys ir tikslai, galimi jungimosi būdai trumpai apibūdinant kiekvieno jų teisinio reglamentavimo aspektus. Bendrovių jungimo būdų privalumų ir trūkumų analizė leidžia daryti išvadą, kad kiekvienu atveju, pasirenkant akcijų įsigijimo, įmonės įsigijimo ar jungimo reorganizuojant būdą, dalyvaujančios suinteresuotos šalys siekiančios įgyvendinti savo interesus turės ieškoti kompromisinių sprendimų. Antroje darbo dalyje, panaudojant istorinį metodą, nagrinėjama bendrovių reorganizavimo jungimo būdu kaip teisės instituto kilmė, jo raida Europos Sąjungos ir Lietuvos teisėje, nes tik suvokiant tiriamo objekto istorinę raidą, aiškiau galima nagrinėti ir analizuoti dabarties reguliavimo pagrindimą, o taip pat įžvelgti trūkumus ar problematiką. Pasitelkiant lyginamąjį tyrimo metodą, trečioje magistro darbo dalyje, lyginamos Europos Sąjungos teisės aktų ir nacionalinių įstatymų normos, tikslu parodyti nacionalinių nuostatų kilmę ir esančius skirtumus. Taip pat, panaudojant teleologinį metodą, siekiama atskleisti teisės norminių aktų leidėjo ketinimus įgyvendinant ES teisės nuostatas nacionalinėje teisėje. Žymioje magistro darbo dalyje naudojamas lyginamasis tyrimo metodas iš esmės pagrindiniam tikslui pasiekti – pateikti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / SUMMARY Legal aspects of reorganization by way of merger The thesis paper analyses the issues related to the reorganization of companies by the way of merger including national and cross-border mergers. The paper consists of three sections. The first section discloses reasons and purposes of company mergers, possible merger ways, defining shortly legal regulations of each of the ways. The analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the merger ways leads to the conclusion that, in order to achieve their expectations, the participating interested parties will have to look for a compromise solutions when choosing a share deal, an asset deal or a reorganization by merger way. In the second section, based on the historical method, the origin of the reorganization of companies by the way of merger as the law institute, its development in the European Union and the Lithuanian legislation are analysed as the investigation and analysis of the grounding of the current regulation as well as perception of drawbacks or problems are possible only having a clear concept of the historical development of the object investigated. In the third section, based on the comparative investigation method, regulations of the European Union legal acts and national laws are compared with a view to reveal the origin of the national provisions and existing differences. Furthermore, based on the teleological method, the paper seeks to reveal the intentions of the issuer of legal regulations, when... [to full text]

Darbo objektas – našlaičių (Viola x wittrockiana Gams) daigai apdoroti skirtingos koncentracijos augimo reguliatoriaus CCC tirpalais (0,15 %, 0,30 % ir 0,45 %), skirtingais būdais (laistant ir purškiant) ir dažniais (kas 7 dienas ir 14 dienų). Darbo metodai: Tirti našlaičių biometriniai rodikliai pagal J. Vaidelio (2005) sudarytą metodiką. Matavimai atlikti balandžio 20 d., augalams pasiekus žydėjimo tarpsnį (BBCH 60 - 65), kurio metu vertinta našlaičių daigų žiedų dydis, žiedstiebių ir lapkočių ilgiai, kerelių aukštis bei plotis, apskaičiuotas žiedpumpurių ir lapų skaičius bei nustatyta žydėjimo pradžia. Darbo rezultatai. Panaudotas augimo reguliatorius CCC, turėjo įtakos našlaičių (Viola x witrockiana Gams) daigų kokybiniams rodikliams. Didinant tirpalo koncentraciją (0,15 %, 0,30 %, 0,45 %) nustatyta lapų, žiedpumpurių skaičiaus didėjimo tendencija ir vėlino žydėjimo pradžią. Skirtinga koncentracija statistiškai patikimai veikė (mažino) našlaičių kerelių aukštį, žiedstiebio ir lapkočio ilgį bei kerelių skersmenį. Patikimai daugiausiai lapų užaugino, našlaitės, kurios buvo laistytos kas 14 dienų lyginant su kontroliniu variantu. Žydėjimo trukmę labiausiai įtakojo laistymas kas 14 d. didžiausios koncentracijos tirpalu, tuo tarpu anksčiausiai žydėti pradėjo daigai, purkšti kas 7 dienas, 0,15 % CCC tirpalu. Didžiausią įtaką lapkočio ir žiedstiebio ilgiui turėjo laistymas kas 14 d., 0,45 % tirpalu. Didinant koncentraciją, tačiau ribojant purškimų skaičių, našlaičių daigai... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of the work: pansy (Viola x wittrockiana Gams) seedlings treated with different concentrations of growth regulator CCC solutions (0,15 %, 0,30 % and 0,45 %) in different ways (spraying and watering) and frequency (every 7 and 14 days ). Methods of the work: pansy biometric parameters were measured using the methodology by J. Vaidelys (2005). Measurements were carried out on 20th April. When plants reached the flowering stage (BBCH 60 - 65) during which assessment of pansy size of flowers, and the stalks lengths, seedling height and diameter, calculated the number of flower buds and leaves and set the beginning of flowering. The results of the work: growth regulator CCC, had an impact on pansy’s (Viola x witrockiana Gams) seedling quality parameters. Increasing the concentration of the solution (0,15%, 0,30%, 0,45%), amount of leaves and buds increasing trend. Different concentrations were significantly reduced pansy seedling height, stalk length and diameter of the plant, but did not affected the flower size. The biggest impact was 0,45 % concentration of the solution. Reliably produced the most leaves, pansy, which watered every 14 days compared with the control treatment. Flowering time was much influenced by watering every 14 days with the highest concentration of a solution, while the earliest flowering started when pansy was spray every 7 days with 0,15 % CCC solution. The biggest impact on the stalk and the length was watering every 14 days with 0,45% solution... [to full text]

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRP’s) are considered an alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures because of their noncorrosive nature and nonmagnetic properties. FRP materials are, however, brittle and have a lower stiffness compared to steel. The latter property can lead to deflection and crack control problems in FRP-reinforced concrete flexural members under service loads. A considerable amount of information is available for short-term deflection of FRP-reinforced concrete members, but data on long-term deflections are scarce. This study presents the results of monotonic (short-term) and sustained (long-term) loading tests of 12 concrete shallow beams reinforced with either steel or glass FRP (GFRP) bars. The short-term load-deflection responses of the members are evaluated using existing deflection prediction models (Branson’s and Bischoff’s), and the long-term deflection results (monitored over a period of one year) are used to evaluate the existing ACI code and CSA standard approaches for estimating long-term deflection. The GFRP-reinforced concrete beams exhibited greater amounts of both immediate deflection (under sustained load) and long-term deflections over time, than the steel-reinforced concrete beams. The long-term deflections of both the steel- and GFRP-reinforced concrete beams are overestimated when using the ACI and CSA approaches. Although ACI Committee 440 recommends use of lower values of the long-term deflection multiplier for GFRP-reinforced concrete beams, results obtained from this study suggest that the same longterm multiplier values may be used for GFRP- and steel-reinforced concrete beams loaded at between 115 to 157 days of concrete age.

This creative project presents guidelines for Rail to Trail Conversion. A preliminary plan for conversion of the CSX running from Richmond County through Delaware County, and ending in Marion County, Indiana, is presented as a case study. The line, which connects several communities and several points of interest along the railroad right-of-way, has been requested for abandonment.To keep the line for interim public use, one of the possibilities is to convert the line to trail use. The trail corridor might create a good linkage between several adjacent places, because it provides various recreational zones along the former railroad right-ofway. There will be two different kinds of trail corridor-urban and rural trail. The distinction between the two will be one of use, urban trails will be used for daily activities and rural trails usually used primarily during weekends, holidays, and vacation time.The development of trail corridor will also encourage movement of people foreither cycling or walking. Campgrounds, wildlife watching stations, scenic overlook areas, trailheads, and outdoor fitness centers are the most common auxiliary components associated with trail development. Wherever the improvement passes through communities, the communities will benefit from the improvement of retailing activities. Each improvement requires certain criteria of location and land surface.Rail to trail conversion is a costly project. In order to make the project easier and economically feasible, the project should encourage more individuals, private organizations, and public agencies to get involved with the conservation. Local newspapers, broadcast on local radio and television, and interest group workshops are the most effective means of developing support. Time is critical in developing succesful rail to trail conversion. The project should be implemented as soon as the railroad has been abandoned, in order to prevent the tracks reverting to adjacent landowners. / Department of Urban Planning

This thesis examines the public relations evaluation process in a nonprofit organization. By conducting a case study of a nonprofit organization’s approach on evaluation, the researcher investigates and analyzes the common success indicators found in the theoretical public relations evaluation models and the success indicators used by the nonprofit organization in its evaluation. Based on the findings of this study, a theoretical model of public relations evaluation dedicated to the nonprofit organization is proposed. The results of the analysis reveal that the nonprofit organization values evaluation and looks at it as tool for improving the organizational impact. This thesis proposes that the evaluation of the nonprofit organization should focus more on the role of public relations as a bridge between the nonprofit and its audience, and between the organizational goals and the community goals. The proposed model of public relations evaluation is aimed at helping the organization to better fulfill its objectives and to pave the way towards a dedicated theoretical framework for nonprofit public relations evaluation. / Department of Journalism

Although companies and organisations worldwide publish in-house journals, there is no comprehensive theory (including technical and normative dimensions) available on this important public relations instrument. In particular, no research is available on what the characteristics of excellent South African in-house journals are or ought to be. In this study a number of dimensions are thus introduced in order to help create a comprehensive framework for analysing in-house journals, in particular South Africa’s leading in-house journals. Firstly, James Grunig’s excellence in public relations theory (published in 1992), which incorporates the concept of two-way symmetrical communication (which in turn is informed by a “symmetric” world view), is put forward as basic point of departure. Secondly, a set of technical criteria for excellent in-house journals gleaned from a wide range of sources, is compiled. Furthermore, the internal and external environments in which South African in-house journals function are identified. The role of other new media (such as e-mail, intranet, television and radio) is also taken into account. Five leading South African in-house journals are then analysed and the views of editors reflected. It was found that Abacus (Absa Bank), Harmonise (Harmony Gold Mining Company), Hello the future (MTN), Pick ’n Patter (Pick ’n Pay) and Sandaba (Sanlam) all measured up well against the theoretical statements flowing from the said theoretical points of departure. However, the analysis did also bring to the fore deviations from the said statements which give new insight into what is required to publish an excellent in-house journal. In conclusion, the criteria are evaluated against some of the more detailed findings of the analysis and adapted to create a set of theoretically based guidelines that can be used by South African companies, focusing inter alia on how the unique character and environment of a company influence its internal communication, to create excellent in-house journals. In final analysis, it is argued that all factors, starting with the philosophical points of departure informing communication strategies, management’s attitude toward internal communication, organisation culture, the socio-political environment in which in-house journals function as well as the technical aspects of these publications, need to be considered when formulating criteria for “excellent” in-house journalism. This study thus endeavours to contribute to the professional integrity of public relations in a sea of asymmetric, marketing-driven internal communication. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.