100 research outputs found
Cumulative visitation and activities of expedition cruise vessels along the Kimberley coast, WA.
No full textThe Government of Western Australia is currently establishing a series of remote Marine Protected Areas along the Kimberley coast. Road access to this region is very limited but, since the 1980s, small expedition cruise vessels have been taking passengers to explore the Kimberley coast. Nevertheless, managers have little quantitative information on the extent of cruise vessel tourism in the Kimberley region. By means of a desktop study of advertised vessel itineraries, this study collated data on the number and characteristics of the expedition vessels operating during 2015, the sites visited along the Kimberley coast and estimated the numbers of vessel visits and potential visitors to these sites. Primary information was obtained from the cruise vessel operators via a questionnaire survey with respect to the capacity at which vessels operate, passenger participation preferences in off-vessel activities, provision of information to visitors and any relationships that exists between vessel operators and the Traditional Owners. The desktop analysis revealed that 22 cruise vessels operated along the Kimberley coast in 2015. Most of the vessels are small and accommodate 80 sites were visited with Horizontal Falls, Montgomery Reef and Raft Point subject to the most vessel visits (> 200) and potential visitors (>6,000). The vessel operators indicated that the preferred activities of cruise vessel passengers were walking/exploring, swimming and visiting rock art sites. Additionally, the survey revealed that, while some vessels have natural history/cultural guides, most rely on the experienced crew to impart information about the Kimberley to their passengers. Many of the activities offered by the cruise vessels involve onshore activities on the lands of the Traditional Owners but there was little evidence of formal relationships between the operators and the Traditional Owners. This project has provided updated information on cumulative visitation to sites along the Kimberley coast and can serve to guide managers of the new Marine Protected Areas with respect to areas where potential impacts from visitors could occur
Measuring the Added Value of Regenerative Architecture through the Problematic Example of the Aesthetic Dimension
No full textRegenerative architecture seeks to impact positively on an environment. Raymond Cole writes that regenerative architecture promotes a responsibility to produce buildings that ‘reduce the degenerative consequences of human activity on the health and integrity of ecological systems’ (Cole 2015, 1). This positioning of regenerative design as "greater than" is key to its enthusiastic uptake, but it also raises concerns. Chrisna du Plessis states that the paradigm that underlies the regenerative approach is one that calls for radical changes to structures of society; to the dominant world view that ‘sees nature as machine, understood and managed by reducing it to its parts’ (du Plessis, 8); and thus at the core of regenerative design is the challenge to understand and evaluate its positive potential, reconciling, as Cole writes, ‘widely different interpretations of value and value-adding that exist within the sustainability movement’ (Cole 2015, 2). What is the real condition against which ‘adding value’ is measured? How can it be measured in the context of transformation of cultural values? Aesthetics is one of the domains that the tools of regenerative designers suggest can add positively to the environment. Designers promote biophilic, biomimetic design tendencies but theoretical underpinnings can elevate – with seemingly good intention - the environmental, over the social and neglect the cultural. Finding new ways to live, is a common statement amongst theorists of sustainable design. Few examine what this might mean to explore life through the field of aesthetics. In this paper I will thus examine: firstly, the conversation in sustainable design diverts attention away from aesthetics, especially in the field of architecture; secondly, how an ecological aesthetic might be understood within the aspirational discourse of regenerative architecture and thirdly section, I will suggest regenerative design as mode of critical and aesthetic inquiry.This accepted presentation is published as Wheeler, A.S., Measuring the Added Value of Regenerative Architecture through the Problematic Example of the Aesthetic Dimension. Held at the Proceedings of the Environmental Design Research Association 50th Conference. Brooklyn, New York. May 22-26, 2019</p
Regenerative inspiration for ecoscenography
No full textIn the 12 years I have spent exploring sustainability in the performing arts, nothing has inspired me more than the concept of regenerative development and the creative projects that speak to this movement. Regenerative development is a place-based and community-orientated approach to sustainability that emphasises socio-ecological potential (du Plessis 2012). The term ‘regenerative’ focuses on ‘enhancing life in all its manifestations – humans, other species, ecological systems – through an enduring responsibility of stewardship’ (Cole 2012, 1). This holistic approach reconsiders limited notions of sustainability from one of moderation and restraint, to one of possibility and abundance, where local contexts, communities and place-specific aspirations take centre stage.Full Tex
Motivating change : shifting the paradigm
No full textThe broader framing of the decision-making processes of stakeholders within the sustainability debate is explored in the context of a paradigm shift that acknowledges the world as a complex, dynamic system. There is merit in adopting a paradigm informed by, and therefore suitable for dealing with, living systems, particularly as the paradigm is founded on holistic and flexible strategies. To move the discussion forward, a key concern examined here is what this different paradigm means for engaging and motivating stakeholders. Through questioning established notions of ‘stakeholder’ as defined in the business literature, and the traditional models of sustainable development, an alternative model of sustainability is presented that is grounded in a different worldview. The implications are considered of how the paradigm’s adoption and the associated model of sustainability would change current practices for motivating social transformation in the built environment through stakeholder engagement. Three major shifts in thinking implicit in such a new model of sustainability are identified and examined: creating effective change in the complex social–ecological system presented by the built environment; how this worldview would redefine current notions of stakeholder engagement; and what the implications would be for mechanisms such as assessment and rating tools meant to change stakeholder behaviour.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rbri20hb201
RESUMO DE DISSERTAÇÃO: PROJETO REGENERATIVO: UMA VISÃO HOLÍSTICA DE PLANEJAMENTO PARA A INTERDEPENDÊNCIA DO CAMPUS COM A CIDADE
No full textEvidências emergentes mais recentes motivam para a necessidade de um "paradigma de sustentabilidade regenerativa" que entrelaçam os sistemas humanos em uma parceria cocriativa com a natureza; visando aplicar um conjunto de práticas de projeto e engenharia ecológica no seu desenvolvimento narrativo, modificando o ambiente urbano de acordo com as exigências à procura de soluções duradouras com uma abordagem integrada dos problemas físicos, ambientais e econômicos (DU PLESSIS, COLE, 2011). Deste modo, o presente trabalho utilizou uma metodologia, que foi aplicada no contexto urbano do Campus Sede da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), tendo como objetivo apresentar um modelo de planejamento, fundamentado na teoria do projeto regenerativo com a finalidade de reconstituir as fronteiras urbanas do campus com seus arredores, a partir da necessidade que a universidade tem de se abrir para a cidade; demonstrando como estas relações podem acontecer de uma forma diferente através da restauração dos ecossistemas juntamente com as relações humanas e como que elas se complementam.publisher versio
RESUMO DE DISSERTAÇÃO: PROJETO REGENERATIVO: UMA VISÃO HOLÍSTICA DE PLANEJAMENTO PARA A INTERDEPENDÊNCIA DO CAMPUS COM A CIDADE
No full textEvidências emergentes mais recentes motivam para a necessidade de um "paradigma de sustentabilidade regenerativa" que entrelaçam os sistemas humanos em uma parceria cocriativa com a natureza; visando aplicar um conjunto de práticas de projeto e engenharia ecológica no seu desenvolvimento narrativo, modificando o ambiente urbano de acordo com as exigências à procura de soluções duradouras com uma abordagem integrada dos problemas físicos, ambientais e econômicos (DU PLESSIS, COLE, 2011). Deste modo, o presente trabalho utilizou uma metodologia, que foi aplicada no contexto urbano do Campus Sede da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), tendo como objetivo apresentar um modelo de planejamento, fundamentado na teoria do projeto regenerativo com a finalidade de reconstituir as fronteiras urbanas do campus com seus arredores, a partir da necessidade que a universidade tem de se abrir para a cidade; demonstrando como estas relações podem acontecer de uma forma diferente através da restauração dos ecossistemas juntamente com as relações humanas e como que elas se complementam
Longitudinale veranderinge in oorgewig, obesiteit, bloeddruk en motoriese behendigheid van laerskoolleerders in die Noordwes Provinsie : die NW-CHILD studie
No full textPhD (Menslike Bewegingskunde), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusOverweight and obesity are increasing among the child population. In addition to the health risk that an overweight and/or obese child may experience, increasing research indicates the negative association it has on motor proficiency. If a child is not motor proficient, it can in turn lead to a range of other disadvantages, including school performance and sports skills. A further concern about the increase in unhealthy body composition is the detrimental effects it can have on health. High blood pressure and/or hypertension is one such adverse health condition that can occur due to an unhealthy increase in body composition. Gender, race and socio-economic conditions are also taken into account as role players, among others, with the increase in body composition and blood pressure and the decrease in motor proficiency.
This dissertation is based on three objectives. Firstly, it is aimed at comparing longitudinal change in body composition with the change in motor proficiency of primary school learners in the North West Province of South Africa over a seven-year period. Secondly, the change in motor proficiency over a seven-year period was studied in primary school learners in the North West Province of South Africa was investigated and lastly, the change in blood pressure over a seven-year period was studied in primary school learners in the North West Province of South Africa.
The study was part of the North-West Child Health, Integrated with Learning and Development (NW-CHILD) longitudinal study. This study spanned over a period of seven years and made use of all three measurement points (baseline measurements in 2010 and two follow-up measurements in 2013 and 2016). The subjects were randomly selected from 20 schools and four school districts in the North West Province. Learners were selected from Quintile 1–to-Quintile 5 schools. For the purposes of the study, only subjects who had all the measurements for the particular outcomes were used. Different genders, races and socio-economic status (SES) were included in the NW-CHILD study and consequently the subjects are a good representative group of learners. Quintiles were used as the socio-economic measure.
Objective one, used the 380 learners who had complete data across the baseline measurement (2010) and the two follow-up measurements (2013 and 2016). The learners had average ages of 6.87±0.38 in 2010, 9.89±0.38 in 2013 and 12.90±0.38 in 2016. Due to the size of the minority
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group, only white and black learners were used for statistical purposes, with 103 white learners and 277 black learners. There were 218 learners from low socio-economic status and 162, from high socio-economic status. The subjects' overweight/obesity was determined, with anthropometric measurements of body length and body mass. The formula body mass (kg)/body length (m)² was used to determine the learners' body mass index (BMI). Cole et al. (2000:243) cut-off points were used to determine the BMI classes. Motor proficiency was determined with the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2 SF).
Objective two, included only the 380 learners who had full data sets. Learners' mean age, race and SES distribution were consistent with the previous objective. The subjects' motor proficiency was also determined with the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2 SF).
Objective three included only the 380 learners with complete data points in 2010, 2013 and 2016. The gender, race and SES distribution are also in line with objectives 1 and 2. For the purposes of this objective, the Omron 705CP-II was used to determine blood pressure and the full procedure is set out in Chapter 5. Blood pressure was processed by means of the World Health Organization (WHO) cut-off points to determine normal, pre-hypertension and hypertension.
Statistical analysis was done using the Statistica computer software (Statsoft, 2020). For the purposes of objective 1-to-3, data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean (), standard deviation (SD), minimum and maximum values). Objective one was further analyzed using two-way frequency tables to determine the number of learners in the different BMI categories according to gender, race and SES. The strength of the relationship is determined by the phi coefficient with w≥0.1 indicating a small effect, w≥0.3 indicating a medium effect and w≥0.5 indicating a large effect (Steyn, 2002). For objective 1-to-3, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare groups (gender, race and SES) and statistical significance was set at p≤0.05. A Bonferonni post-hoc test was performed in order to confirm the statistical validity of analyses over time. Effect sizes were determined using Cohen (1988), where d=0.2, if small, d=0.5, medium and d=0.8 are large.
Based on the above analyses, obesity was found to be the highest among boys during the final measurement in 2016 and statistically significantly (p≤0.05) gender differences were reported. Furthermore, the white learners showed higher percentages of overweight and obesity (p≤0.05) compared to the black learners, and learners from high SES also showed higher percentages of overweight and obesity compared to learners from low SES (p≤0.05). Moreover, it was only fine
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motor precision (p≤0.05) and the short form total (p≤0.05) that indicated statistical significance over time with the different BMI categories. With objective two, it initially appeared that motor proficiency did not decrease drastically from 2010 to 2016, but when studying the BOT-2 categories, it can be deduced that from 2010 to 2016, fewer learners fell into the above-average category and more learners in the below-average category. Boys seem to perform better in activities which require strength (p≤0.001) and coordination (p≤0.004), and the girls seem to have better fine motor skills such as manual dexterity (p≤0.005). Furthermore, the white learners performed better in the majority of motor proficiency with the exception of manual dexterity (p=0.032), balance (p=0.013) and running speed and agility (p≤0.001) sections. Learners from high SES performed better in the motor proficiency subtests, with the exception of balance. Objective three indicated that blood pressure increased over time, regardless of gender, race and SES, no statistically significant differences could be found. Only the ratio of time to blood pressure was statistically significant (p≤0.05).
Based on the findings, the following deductions can be made: overweight and obesity are increasing among the child population, more so specifically among white and high SES learners. The link between body composition and motor proficiency is not as strong in our study as previously thought. Motor proficiency has deteriorated slightly from 2010 to 2016. Furthermore, it seems that blood pressure is increasing among the child population. Overall, it appears that the child population's body composition and health related risks (high blood pressure and/or hypertension) are increasing, which could lead to a decrease in motor proficiency. This information is important in order to put in place strategies to address the existing number and to coordinate interventions to address the health and motor proficiency of younger children at an early stage. This can be done by health professionals who determine early discrepancies in body composition and blood pressure and recommend the necessary intervention strategies, furthermore, motor proficiency interventions through well-chosen activities in the life orientation program in schools can be addressed by experts such as Kinderkineticists and prevent motor delays earlier.Doctora
An investigation of data compression techniques for hyperspectral core imager data
No full textWe investigate algorithms for tractable analysis of real hyperspectral image data from core samples provided by AngloGold Ashanti. In particular, we investigate feature extraction, non-linear dimension reduction using diffusion maps and wavelet approximation methods on our data
Japanese applications of the Green Building Challenge and Tool between 1996 and 2002
No full textBibliography: leaves 100-108.This research determines that the Green Building Tool (GBTool) may be sufficiently flexible to be implemented in Japan. Even so, the locally developed system has been adopted as the preferred building environmental assessment method for Japan. Pressing building environmental concerns in Japan are identified, and performance criteria for building assessment tools in Japan established. A distinction is drawn between building performance assessment criteria and assessment tool performance criteria. This is central to understanding Japanese attitudes towards the GBTool. The Japanese Green Building Challenge (GBC) process is discussed -including the testing, customisation and use of the GBTool and the subsequent development of a Japanese alternative (CASBEE - the Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency). A comparative assessment of the GBTool and CASBEE system for Japanese commercial application is undertaken. User-friendly tools that can slot into existing building processes and regulations are most suitable for commercial use in Japan. Building professionals prefer a set of tools designed for use in specific building stages such as CASBEE. The study consequently finds that the GBTool is suitable for research, but has limited commercial application because of the size of the assessment framework. The development of a Japanese tool for nationwide implementation has been a consensus based decision-making process. The development of assessment frameworks acceptable to local users may enable the promotion of building environmental priorities while addressing established commercial building concerns
Molecular characterisation of selected gastrointestinal microbiota in South African HIV-positive patients during HAART
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.Progression of the HIV disease is characterised by a massive depletion of CD4+ T cells and it has been shown that patients living with a more advanced HIV infection have a higher risk of developing diarrhoea due to the disruption of the gastrointestinal microbiota caused by either the HIV-infection or the use of antibiotics and drugs such as highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). An imbalance in the microbial composition, attributable to a disturbed mucosal barrier, as well as increased permeability and inflammation caused by HIV, can influence the metabolic (carbohydrate fermentation) and protective functions provided by the microbiota. The effect of HIV on the intestinal microbiota has not been widely examined and those studies that have focused on HIV and the gastrointestinal tract, have investigated it mainly from a virological perspective. Consequently, the aim of the study was to ascertain whether the diversity and/or abundance of the endogenous intestinal microbiota of South African HIV-positive patients was disrupted on account of HIV within the gastrointestinal tract. An additional aim was to determine whether the administration of HAART affected the microbiota during a 6 month longitudinal study. The diversity of the intestinal microbial composition was characterised with respect to the total bacteria, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species using PCR-DGGE. qPCR was used to determine the abundance of total bacteria, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, the Bacteroides/Prevotella, Clostridium coccoides and Clostridium leptum groups. ... In addition, three potential intestinal pathogens (Clostridium difficile, Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella enterica) were monitored by qPCR during this period, to determine their prevalence in the HIV-positive patients
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