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1
Yuen, P. C. "Multi-scale representation and recognition of three dimensional surfaces using geometric invariants." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2001. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/979/.
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Sundaresan, Jayaraj. "Urban planning in vernacular governance land use planning and violations in Bangalore." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2013. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/979/.
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Using a relational state-society framework, this research examines the relationship between land use violations and the urban planning process. This thesis seeks to answer how and why land use violations in the non-poor neighbourhoods of Bangalore are produced, sustained and contested in spite of the elaborate planning, implementation and enforcement mechanisms present in Bangalore. Land use violations are identified as a key geographic site to empirically examine power and politics in urban planning practice in Bangalore. Critiquing the simplified representations often used to explain informality and illegality in the cities of the developing south as deviation, implementation failure and corruption; I propose that violations in Bangalore are an outcome of the planning practice rather than a deviation. In the process, I highlight how particular planning institutional systems operate when located in specific socio-political and governance contexts where vernacular networks of association transform the ‘governmentalised’ state into one that is amenable to specific interests through forging various forms of alliances. Providing evidence from ethnography of planning and violation networks in operation, this thesis argues that planning practice in Bangalore is inhabited by a variety of public and private interest networks. These associational networks, I argue, capture planning power, and prevent the possibility of a planning authority. Various case studies of plan violation, planning for violation, neighbourhood activism along with planning practice narratives, documents, and court cases form the extensive data set analysed in this thesis.
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Stobbart, J. Barry. "The self, linguistic and aesthetic : a study in the early philosophy of Wittgenstein and Sartre." Thesis, Durham University, 1997. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/979/.
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The dissertation operates at two levels: an account of a problematic of self in the early philosophy of Wittgenstein and Sartre - which simultaneously supports a comparative study that claims convergence is significant, detailed and extensive. The thesis thus disputes the traditional - 'Divide' - reading of Sartre and Wittgenstein. The problematic is defined by the view that the self desires an ethical absolute and that this can only be achieved when a metaphysics of aesthetics is assumed. It is a certain concept of language and self, based on a saying-showing distinction. that so constitutes the problematic. and which is the focus of inquiry. This results in the following structure: §l Defines and defends the thesis' Art-andthe- Ineffable' - and thus the generic principle of the present thesis. §2 Claims, firstly, (and perhaps for the first time), that Sartre has a philosophy of language that includes a formal principle of the ineffable and a - (Tractarian) saying-showing distinction: both of which are equally formative in his own (early) philosophy. Secondly. that the saying-showing distinction is identified with a concept of self. §3 Exposes the (previously neglected) early account of self in Sartre and Wittgenstein and, secondly, arh'1leS for four definitive points of convergence: that the self is bi-polar, non-substantive, eliminated, non-encounterable. ~..j. Presents modalities of the non-substantive self: as operational intentionality, as programmatic. and as a relation or attitude to the world (clinching the ethico-aesthetic structure). ~5 Claims convergence on some key aesthetic principles (including disinterestedness and sub specie aeternitatis), identifying them, in terms of Showing, with the self, and stating the proposed - dual - solution to the problematic: Aesthetic determination and Aesthetic deeds. The fonner is the self (a relational attitude) choosing it-self as an aesthetic relation to the world; the latter. represented here by Tractatus and Nausea, are limited wholes with a transcendental message that can only be shown: the self disclosing through a work of art the unsayable solution to the problematic.
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Zhu, Jiaming. "A Chinese exploration of Sino-Soviet relations since the death of Stalin, 1953-1989." Thesis, Connect to e-thesis, 1991. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/979/.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 1991.Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow, 1991. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.
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Curinga, Giuseppe. "Studio di isolamenti termici ed acustici e verifica sismica in strutture edilizie in laterocemento." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2010. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/979/.
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He, Junjie. "Integrated vehicle dynamics control using active steering, driveline and braking." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2005. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/979/.
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This thesis investigates the principle of integrated vehicle dynamics control through proposing a new control configuration to coordinate active steering subsystems and dynamic stability control (DSC) subsystems. The active steering subsystems include Active Front Steering (AFS) and Active Rear Steering (ARS); the dynamic stability control subsystems include driveline based, brake based and driveline plus brake based DSC subsystems. A nonlinear vehicle handling model is developed for this study, incorporating the load transfer effects and nonlinear tyre characteristics. This model consists of 8 degrees of freedom that include longitudinal, lateral and yaw motions of the vehicle and body roll motion relative to the chassis about the roll axis as well as the rotational dynamics of four wheels. The lateral vehicle dynamics are analysed for the entire handling region and two distinct control objectives are defined, i.e. steerability and stability which correspond to yaw rate tracking and sideslip motion bounding, respectively. Active steering subsystem controllers and dynamic stability subsystem controller are designed by using the Sliding Mode Control (SMC) technique and phase-plane method, respectively. The former is used as the steerability controller to track the reference yaw rate and the latter serves as the stability controller to bound the sideslip motion of the vehicle. Both stand-alone controllers are evaluated over a range of different handling regimes. The stand-alone steerability controllers are found to be very effective in improving vehicle steering response up to the handling limit and the stand-alone stability controller is found to be capable of performing the task of maintaining vehicle stability at the operating points where the active steering subsystems cannot. Based on the two independently developed stand-alone controllers, a novel rule based integration scheme for AFS and driveline plus brake based DSC is proposed to optimise the overall vehicle performance by minimising interactions between the two subsystems and extending functionalities of individual subsystems. The proposed integrated control system is assessed by comparing it to corresponding combined control. Through the simulation work conducted under critical driving conditions, the proposed integrated control system is found to lead to a trade-off between stability and limit steerability, improved vehicle stability and reduced influence on the longitudinal vehicle dynamics.
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Marini, Massimiliano Luigi Ivo <1966>. "PTA e stenting carotideo: valutazione morfologica ed evolutiva, a breve e medio termine." Doctoral thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2008. http://amsdottorato.unibo.it/979/.
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In un periodo di tre anni è stato svolto un lavoro mirato alla valutazione delle
complicanze correlate all’utilizzo dello stenting carotideo.
Dopo la preparazione di un protocollo con definizione di tutti i fattori di rischio sono
stati individuati i criteri di inclusione ed esclusione attraverso i quali arruolare i
pazienti.
Da Luglio 2004 a Marzo 2007 sono stati inclusi 298 pazienti e sono state valutate le
caratteristiche della placca carotidea, con particolare riferimento alla presenza di
ulcerazione e/o di stenosi serrata, la tortuosità dei vasi e il tipo di arco aortico oltre a
tutti i fattori di rischio demografici e metabolici.
E’ stato valutato quanto e se questi fattori di rischio incrementino la percentuale di
complicanze della procedura di stenting carotideo.
I pazienti arruolati sono stati suddivisi in due gruppi a seconda della morfologia della
placca: placca complicata (placca con ulcera del diametro > di 2 mm e placca con
stenosi sub occlusiva 99%) e placca non complicata.
I due gruppi sono stati comparati in termini di epidemiologia, sintomatologia
neurologica preoperatoria, tipo di arco, presenza di stenosi o ostruzione della carotide
controlaterale, tipo di stent e di protezione cerebrale utilizzati, evoluzione clinica e
risultati tecnici.
I dati sono stati valutati mediante analisi statistica di regressione logistica multipla
per evidenziare le variabili correlate con l’insuccesso.
Dei 298 pazienti consecutivi sottoposti a stenting, 77 hanno mostrato una placca
complicata (25,8%) e 221 una placca non complicata (74,2%). I due gruppi non
hanno avuto sostanziali differenze epidemiologiche o di sintomatologia preoperatoria.
Il successo tecnico si è avuto in 272 casi (91,2%) e sintomi neurologici post-operatosi
si sono verificati in 23 casi (23.3%). Tutti i sintomi sono stati temporanei.
Non si sono avute differenze statisticamente significative tra i due gruppi in relazione
alle complicanze neurologiche e ai fallimenti tecnici.
L’età avanzata è correlata ad un incremento dei fallimenti tecnici.
I risultati dello studio portano alla conclusione che la morfologia della placca non
porta ad un incremento significativo dei rischi correlati alla procedura di stenting
carotideo e che l’indicazione alla CAS può essere posta indipendentemente dalla
caratteristica della placca.
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Horcajada, Garro Cristina. "Determinació de l'estructura tridimensional de la glicogen sintasa de "Pyrococcus abyssi"." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/979.
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Les glicogen i midó sintases són glicosiltransferases que catalitzen la transferència de residus glucosil a l'extrem no reductor d'una cadena creixent d'un glucà α-1,4, retenint la configuració del carboni anomèric del sucre transferit. Aquest procès és central en el metabolisme energètic de la majoria d'èssers vius.En aquest treball presentem l'estructura cristal·logràfica de la glicogen sintasa de Pyrococcus abyssi (PaGS). Aquest enzim és termoestable i presenta una activitat màxima a 80ºC i és capaç d'utilitzar indistintament ADPG i UDPG com a donadors de glucosil. La PaGS forma de cossos d'inclusió en totes les condicions d'expressió en E.coli assajades. Amb el mètode de renaturalització en columna hem aconseguit que la PaGS es replegui correctament i ens ha permès obtenir la quantitat de proteïna pura necessària per encetar estudis de cristal·lització i de caracterització en solució.
D'altra banda, el domini C-terminal de la PaGS s'expressa de forma soluble i la seva purificació ens ha permès disposar de quantitat suficient de proteïna per a realitzar estudis de cristal·lització. Aquest domini és monomèric tant en solució com en el cristall. La resolució de l'estructura del domini C-terminal a 1.7 Å a partir de reemplaçament molecular utilitzant el domini homòleg de la GS d'Agrobacterium tumefaciens (AtGS) ha permès utilitzar-lo com a model inicial per a resoldre l'estructura de la PaGS a 2.8 Å.
La PaGS és un trímer tant en solució com en el cristall, amb una disposició triangular plana. Cadascuna de les seves subunitats està formada per dos dominis αβα tipus plegament de Rossmann separats per un solc molt profund on es troba el centre catalític de l'enzim. L'estructura global és molt similar a la de la resta d'estructures resoltes del grup GT-B que actuen amb retenció de la configuració anomèrica. La trimerització de la PaGS implica exclusivament els dominis N-terminals de l'enzim, quedant els dominis C-terminals lliures per a poder realitzar la transició d'obertura i tancament necessària per a la catàlisi.
El domini C-teminal conté la cavitat d'unió a nucleòtid, mentre que la majoria d'interaccions amb l'oligosacàrid acceptor es produeixen a través de residus del domini N-terminal. L'elevada similitud del centre actiu entre les GS i les GP suggereix que ambdues operen a través d'un mecanisme catalític similar, si be no idèntic.
L'estructura de la PaGS i la seva comparació amb l'estructura de l'AtGS ofereixen les bases per a entendre l'especificitat de les GS eucariotes per UDPG, com a substrat donador de glucosil, i la promiscuïtat de les GS d'arqueons per unir tant UDPG com ADPG.
La localització d'una molècula de glucosa en la superfície de la PaGS i la comparació amb les GP eucariotes permeten suggerir un possible lloc d'emmagatzematge del glicogen en les GS.
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VanMeter, Brent. "Reading Achievement: The Impact of America's Choice in Kentucky's Schools." TopSCHOLAR®, 2005. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/979.
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This exploratory study sought to investigate the relationships among comprehensive school reform, years of implementation, and student achievement in Kentucky's elementary schools. This study sought to answer the following questions: (1) Does a difference exist in reading achievement scores of third grade students after one year, two years, three years, and continuation of America's Choice implementation when compared to scores prior to implementation? (2) Is there evidence that indicate the program is sustained after completion of the three years of implementation? and (3) Is there a trend in reading achievement scores of third grade students after a four-year period of America's Choice continuation? The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, mandates by the year 2014 all students must perform in the proficient range in all subject areas, as measured by Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Though Kentucky has worked meticulously to meet student needs through improved curriculum and educational standards, it is still not meeting the needs of all students. Kentucky's public schools, as a whole, did not meet AYP for the school year 2004. The Kentucky School Report Card (2004) indicates Kentucky was deficient in three of the 25 areas of AYP: African-American education, English language learners, and special needs instruction. Student achievement was assessed using the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS/5). The year prior to implementation scores for each of the nine schools provided a baseline for implementation year comparisons. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software. Results of this study were inconclusive. The statistical analyses performed on the schools in this study indicated gains in achievement for some America's Choice schools and declines in achievement by others. Research provided some insight into schools' considering this comprehensive reform model as a tool for improving student achievement.
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O'Connell, Jacques Herman. "Characterization of hydrogen and helium implanted silicon carbide." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/979.
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This dissertation focuses on the characterization of hydrogen implanted 3C-SiC and helium implanted 6H-SiC and the interaction of silver and palladium with the SiC. The main technique used for the analysis of the implanted SiC was transmission electron microscopy (TEM), although scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation hardness testing were also used. Both H and He implantations were done at an ion energy of 100 keV and the total dose for both species was 1017 ions/cm2. Specimens were annealed at 1000 °C for 20 min in an inert atmosphere. The observed depth of ion damage agreed closely with that predicted by TRIM 2008. The damaged region in the He implanted specimens had a high density of small bubbles but no cracks were observed. Severe cracking was observed along the damaged region in the H implanted specimens. A second phase hexagonal (4H-SiC) was detected in two grains in the 3C-SiC and some grown in voids were also observed. The wettability of SiC by a 2:1 by volume mixture of Ag and Pd is extremely low but is significantly increased through the addition of Si to the mixture. The Si containing metal mixture was found to migrate along the grain boundaries of polycrystalline 3CSiC while sealing the point of entry. Pd attacks SiC and severe etching was observed on the surface of 6H-SiC. An epitaxially orientated Pd2Si inclusion was observed in the 6H-SiC. No effect of implantation damage on the interaction of Pd and Ag with SiC was observed. Pd etched the surface of the He implanted 6H-SiC down through the damaged region with no evidence of implantation damage left after 67 hours of annealing and thus no conclusions could be drawn. The metal mixture interacted with the non implanted surface of the H implanted 3C-SiC after dissolving the Si substrate and therefore the effect of the ion damage on the interaction could not be investigated. Nanoindentation hardness measurements showed a marked increase in hardness of He implanted 6H-SiC annealed for 20 min at 1000 °C over that of as implanted and virgin material. There was also a large decrease in hardness corresponding to the depth of the ion damage.
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Oosterman, Allison. "Malcolm Ross: from the peaks to the trenches." AUT University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10292/979.
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In April 1915 a journalist named Malcolm Ross was appointed New Zealand’s official war correspondent to cover the actions of the country’s troops wherever they might be fighting during World War I. Few today appear to have heard of this man so the task of this research was to discover who he was, why he was chosen and how effective he was as a correspondent. The fact he had not been remembered hinted at two possibilities; the first was that as little attention has been given to New Zealand’s media history so he had become one of the forgotten and just awaited some eager historian to rediscover him or, secondly, he had been forgotten because he had not left a lasting legacy or tradition worthy of remembrance. It was a conundrum waiting to be solved and that was the purpose of the research. What was uncovered was a man, born of Scottish working class parents who by 52, when he was selected as official war correspondent, had reached what appeared to be the pinnacle of his career. He was successful, both financially and socially. He had been an exceptional mountaineer and sportsman. His journalism and photographic skills had made him one of the leading journalists of his day. Few were surprised when he was appointed as the country’s first official war correspondent. It is the contention of this thesis that from the time of his appointment, Ross’s reputation and status eroded to the extent that his final years after the war appeared to have been spent in relative obscurity. The reason for this will be explored and largely hinges on the almost overwhelming criticism Ross received for his efforts as war correspondent. A major part of the research was devoted to determining whether this criticism was fair and whether Ross warranted elevation into the ranks of the undeserved forgotten of our country’s media heroes.
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Colvin, Rebecca Marie. "The dilemmas and challenges of teenage motherhood exploring the barriers in the discovery of the self : a project based upon an independent investigation located in Berkshire Children and Families, Child Care of the Berkshires, The Helen Berube Teen Parent Program /." Click here for text online. Smith College School for Social Work website, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10090/979.
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Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2007Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Social Work. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62).
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Leif, Todd Robert. "A case study of the physics enhancement project for two year colleges, its effects and outcomes on the teaching of undergraduate physics at two year colleges." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/979.
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McCollor, Douglas. "Improving hydrometeorologic numerical weather prediction forecast value via bias correction and ensemble analysis." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/979.
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This dissertation describes research designed to enhance hydrometeorological forecasts. The objective of the research is to deliver an optimal methodology to produce reliable, skillful and economically valuable probabilistic temperature and precipitation forecasts.
Weather plays a dominant role for energy companies relying on forecasts of watershed precipitation and temperature to drive reservoir models, and forecasts of temperatures to meet energy demand requirements. Extraordinary precipitation events and temperature extremes involve consequential water- and power-management decisions.
This research compared weighted-average, recursive, and model output statistics bias-correction methods and determined optimal window-length to calibrate temperature and precipitation forecasts. The research evaluated seven different methods for daily maximum and minimum temperature forecasts, and three different methods for daily quantitative precipitation forecasts, within a region of complex terrain in southwestern British Columbia, Canada.
This research then examined ensemble prediction system design by assessing a three-model suite of multi-resolution limited area mesoscale models. The research employed two different economic models to investigate the ensemble design that produced the highest-quality, most valuable forecasts.
The best post-processing methods for temperature forecasts included moving-weighted average methods and a Kalman filter method. The optimal window-length proved to be 14 days. The best post-processing methods for achieving mass balance in quantitative precipitation forecasts were a moving-average method and the best easy systematic estimator method. The optimal window-length for moving-average quantitative precipitation forecasts was 40 days. The best ensemble configuration incorporated all resolution members from all three models.
A cost/loss model adapted specifically for the hydro-electric energy sector indicated that operators managing rainfall-dominated, high-head reservoirs should lower their reservoir with relatively low probabilities of forecast precipitation. A reservoir-operation model based on decision theory and variable energy pricing showed that applying an ensemble-average or full-ensemble precipitation forecast provided a much greater profit than using only a single deterministic high-resolution forecast.
Finally, a bias-corrected super-ensemble prediction system was designed to produce probabilistic temperature forecasts for ten cities in western North America. The system exhibited skill and value nine days into the future when using the ensemble average, and 12 days into the future when employing the full ensemble forecast.
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Yang, Xuedi. "Cathode development for solid oxide electrolysis cells for high temperature hydrogen production." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/979.
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This study has been mainly focused on high temperature solid oxide electrolysis cells (HT-SOECs) for steam electrolysis. The compositions, microstructures and metal catalysts for SOEC cathodes based on (La₀.₇₅Sr₀.₂₅)₀.₉₅Mn₀.₅Cr₀.₅O₃ (LSCM) have been investigated. Hydrogen production amounts from SOECs with LSCM cathodes have been detected and current-to-hydrogen efficiencies have been calculated. The effect of humidity on electrochemical performances from SOECs with cathodes based on LSCM has also been studied. LSCM has been applied as the main composite in HT-SOEC cathodes in this study. Cells were measured at temperatures up to 920°C with 3%steam/Ar/4%H₂ or 3%steam/Ar supplied to the steam/hydrogen electrode. SOECs with LSCM cathodes presented better stability and electrochemical performances in both atmospheres compared to cells with traditional Ni cermet cathodes. By mixing materials with higher ionic conductivity such as YSZ(Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ ) and CGO(Ce₀.₉Gd₀.₁O₁.₉₅ ) into LSCM cathodes, the cell performances have been improved due to the enlarged triple phase boundary (TPB). Metal catalysts such as Pd, Fe, Rh, Ni have been impregnated to LSCM/CGO cathodes in order to improve cell performances. Cells were measured at 900°C using 3%steam/Ar/4%H₂ or 3%steam/Ar and AC impedance data and I-V curves were collected. The addition of metal catalysts has successfully improved electrochemical performances from cells with LSCM/CGO cathodes. Improving SOEC microstructures is an alternative to improve cell performances. Cells with thinner electrolytes and/or better electrode microstructures were fabricated using techniques such as cutting, polishing, tape casting, impregnation, co-pressing and screen printing. Thinner electrolytes gave reduced ohmic resistances, while better electrode microstructures were observed to facilitate electrode processes. Hydrogen production amounts under external potentials from SOECs with LSCM/CGO cathodes were detected by gas chromatograph and current-to-hydrogen efficiencies were calculated according to the law of conservation of charge. Current-to-hydrogen efficiencies from these cells at 900°C were up to 80% in 3%steam/Ar and were close to 100% in 3%steam/Ar/4%H₂. The effect of humidity on SOEC performances with LSCM/CGO cathodes has been studied by testing the cell in cathode atmospheres with different steam contents (3%, 10%, 20% and 50% steam). There was no large influence on cell performances when steam content was increased, indicating that steam diffusion to cathode was not the main limiting process.
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Cooper, Andrew James. "The Human Right to Health Care: A Distributive cliché." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Philosophy and Religious Studies, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/979.
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The universal human right to health care is a cliché that is frequently invoked by politicians and various activist groups to express the idea that inequalities in the distribution of medical resources are unjust. These disgruntled social reformers are largely uninformed about the true nature of human rights, claiming that any society in which some citizens go without comprehensive medical services is institutionalising immorality by violating Article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Such uninformed and exaggerated claims only serve to distort the public conception of human rights, obscure the legitimate demands of social justice, and impose unrealistic expectations on health care systems of limited resources. In this paper, I intend to uncover the true meaning of the universal right to health care, ultimately rejecting the commonly held notion that inequality in the distribution of medical resources necessarily entails a violation of human rights. In Chapters One and Two, I dissect the notion of human rights in order to further define Article 25, discussing any moral and practical implications the acceptance of this right has for both the individual and society. Chapters Three and Four concern the just allocation of health care resources within society, in accordance with the right to health care, and will assess appropriate distributive principles for the health care institution.
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Warthen, Andrea Lynn. "A descriptive study of the knowledge of attachment disorder among foster care social workers." DigitalCommons@Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta University Center, 1999. http://digitalcommons.auctr.edu/dissertations/979.
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The purpose of this study was to analyze and explain the relationship between the concept of attachment disorder and selected demographic variables of social workers employed as foster care workers within a metropolitan public department of child welfare services. A sample of 41 social workers was obtained from a population of 50 social workers. Random sampling was employed utilizing a questionnaire that was adapted from the Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire (RADQ). Research indicated that a slight majority of social workers had knowledge of attachment disorder in children.
The findings indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between the concept of attachment disorder and the educational degree, educational major or the work experience of foster care social workers who participated in the study.
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Van, der Westhuizen Julita Elizabeth. "An empowering programme of HIV/AIDS and life skills for adolescents / J.E. van der Westhuizen." Thesis, North-West University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/979.
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The aim of the research was to investigate the needs of adolescents and to determine their
attitude, knowledge and skills regarding HIV/AIDS and life skills. The next step was to develop
an empowering program to teach them life skills and to educate them with regard to the
HIV/AIDS epidemic.
To meet this aim, the following objectives were formulated:
-To identify the needs of adolescents and extend their knowledge, skills and attitude regarding
HIV/AIDS and life skills through empirical research and literature study.
-To design a life skills program through a literature study and empirical research in order to
improve the social functioning of the adolescents.
The objectives were achieved by studying the relevant literature and through empirical research.
The available literature on the subject was consulted to determine whether any research has been
conducted in this field, and whether the subject could be researched. The empirical research was
conducted to confirm the previous research findings. The literature study and empirical research
were vital for formulating a social work empowering program.
In this research, the survey method was used as a systematic fact-gathering procedure. Data was
gathered through a structured questionnaire. The data was used to describe the study sample,
since socio-economic status could possibly have an effect on the general health and development
of children.
The research data were collected from the adolescents and their families to estimate the
prevalence of their living standards, habits and lifestyle, knowledge, attitude and behaviour
regarding HIV/AIDS .
The findings of this research reflected that adolescents had an urgent need for more knowledge
and information concerning HIV/AIDS and life skills.
In order to address this problem an empowering program was developed and will be presented.
In this research the group work method will be used as an effective intervention strategy in
empowering young people.
Education is crucial; therefore it seems important to educate young people in certain life skills to
empower them to cope with the challenges and demands of life.Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.
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Heilmayr, Robert. "Sustainability Reporting At Higher Education Institutions." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2006. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/979.
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Multiple declarations, governmental and non-profit organizations and universities have issued a call for proper reporting of social and environmental impacts and initiatives within academia. Such reporting can increase awareness of environmental and social impacts, encourage development of sustainable policy and build a campus culture more committed to sustainability. Sustainability reporting at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has the added benefit of being a powerful teaching aid. This paper follows multiple lines of inquiry in order to determine whether HEIs are taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by sustainability reporting. The analysis evaluates the history of sustainability reporting at HEIs and compares the practices of HEIs to those in other sectors. We use the Pacific Sustainability Index to methodically evaluate and rank the social and environmental reporting of 20 HEIs. We find that sustainability reporting is generally less rigorous in academia than other industries. The analysis emphasizes the need for greater institutional support for sustainability reporting at HEIs.
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Vincent, Alastair James. "Palynofacies analysis of middle Jurassic sediments from the Inner Hebrides." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/979.
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A quantitative palynofacies study of thermally immature Middle Jurassic sediments of Skye, Raasay, and Eigg has been undertaken in order to examine kerogen and palynomorph distributions in relation to various potential controlling factors (lithology, lithofacies, depositional environment, sequence stratigraphy). This has involved performing rigorous kerogen and palynomorph counts on 440 samples from 12 localities (average sampling density 5 per metre in sampled sections), supported by 250 TOC and 57'Rock-Eval' pyrolysis analyses. The facies of the Middle Jurassic sediments of the Inner Hebrides range from subtidal marine to freshwater alluvial mudflats. The succession is divided into three major units: the Bearreraig Sandstone Formation (Aalenian-Bajocian) which is 400m thick, and represents the deposition of tidalsubtidal sand sheets, the ? Bathonian Great Estuarine Group (250m thick) which represents a range of mostly lagoonal-deltaic freshwater to hypersaline facies, and finally the Staffin Bay Formation (lowermiddle Callovian; thickness 18m) which represents a transgressive lagoon-barrier bar complex. ... The detailed subdivision of the phytoclast group has permitted the calculation of a phytoclast preservation index (PPI) which summarises the overall degradation state of the phytoclast assemblage for each sample. The highest PPI values (= most refractory phytoclast assemblagesa) re found in the mudflat-alluvial facies of the Skudiburgh Formation, lowest PPI values, reflecting 'fresh' phytoclast input, are found in the transgressive Staffin Bay Formation. The TOC values are generally <2.5%, but reach up to 3-4% in parts of the Dun Caan Shales Member (Bearreraig Sandstone Formation) and the Lonfearn Member (Lealt Shales Formation), and 6-8% in the Upper Ostrea Member (Staffin Bay Formation). Hydrogen Index (HI) values mostly fall below 300 (organic facies C or CD), but are increased in parts of the Lonfearn and Upper Ostrea members (400- 500, organic facies B), and particularly in the Kilmaluag Formation where values of over 800 are found (= organic facies AB). The correlation between the optical and geochemical data varies from very poor to very good. In some cases TOC is correlated with %AOM, and also %Botryococcus. Multiple regression on the HI suggests that in most cases %AOM is the variable best correlated with the HI; this procedure has allowed the calculation of a predicted HI value for all 440 samples.
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Kelly, Susan Linda. "Studies on protein A synthesis in Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/979.
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Costa, Antonio Silva da. "Utilização de materiais alternativos numa intervenção pedagógica para uma aprendizagem significativa das operações dos números inteiros." reponame:Repositório Institucional da UNIVATES, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10737/979.
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O presente estudo evidencia alguns resultados de uma prática pedagógica efetivada em uma turma do 7º ano do Ensino Fundamental da Escola Estadual Coema Souto Maior, localizada na cidade de Boa Vista – Roraima. O objetivo geral da pesquisa consistiu em avaliar se o uso de materiais alternativos para o ensino das operações dos números inteiros é potencialmente significativo como recurso na aprendizagem dessas operações. Teoricamente, está embasado em Ausubel (2009), Lara (2011), Kishimoto (2011), Moreira (2011), Ribeiro (2008), Freire (2011), Borges (2008), entre outros. A pesquisa é de cunho qualitativo e quantitativo, sendo considerada um estudo de caso. O material da pesquisa foi gerado por meio de três questionários, denominados respectivamente de pré-teste, pós-teste e grau de satisfação, todos com questões abertas e fechadas. Também foram desenvolvidos materiais denominados de organizadores prévios. Ainda, foram utilizados diário de campo, fotografias e filmagens que auxiliaram na interpretação de dados. De acordo com as análises efetivadas sobre o material de pesquisa, pode-se entender que: 1) nas aulas com os materiais alternativos, os pesquisados mostraram-se ativos e participantes da construção do conhecimento frente ao conteúdo de números inteiros; 2) os registros realizados em sala e as atividades aplicadas indicaram melhoramento na aprendizagem dos discentes que utilizaram os materiais alternativos; 3) a metodologia usada no desenvolvimento dos organizadores prévios despertou curiosidade dos outros alunos e também da professora titular da sala. O material alternativo (jogo virtual, figuras, objetos) promoveu um maior interesse pela Matemática, fazendo com que seu aprendizado fosse significativo, propiciando um ambiente agradável e promovendo nos alunos uma predisposição para aprender.
The present study evidences the results of pedagogical practice applied in a class of 7th year of the Elementary School at the Escola Estadual Coema Souto Maior, located in Boa Vista, RR. The main objective of the research consists in evaluating whether the virtual game “Playing with the Operations of the Whole Numbers” is potentially significant as a resource for the learning of the integer numbers. Theoretically, it is based on Ausubel (2009), Lara (2011), Kishimoto (2011), Moreira (2011), Ribeiro (2008), Freire (2011), Borges (2008), among others. The research has a qualitative and quantitative feature, being considered as a study of case. The material for research was brought up by means of three questionnaires, respectively named pre-test, post-test, and level of satisfaction with open and cloze questions. Moreover, a field diary, photography and filming were used to support the interpretation of data. According to the analyses carried out on the research material it can be understood that: 1) In classes with the virtual game the researched students are active and participating in the construction of knowledge regarding the content of integer numbers; 2) the records made in classroom and the activities applied point out an improvement in the learning of the pupils who used the virtual game; 3) the methodology of the game awakened curiosity in other students as well as in the teacher in charge of the classroom. The game supplied a higher interest in Mathematics, making it funnier a more attractive to the presents. Bringing about a more comfortable environment and promoting a pre-disposition toward learning in the students.
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Davis, Jef C. "An Empirical Exploration into the Intercultural Sensitivity of Foreign Student Advisors in the United States: The State of the Profession." Thesis, Boston College, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/979.
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Thesis advisor: Philip G. AltbachDespite the long-held assumption that intercultural sensitivity is the foremost qualification of foreign student advisors and the central role that intercultural sensitivity plays in foreign student advising, the intercultural sensitivity of foreign student advisors has never been empirically studied. This exploratory, quantitative study investigates the level of intercultural sensitivity of a group of foreign student advisors in the United States. A sample of 300 U.S.-based foreign student advisors completed both an online survey and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) (Hammer, Bennett, & Wiseman, 2003) a valid and reliable standardized assessment of intercultural sensitivity that measures an individual's orientation towards cultural differences in terms of Milton Bennett's (Bennett, 1993) Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Multiple linear regression was employed to analyze the relationships between scores on the IDI and twenty-three independent variables generated by the online survey instrument. Findings from the developmental scores on the Intercultural Development Inventory suggest that three-quarters of the sample experience cultural difference from an ethnocentric position described by the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. The results of regression analysis identified five factors that are associated with intercultural sensitivity, including political orientation, length of time spent as a foreign student advisor, academic study in the field of intercultural relations, level of education and support for gay marriage. Notable factors that were not associated with intercultural sensitivity include ethnicity, gender, religion, religiosity, and variously described intercultural experiences. Other key findings include that the profession overwhelmingly comprises European American women, indicating increasingly feminized profession, and that women are under-represented among the senior leadership of the field and are paid significantly less than men
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education
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Cromhout, Jaco. "The role and impact of emotional intelligence (EQ) on the leadership styles of the systems integration management team within T-Systems." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/979.
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Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is an investigation and study into the impact of emotional intelligence (EQ) on the leadership qualities and competencies of the management team of the T-Systems South-Africa’s Systems Integration (SI) department. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) business arena is a volatile and unpredictable environment that brings about unique challenges for the leadership qualities and skills of the modern leader and team member. During his studies towards the degree of Master in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Stellenbosch, the researcher was introduced to the concept of emotional intelligence and the impact that it could have on the management of people and the growth and success of an organisation as a whole. Organisations are investing more and more in ICT practices to direct their business initiatives towards financial success. These investments include the professional disciplines such as program and project management. This lead to the question whether the so-called “hard” sciences that are applied on a daily base to govern a project, team or a business will be enough to sustain growth and ensure financial sustainability for a company. The importance of the “softer” sciences such as EQ are often overlooked and the researcher wanted to investigate the impact that increased awareness and knowledge regarding EQ abilities could have on leadership within an ICT department towards achieving overall success. The value of EQ can only be understood if managers and teams understand the concept and potential impact of EQ on both a personal and professional level to guide them to eventual success, even in difficult and trying times. The aim of this study, whilst focusing on the impact of EQ on leadership, will be to provide information and create awareness of the EQ concept to the broader SI department’s employees.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie tesis is verkennende navorsing en verdere studie om die impak wat emosionele intelligensie (EQ) op die leierskap strukture binne die Stelsel Integrasie department (SI), van T-Systems, Suid-Afrika kan hê, verder te verken. Die korporatiewe omgewing van vandag is uiters mededingend, onvoorspelbaar en kompleks. Die omgewing bied unieke uitdagings aan die leierskapkwaliteite van die moderne leier en bestuurder binne die Informasie en Kommunikasie Tegnologie (IKT) veld. Gedurende sy studie aan die Universiteit Van Stellenbosch om die Meestergraad in Besigheidsadministrasie (MBA) te voltooi, was die navorser blootgestel aan die konsep van emosionele intelligensie en die onderlinge impak wat die wetenskaplike veld kan teweeg bring om volhoubare groei en ontwikkeling binne ‘n organisasie te stimuleer. Organisasies spandeer en investeer jaarliks miljoene rande aan Informasie en Tegnologie (IT) stelsels om hulle besigheidsprosesse te aktiveer en sodoende suksesvol te wees op alle strategiese gebiede insluitende volhoubare finansiële sukses. Die investerings sluit die konsepte van program- en projekbestuur in. Die vraag wat gereeld gevra word, is of die sogenaamde “harde” wetenskappe soos projekbestuur wat daagliks in ’n projekomgewing aangewend word, genoeg sal wees om te verseker dat ’n organisasie volhoubare groei en finansiële sukses op die langtermyn kan nastreef. Die belangrikheid van die “sagter” wetenskappe soos emosionele intelligensie word baie kere oorgesien en die navorser wil poog om die impak van emosionele intelligensie op die leierskapkwaliteit en standaarde binne die SI department te ondersoek en te bepaal of dit bydra tot die departement se sukses. Die waarde van emosionele intelligensie kan net verstaan word indien leiers en bestuurders die onderliggende konsepte en potensiële impak verstaan en die waarde besef wat die veld op beide hulle persoonlike maar ook professionele lewens mag hê om suksesvol te kan wees, selfs in moeilike tye. Die doel van die studie, alhoewel meer gerig op die impak wat emosionele intelligensie op leierskap mag hê, poog ook om bewustheid te skep en die nodige inligting rakende emosionele intelligensie konsepte uit te lig en van toepassing te maak op die werknemers binne die SI department.
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Hicks, Kali. "Characterization of Slr1098, a Protein with Similarity to the Bilin Lyase Subunit CpcE from the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2009. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/979.
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The goal of this research is to investigate the role of the slr1098 gene in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, a gene with similarity to cpcE which encodes a subunit of an enzyme involved in bilin attachment to phycocyanin. This protein is hypothesized to be involved in oligomerization of phycocyanin due to previous results showing the mutant made shorter phycocyanin rods. The recombinant Slr1098 protein was produced and purified from E. coli cells. Binding assays showed interaction between Slr1098 and both apo- and holo-phycocyanin, but not to apo-allophycocyanin. Slr1098 blocked bilin addition at Cys-82 on CpcB by the CpcS/CpcU bilin lyase. Size exclusion chromatography and sucrose density gradient analysis of complexes formed suggest that Slr1098 strongly interacts with all intermediate forms of phycocyanin and may be an important checkpoint in the biosynthesis and oligomerization of this protein, but that by itself, Slr1098 does not increase oligomerization of phycocyanin.
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Glouner, Madeleine. "Psychology & Consumer Desire: Music's Influence on Consumer Motivation and Well Being." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2017. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/979.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to further explore the psychological influence that music has on emotional well-being and elicited behavioral response in consumers. Thus, this study asks if music in advertisements affects consumer well-being and behavior, and if certain music elicits a more positive emotional and motivational behavioral response. It also aims to answer if a certain type of music can elicit a more positive behavioral response based on the type of product. This study consisted of two waves of participant research. The first wave will evaluate basic participant demographics as well as ask participants what product (car brand) they prefer in order to develop a neutral baseline of participant groups and eliminate potential product brand bias for the second wave of research. The following week (wave 2) participants were asked to view one of six ad conditions consisting of various music (upbeat vs. classical vs. none) and car brands (Mercedes vs. Jeep). After viewing the advertisement participants were to and complete a series of scales including the Music Semantic Differential Scale (Kellaris & Kent 1993), The Affect Grid (Russell & Mendelsohn, 1989), and the Measures of Motivational Preference Scale test to assess emotional and behavioral response. [Prev. sentence much too long and difficult to follow.] Upbeat music is expected to elicit the most positive emotional response as compared to no music or classical music pairings. Upbeat music is also expected to elicit the greatest motivational behavioral response toward product ads than classical or no music. However, classical music may provide the greatest motivational behavioral response only when paired with the higher-end car brand. These results would signify how important music is in developing a psychological emotional and behavioral response towards certain brand advertisements.
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Medeiros, Paulo César Alves de Oliveira. "Modelos volumétricos e fator de forma na estimativa do volume de árvores em cerrado sensu stricto." Universidade Federal do Tocantins, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11612/979.
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O trabalho objetivou fazer a caracterização da estrutura horizontal por meio do índice de valor de importância (IVI) e como objetivos específicos de determinar o volume de madeira de dez espécies com maior domínio em um fragmento de Cerrado sensu stricto no município de Gurupi-TO, através da utilização de equação volumétricas e do fator de forma. Os dados foram provenientes de cubagem relativa de árvores em pé e seus volumes obtidos pela equação de Hohenadl (10 seções). Foram coletados diâmetros de 323 árvores-amostras em 5 classes diamétricas, com intervalos de 2cm. Foram selecionados 10 modelos volumétricos, sendo estes denominados: Ogaya, Stoate, Rezende et al. (2006), Scolforo e Silva (1993), Meyer, Spurr (Logaritmo), Kopezky-Gehrhardt, Hohenadl-Krenn, Brennac e Schumacher-Hall, para o ajuste dos dados. Para a avaliação adotou-se critérios estatísticos: R² aj, Syx, além da análise gráfica da distribuição dos resíduos. Para as 10 espécies obteve-se uma produtividade média em termos de área basal de 7,05 m² ha-1 e volumes estimados pela equação e pelo fator de forma, valores de 25,25 m3 ha-1 e 26,87 m3 ha-1, respectivamente. O fator de forma médio foi de 0,67 para as 10 espécies avaliadas. Conclui-se que fator de forma pode ser utilizado para as estimativas de volume em áreas onde predominam uma dominância de espécies ou grupos de espécies com características semelhantes ao deste estudo, especialmente em áreas de Cerrado sensu stricto em alternativa as equações volumétricas e que o modelo de Meyer apresentou o melhor desempenho para estimativa do volume em 10 espécies em uma área de Cerrado sensu stricto.The work aimed to make the horizontal structure characterization through the importance value index (IVI) and specific objectives to determine the volume of ten wood species with larger field in a Cerrado sensu stricto fragment in the municipality Gurupi-TO, through the use of volumetric and equation of the form factor. The data was from standing trees relative space and their volumes obtained by the Hohenadl equation (10 sections). 323 diameters were collected trees-samples in 5 diamétricas classes, with intervals of 2 cm. 10 volumetric models were selected, these being called: Ogaya, Stoate, Raj et al. (2006), Scolforo and Silva (1993), Meyer, Spurr (Logarithm) Kopezky-Gehrhardt, Hohenadl-Krenn, Brennac and Schumacher-Hall, for the adjustment of the data. For evaluating statistical criteria adopted: R ² aj, Syx, in addition to the graphical analysis of the distribution of waste. For the 10 species obtained an average productivity in terms of basal area of 7.05 m ² ha-1 and volumes estimated by equation and by form factor, 25.25 values m3 ha-1 and 26.87 m3 ha-1, respectively. The average form factor was 0.67 for the 10 species evaluated. It is concluded that form factor can be used for the volume estimates in areas where a dominance of species or groups of species with similar characteristics to this study, especially in areas of Cerrado sensu stricto as an alternative the volumetric and equations that model of Meyer presented the best performance for volume estimation in 10 species in an area of Cerrado sensu stricto.
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Rodrigues, Luís Filipe Gonçalves. "Epidemiologia e estudo entomológico dos potenciais vectores do vírus da língua azul na região do Vale do Tejo." Bachelor's thesis, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/979.
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Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina VeterináriaA Língua Azul (LA) é causada por um vírus RNA da familia Reoviridae e do género Orbivirus e existem 24 serótipos. É uma doença infecciosa não contagiosa, sendo o vírus transmitido por insectos culicóides e afecta espécies animais ruminantes domésticas e selvagens. É também designada por Febre Catarral Ovina, pois a maioria dos serótipos normalmente causa doença clínica unicamente em ovinos. Desde 2006 foi identificado na Europa o serótipo 8 do vírus da LA, que também afecta clinicamente, e de forma grave, os bovinos, tendo sido descritas, para este serótipo, outros modos de transmissão para o vírus da LA, como as vias transplacentária e oral. Em Portugal, a LA surgiu pela primeira vez em 1956, causada pelo serótipo 10 do vírus da LA. Após um silêncio epizoótico de 44 anos a doença re-ocorreu em 2004 causada pelo serótipo 4 do vírus da LA e, em 2007 pelo serótipo 1 do vírus da LA. As principais medidas de prevenção e de controlo da doença são o controlo dos movimentos dos animais, a vacinação de ruminantes e o controlo dos vectores. Em Portugal estão também implementados os planos oficiais de vigilância serológica e entomológica. O plano de vigilância entomológica baseia-se na captura de culicóides através de armadilhas luminosas para insectos. Com o objectivo de comparar três tipos de armadilhas para culicóides realizou-se numa exploração de bovinos um ensaio experimental baseado no quadrado latino. Existiu uma grande variabilidade nos resultados obtidos em consequência das condições atmosféricas desfavoráveis (temperaturas baixas, chuva e vento), mas concluiu-se que o valor médio mais elevado de culicóides capturados coincidiu com as temperaturas médias mais altas e que os locais com maiores capturas foram aqueles em que as armadilhas estavam protegidas por coberturas. Os resultados obtidos na análise estatística, não foram estatisticamente significativos. Apesar disso considera-se que este tipo de ensaio experimental é sempre de grande importância prática, pois pode permitir ajustar alguns procedimentos de implementação do plano de vigilância entomológica da LA. No estágio realizado no ADS Baixo Tejo durante o período de 17 de Setembro a 31 de Dezembro de 2007 executaram-se actividades no âmbito da LA, como testes de pré-movimentação a bovinos (115), desinsectizações de animais e veículos (135) e vacinação de bovinos (88). Além disso, efectuaram-se actividades de sanidade animal nos âmbito dos programas oficiais de erradicação de Tuberculose, Brucelose, Leucose, e Peripneumonia que consistiram na identificação, colheita de sangue e tuberculinização dos animais, e que abrangeram 4034 bovinos e 1726 pequenos ruminantes. Também se efectuaram actividades facultativas de apoio à produção, como desparasitações e vacinações.
ABSTRACT - Bluetongue (BT) it’s caused by a RNA virus, from the Reoviridae Family, Orbivirus Genus, with 24 serotypes. It’s a non-contagious infectious disease, which is transmitted by culicoid insects and affects domestic and wild ruminants. It is also named the Catarrhal Fever of the Sheep, because most part of the serotypes only causes clinical disease in sheeps. Since 2006 the serotype 8 of the BT virus has been identified in Europe, which clinically affects the bovine cattle, causing severe disease, and was describe for this serotype, others BT virus transmission methods like the ways transplacental and oral. In Portugal, the BT disease emerged for the first time in 1956, caused by the serotype 10. After an epizootic silence of 44 years, the disease re-occurred in 2004 caused by serotype 4 of the BT and, in 2007 by serotype 1 of the BT. The main measures of diseases prevention and control are animal movement restriction, ruminants vaccination and vector control. In Portugal, it’s also implementated entomological and serological surveillance programs. Entomological surveillance plan establish in culicoids catch by insects light traps. For the propose to evaluate three kinds of traps used to catch culicoid insects, it was made an experimental work in a bovine holding based on latin square. There was a great variability in the obtained results because of the adverse atmospheric conditions (lower temperatures, rain and wind), but it follows that the high mean values catches culicoids agree with the mean temperatures more higher and the places with more catches were the ones that traps were protected by coverages. The obtained results in statistics analysis weren’t statistically expressive. Nevertheless it is important to note that this kind of experimental work is always of big practice importance, as it can adjust some proceeding in BT entomological surveillance plan implementation. During the final work realized in the ADS Baixo Tejo between 17th September and 31st December 2007 were effectuated BT activities like bovine pre-movement testing (115), animals and vehicles desinsectization (135) and bovine vaccination (88). Besides, were effectuated activities of Animal Sanity in the context of official eradication programs of Tuberculosis, Brucellosis, Leucosis, and Peripeneumonia, which were based in identification, collection blood samples and tuberculinization of animals. These comprehend 4034 bovines and 1726 small ruminants. Also realizes optional activities to support production, like deparasitation and vaccination.
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Souza, Pagliosa-Jaqueline de. "Estudo de alexitimia em diabéticos." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/979.
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Mota, Rute Salomé Guedes da. "A interacção de factores ambientais na génese da esclerose múltipla." Master's thesis, Universidade da Beira Interior, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/979.
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A esclerose múltipla (EM) é uma doença crónica e imprevisível do sistema nervoso central que afecta mais de 1 milhão de pessoas em todo o mundo, das quais 5000 são portugueses. Foi reconhecida como uma doença há mais de 100 anos e é actualmente objecto de pesquisas intensas em relação às suas causas e tratamento. A diferente susceptibilidade à doença, a sua desigual distribuição geográfica e o facto de migrações de zonas de maior prevalência para zonas de menor prevalência nos primeiros anos de vida, diminuírem o risco de desenvolvimento de EM, parecem sugerir efectivamente uma interacção entre factores genéticos e ambientais. Com esta dissertação de mestrado pretende-se fazer uma revisão bibliográfica onde é exposta a doença com todo o seu perfil clínico; o tema central incide na abordagem aos factores etiológicos que condicionam o aparecimento da EM, com base numa bibliografia epidemiológica actualizada que documenta e analisa as variações da incidência e prevalência da doença segundo a localização geográfica e susceptibilidade genética, trajectos migratórios e infecções virais, entre outros factores. Por fim, um apontamento de considerações e perspectivas é feito com o objectivo prático e real de instituir um cunho de utilidade clínica, às evidências etiológicas aqui fundamentadas.The multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and unexpected central nervous system illness that affect more than 1 million of people in the whole world, of which 5000 are Portuguese. It was recognized as an illness has more than 100 years ago and its causes and treatment have been currently object of intense research. The different illness susceptibility, its different geographic distribution and the fact of migrations of zones of bigger prevalence for zones of lesser prevalence in the first years of life, diminish the risk of development of MS, seem to suggest an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. This Mastership Thesis intends to make bibliographic revision where the illness is described with all its clinical profile, and where the central subject is the etiologic factors that influence the appearance of MS, through an actual epidemiologic bibliography that justifies the illness incidence and prevalence by geographic localization and genetic predisposition, migrations and infections, among others factors. Finally, a conclusion and perspective note is made with the real and practic goal of institute a clinical utility profile, to the etiologic evidences.
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Roque, Roque Daniel Octavio. "Forma funcional de covariables en el modelo de Cox." Master's thesis, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2009. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12672/979.
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El análisis de supervivencia consiste en una colección de procedimientos estadísticos que permiten analizar y modelar, a los datos relacionados a la variable respuesta T, que a partir de un tiempo inicial pre-establecido; T representa el tiempo de seguimiento hasta la ocurrencia de un determinado suceso o evento de interés previamente fijado por el investigador, de modo que este evento de interés puede ser: muerte, fallo de un injerto renal, efectividad de un tratamiento, aparición de una complicación clínica, etc. Dichos procedimientos son hoy en día, una metodología fundamental en gran parte de los ensayos clínicos y de los estudios epidemiológicos que son experimentos de tipo longitudinal y prospectivo.
El análisis de supervivencia se aplica a los datos biomédicos obtenidos según un protocolo que consiste en definir de manera precisa el momento inicial de la observación y el momento final, ya que la variable aleatoria T representa el tiempo transcurrido entre el inicio del tratamiento u observación y la consecución de un cierto evento de interés llamado falla o muerte. Sin embargo, puede haber individuos que no presentan el evento respectivo pre-establecido mientras dure el periodo de seguimiento, a los cuales, se les denomina individuos censurados o datos censurados; por eso, el objetivo principal del análisis de supervivencia es incorporar a su análisis ésta información parcial proporcionada por los individuos censurados mediante métodos desarrollados para ese fin.Tesis
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Noemdo, Leon Abraham. "A critical evaluation of first line managers' perceptions of organisational change at Sanlam." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/979.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))-- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009A quantitative research study was conducted in order to obtain insight and knowledge of the perceptions of management with regard to changes taking place within the Financial Services Sector (FSS). The call centre at Sanlam Head Office in Bellville was used as a case study, and focus was primarily with first line managers at the call centre. The motivation for the study stemmed from the researcher’s experience within the FSS coupled with introduction of legislation for financial service providers. The ultimate objective of the study is to provide generic guidelines of how managers should respond to change on various and different levels and to equip managers with tools to apply during change phases and cycles within the organization. The literature review covers areas that releates to how managers responded to change in areas of leadership, culture, structure and legislation. Changes in these four areas were researched from different authors that specialize in organizational development, leadership development, organizational change and legislation. These ideas and perspectives from a range of South African and international writers gave the researcher an opportunity to conceptualize change, in general, and to provide a clearer understanding of generic competencies that are required to deal with it. Some models of how to deal with resistance to change and key success factors in dealing with it, are discussed. The researcher elected to work with managers at the Sanlam call centre, since they experience and are directly exposed to implementation of change at grassroots level. Results of the research confirm that dealing with change is a challenging experience for managers. A participatory management approach will result in less resistance from employees. The investigation also recommends that deciding on a vision with all key role players is not a once-off occurrence, but should be revisited, realigned and adjusted as the need arises within the organization. Furthermore, the results confirm that soft skill training and development such as conflict and diversity management should be implemented during the diversity and the changing face of the workplace. The main objective and recommendation is that managers should relook and revisit their management styles, involve all role players during decision making processes, and value and appreciate employee’s inputs and ideas.
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Ghosh, Priyanjali. "Investigating the Gene Regulatory Network Underlying Caudal Hindbrain Specification in Embryonic Zebrafish." eScholarship@UMMS, 2018. https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_diss/979.
Full textAbstract:
To understand the gene regulatory network (GRN) governing caudal hindbrain formation in embryonic zebrafish, several early expressed factors have been manipulated, and multiple genetic mutants have been characterized. Such analyses have identified morphogens such as Retinoic Acid (RA) and Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), as well as transcription factors like hoxb1b, hoxb1a, hnf1ba, and valentino as being required for rhombomere (r) r4-r6 formation in zebrafish. Considering that the caudal hindbrain is relatively complex – for instance, unique sets of neurons are formed in each rhombomere segment – it is likely that additional essential genes remain to be identified and integrated into the caudal hindbrain GRN.
Our results reveal that r4 gene expression is unaffected by the individual loss of hoxb1b, hoxb1a or RA, but is under the combinatorial regulation of RA together with hoxb1b. In contrast, r5/r6 gene expression is dependent on RA, FGF, hnf1ba and valentino – as individual loss of these factors abolishes r5/r6 gene expression. Analysis of six mutant lines (gas6, gbx1, sall4, eglf6, celf2, and greb1l) did not reveal rhombomere or neuronal defects, but transcriptome analysis of one line (gas6 mutant) identified expression changes for genes involved in several developmental processes – suggesting that these genes may have subtle roles in hindbrain development.
We conclude that r4-r6 formation is relatively robust, such that very few genes are absolutely required for this process. However, there are mechanistic differences in r4 versus r5/r6, such that no single factor is required for r4 development while several genes are individually required for r5/r6 formation.
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Guduru, Rakesh. "Bionano Electronics: Magneto-Electric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery, Brain Stimulation and Imaging Applications." FIU Digital Commons, 2013. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/979.
Full textAbstract:
Nanoparticles are often considered as efficient drug delivery vehicles for precisely dispensing the therapeutic payloads specifically to the diseased sites in the patient’s body, thereby minimizing the toxic side effects of the payloads on the healthy tissue. However, the fundamental physics that underlies the nanoparticles’ intrinsic interaction with the surrounding cells is inadequately elucidated. The ability of the nanoparticles to precisely control the release of its payloads externally (on-demand) without depending on the physiological conditions of the target sites has the potential to enable patient- and disease-specific nanomedicine, also known as Personalized NanoMedicine (PNM). In this dissertation, magneto-electric nanoparticles (MENs) were utilized for the first time to enable important functions, such as (i) field-controlled high-efficacy dissipation-free targeted drug delivery system and on-demand release at the sub-cellular level, (ii) non-invasive energy-efficient stimulation of deep brain tissue at body temperature, and (iii) a high-sensitivity contrasting agent to map the neuronal activity in the brain non-invasively. First, this dissertation specifically focuses on using MENs as energy-efficient and dissipation-free field-controlled nano-vehicle for targeted delivery and on-demand release of a anti-cancer Paclitaxel (Taxol) drug and a anti-HIV AZT 5’-triphosphate (AZTTP) drug from 30-nm MENs (CoFe2O4-BaTiO3) by applying low-energy DC and low-frequency (below 1000 Hz) AC fields to separate the functions of delivery and release, respectively. Second, this dissertation focuses on the use of MENs to non-invasively stimulate the deep brain neuronal activity via application of a low energy and low frequency external magnetic field to activate intrinsic electric dipoles at the cellular level through numerical simulations. Third, this dissertation describes the use of MENs to track the neuronal activities in the brain (non-invasively) using a magnetic resonance and a magnetic nanoparticle imaging by monitoring the changes in the magnetization of the MENs surrounding the neuronal tissue under different states.
The potential therapeutic and diagnostic impact of this innovative and novel study is highly significant not only in HIV-AIDS, Cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease but also in many CNS and other diseases, where the ability to remotely control targeted drug delivery/release, and diagnostics is the key.
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D'Amico, Samantha. "HMHS Royal Comfort." Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School, 2021. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/979.
Full textAbstract:
HMHS Royal Comfort is a one-hour drama about a young Army nurse named Eleanor Allen who gets assigned to the newly commissioned hospital ship, HMHS Royal Comfort, during the beginning of World War 1. Eleanor, along with the other Army nurses, volunteers, and Royal Army Medical Corp officers must treat, care for, and save the wounded soldiers who board their ship as they push aside their own personal secrets amidst the growing conflict.
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Cai, Chunlin. "Étude de la cinétique des particules dans les couches frontières de la magnétosphère terrestre à l'aide des observations des satellites CLUSTER et DOUBLE STAR." Toulouse 3, 2010. http://thesesups.ups-tlse.fr/979/.
Full textAbstract:
L'environnement spatial proche de la Terre est complexe et divers. La cinétique des ions joue un rôle clé pour comprendre la nature des phénomènes essentiels et les processus physiques prenant place dans le "Géospace". Au moyen de données à haute résolution enregistrées par les quatre satellites Cluster et les deux satellites Double Star, cette thèse étudie la cinétique des ions de faible énergie dans certaines couches frontières essentielles de la magnétosphère terrestre. Le rôle dominant joué par la cinétique des particules dans les formations de ces structures de plasma à petite échelle et les caractéristiques des processus de couplage à différentes échelles y sont résumésThe near-Earth space environment is complex and diverse. Particle kinetics plays a key role in understanding the nature of key phenomena and physical processes taking place in the Geospace. By means of the high-resolution data recorded by the multiple-point Cluster and Double star spacecraft, the present thesis investigated low energy ion kinetics in some crucial boundary layers of the terrestrial magnetosphere. The dominating roles played by the particle kinetics in the formations of those small-scale plasma structures and the feature of cross-scale coupling processes are summarized
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Foung, Kin Wai Dennis. "A critical discourse analysis of political speeches." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2008. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/979.
Full text
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Monteiro, Brígida Trigo de Miranda Strecht. "Interacção in vitro entre Quercus suber L. e Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands." Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/979.
Full textAbstract:
Doutoramento em BiologiaEste trabalho circunscreve-se na área da fitopatologia e tem por objectivo principal a contribuição para o levantamento de alguns mecanismos relacionados com a resistência e a susceptibilidade de Quercus suber ao agente etiológico Phytophthora cinnamomi. Para a iniciação de culturas in vitro de Q. suber propõe-se uma abordagem de desinfecção superficial por aplicação de Peróxido de Hidrogénio. Tanto do ponto de vista quantitativo, como qualitativo, este método produziu resultados melhores em termos de indução e manutenção de porções aéreas e de tecido caloso de Q. suber in vitro (p < 0,001) e taxas de descontaminação sempre superiores a 88,8%. Os tecidos vegetais cresceram melhor em meio nutritivo de Gresshoff e Doy modificado. Por aplicação de uma combinação de dois métodos para produção de zoósporos e duas estirpes patogénicas, obtiveram-se suspensões de zoósporos de P. cinnamomi. O método se CHAMBERS et al. (1995) e a estirpe H1000 contribuíram com os melhores resultados (104 zoósporos.mL-1). A infecção das culturas (plântulas micropropagadas, porções aéreas e tecido caloso) forneceu quadros sintomatológicos de infecção em tudo semelhantes ao que sucede na interacção in vivo. Foram eleitos entre os clones de tecido caloso disponíveis um resistente (proveniente de Montemor-o-Novo) e um susceptível (proveniente de Ponte-de-Sôr). Foram analisados alguns parâmetros químicos e bioquímicos (Cl- , SO4 2-, NO3 - , NO2 - , HPO4 3-, F- , ião oxalato, Na+ , K+ , NH4 + , Mg2+, Ca2+ por electroforese capilar e perfis peptídicos em electroforese de geles de poli-acrilamida em condições desnaturantes) após a interacção do tecido caloso (a crescer em meios com diferentes composições hormonais) com os zoósporos de P. cinnamomi. Na presença do agente patogénico as quantidades dos iões NH4 + , NO2 - , NO3 - e F- eram vestigiais, dos iões K+ , Ca2+ e Na+ diminuíam, do ião Mg2+ mantinhamse, mais ou menos estáveis, dos iões Cl- e SO4 2- diminuíam no tecido resistente e mantinham-se constantes no tecido susceptível, e do anião HPO4 2- mantinham-se constantes no tecido resistente e diminuíam no tecido susceptível. Para o tecido susceptível os ganhos em número de bandas são maiores entre os 205-100 kDa e para o tecido resistente entre os 13-5 kDa. Nos pesos moleculares entre 100-60 kDa, 60-40 kDa e 40-13 kDa, o número de bandas é sempre superior no tecido resistente e este é o que apresenta maiores perdas ao longo da interacção. Correlacionando o número de bandas dos perfis peptídicos com as concentrações em iões foram obtidas três correlações positivas (Mg2+/40-13 kDa; Cl- /100-60 kDa e Cl- /60-40 kDa) e duas negativas (K+ /13-5 kDa e Oxalato/205-100 kDa). Neste modelo de interacção foi encontrada maior relevância nas variações do número de bandas nos perfis peptídicos (60-40 kDa>40-13 kDa>100-60 kDa>205-100 kDa>13-5 kDa), seguida da relevância dos catiões (K+ >Na+ >Mg2+>Ca2+) e dos aniões (SO4 2->Cl- >HPO4 2 ). Igualmente relevante o número de bandas entre 13 a 5 kDa e a concentração em ião oxalato (com contributos com 52,08% e 60,99%, respectivamente).
This is a work in the area of the phytopathology and the main goal is to contribute to the finding of some mechanisms related to the resistance and the susceptibility of Quercus suber to the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. To initiate Q. suber in vitro cultures the application of hydrogen peroxide as a superficial disinfection agent is proposed. This method was better from the qualitative and quantitative point of view to the induction and maintenance of Q. suber in vitro cultures (p < 0,001) and the decontamination level was over 88%. The tissues grew better in modified Gresshoff and Doy medium. P. cinnamomi zoospores suspensions were obtained by combining two zoospores production methods and two pathogenic isolates. The bests results were achieved with CHAMBERS et al. (1995) method and H1000 isolate (104 zoospores.mL-1). The infection of the cultures (micropropagated plantlets, shoots and calli) showed several symptomatologic degrees of infection comparable to the in vivo interaction. One calli clone resistant (from Montemor-o-Novo) and other susceptible (from Ponte-de-Sôr) were elected from the available clones. Some chemical and biochemical parameters (Cl - , SO 4 2-, NO 3 - , NO 2 - , HPO 4 3-, F - , oxalate ion, Na + , K + , NH 4 + , Mg2+, Ca2+ by capillary electrophoresis and the polypeptide profile determination by denaturant polyacrilamide gels electrophoresis) were analysed after calli cultures (growing in different hormonal compositions) and P. cinnamomi zoospores interaction. In the presence of the pathogen the quantities of NH 4 + , NO 2 - , NO 3 - and F- ions were almost nulls, K + , Ca2+ and Na+ ions diminished, Mg2+ ion maintained more or less stable, Cl - and SO 4 2- ions diminished in the resistant tissue and maintained constant in the susceptible tissue, and HPO 4 2- ion maintained constant in the resistant tissue and diminished in the susceptible tissue. Gains in the number of bands in the challenged susceptible tissue were grater between 205-100 kDa and in the susceptible tissue between 13-5 kDa. The number of bands in the molecular weights between 100-60 kDa, 60-40 kDa and 40-13 kDa was always superior in the resistant tissue and this always showed grater losses along the interaction. By correlating the number of band obtained in SDS PAGE with the ion concentrations we obtained tree positive correlations (Mg2+/40-13 kDa; Cl - /100-60 kDa and Cl - /60-40 kDa) and two negative correlations (K + /13-5 kDa and Oxalate/205-100 kDa). In this interaction model grater relevancy was found in the polypeptide profile bands numbers variations (60-40 kDa > 40-13 kDa > 100-60 kDa > 205-100 kDa > 13-5 kDa), followed by the relevancy of the cations (K + > Na + > Mg2+ > Ca2+) and of the anions (SO 4 2- > Cl - > HPO 4 2 ). The band number between 13-5 kDa and the oxalate concentration were equally important (with 52,08% and 60,99% contributions, respectively).
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Oppenheimer, Rachel Alayna. "Of Prisons and Polities: The Black Panther Party, Irish Republican Army and Radical Socio-Political organization, 1966-1983." Research Showcase @ CMU, 2017. http://repository.cmu.edu/dissertations/979.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation uses the idea of a moral polity as an organizing concept to help understand how the Irish Republican Army and Black Panther Party understood their own actions and the imprisonment of large numbers of their members. In referring to the “moral polity” this study describes socio-political structures and relations created by people who are animated by a series of collectively held ideas about how authorities and populations should interact. The collectively held ideas that provide the foundation for a moral polity emphasize reciprocities between authorities and a population living under those authorities, fairness and justice between these two parties, and trust between the authorities and that population. Moral Polities promote human dignity and the welfare of the community, and the beliefs that undergird them are formed in opposition to established socio-political structures. The first chapters reveal the moral polities created by the BPP and IRA, looking first at precursors of these moral polities and then focusing on the opposition their creators faced from the governments and security forces of the United States, Northern Ireland, and Britain. As the Panthers and IRA espoused a radical reordering of society based on their collectively held beliefs, they threatened power structures who resorted to counterintelligence and internment without trial in their attempts to quell the threats they saw coming from the BPP an IRA, which in turn resulted in in large numbers of prisoners. The last chapters examine the decline of the Black Panther Party and the rise of the Irish republican prisoner. The BPP was unable to overcome the divisions within their party which the FBI exploited in the years before 1973. This left them unable to uphold the moral polity they had created around chapters across the nation. Although some members of the Party struggled to keep the Party and its envisioned society afloat, the BPP did not last beyond 1982. Conversely, when British authorities revoked special category status in Northern Irish prisons, and therefore, destroyed the IRA’s reordering of prison society, the IRA embarked on five years of sustained protest which resulted in a recreation of their moral polity.
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Schachter, L. M. "Change in lung volume in asthma with particular reference to obesity." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/979.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last 20 years both asthma and obesity have increased in prevalence. What is the link? There are data to suggest that increasing obesity is a risk for the increase in prevalence of asthma. A number of mechanisms have been postulated including the effects of reduced lung volume on bronchial reactivity and mechanical changes with lower lung volumes. Other possibilities include other obesity-induced co-morbidities including gastro-oesophageal reflux. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the link between asthma and obesity in both adult and childhood populations and to undertake experimental studies to examine the effects of changes in lung volume on bronchial reactivity. In chapter 1, the literature is reviewed. The current literature suggests that there is a link between diagnosis of asthma, new onset of asthma, symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze. In chapter 2, data on 1997 adults in 3 population studies were analysed and the association between body mass index (BMI) and symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze, diagnosis of asthma, medication usage for asthma, lung function and bronchial responsiveness were studied. This study showed that obesity was a risk for recent asthma (OR 2.04; 95%CI 1.02-3.76, p=0.048), symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze (OR 2.6; 95%CI 1.46- 4.70, p=0.001), and medication usage for asthma (OR 2.53; 95%CI 1.36-4.70, p=0.003). There was a reduction in lung volume as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC), but there was no increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.35-2.21, p=0.78). Thus although the symptoms of asthma are increased there were no increases in BHR, despite significantly reduced lung volumes. The increase the medication usage is unlikely to have normalised the BHR, as there were ongoing symptoms suggestive of asthma. In chapter 3, data on 5993 children in 7 population studies were analysed and the association between BMI percentile and symptoms of cough, wheeze, ix diagnosis of asthma, medication usage for asthma, atopy, lung function and bronchial responsiveness was studied. After adjusting for atopy, sex, age, smoking and family history, BMI was a significant risk factor for wheeze ever (OR=1.06; 95%CI 1.01-1.10, p=0.008) and cough (OR=1.09; 95%CI 1.05-1.14, p=0.001) but not for recent asthma (OR=1.02; 95%CI 0.98-1.07 p=0.43), or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (OR=0.97; 95%CI 0.95-1.04 p=0.77). In girls, a higher BMI was significantly associated with higher prevalence of atopy (x2 trend 7.9, p=0.005), wheeze ever (x2 trend 10.4, p=0.001), and cough (x2 trend 12.3, p<0.001). These were not significant in boys. With increasing BMI in children, there was no reduction in lung volume, no increase in airway obstruction and no increase in bronchial responsiveness. In chapter 4, the hypothesis that obesity per se is associated with bronchial responsiveness was tested. Six obese women without asthma were compared to 6 non-obese women without asthma with high dose methacholine challenges to assess the bronchial responsiveness. There was no increase in bronchial responsiveness, and no difference in the position or shape of the high dose methacholine curve despite the fact that these women had reduced lung volumes associated with their obesity. In chapter 5, the hypothesis whether reduced lung volume per se would cause a change in greater mechanical effect, ie more marked airway narrowing in both non-asthmatic and asthmatic subjects was tested. Lung volumes and methacholine challenges were undertaken in the supine and erect position on different days. As expected in normal subjects there was a small reduction in lung volume on lying down, this was associated with an increase in the measure of bronchial reactivity DRR. In contrast, in asthmatics, there was no acute fall in lung volume and there were variable changes in the index of reactivity suggesting non-homogeneity in the lung function abnormality. This suggests changes in bronchial reactivity can occur without any relationship to lung volume change. These negative results suggest that lung volume changes that may occur in obesity are unlikely contributors to the apparent increase in asthma symptoms. In chapter 6, the hypothesis that the supposed increase in asthma symptoms in the obese were due to the effects of gastro-oesophageal reflux were assessed in 147 obese subjects graded for gastro-oesophageal reflux severity using manometry and gastroscopy. This study showed that subjects with increased gastro-oesophageal reflux did not have subjective increases in asthma prevalence, obstructive sleep apnoea, or snoring however they had a clear worsening of gas transfer as measured by carbon monoxide transfer suggesting a greater level of parenchymal disease. The overall results are that there is an increase of diagnosis of asthma, increase in symptoms of asthma and medication usage for the treatment of asthma in the obese. Objectively despite reductions in lung volume, there is no increase in bronchial responsiveness in this group suggesting that these symptoms are not related to true asthma, but to alternative co-morbidities associated with obesity such as gastro-oesophageal reflux. Notably gastrooesophageal reflux was not associated with increased asthma prevalence or airway obstruction. However it was associated with reduced gas transfer suggesting parenchymal disease. This suggests that the increase in symptoms of wheeze and shortness of breath in the obese should not be attributed to asthma in the absence of variable airflow limitation that is reversible spontaneously or with treatment, or with an increase in the existing bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to a variety of stimuli.
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Schachter, L. M. "Change in lung volume in asthma with particular reference to obesity." University of Sydney, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/979.
Full textAbstract:
Doctor of Philosophy(PhD)Over the last 20 years both asthma and obesity have increased in prevalence. What is the link? There are data to suggest that increasing obesity is a risk for the increase in prevalence of asthma. A number of mechanisms have been postulated including the effects of reduced lung volume on bronchial reactivity and mechanical changes with lower lung volumes. Other possibilities include other obesity-induced co-morbidities including gastro-oesophageal reflux. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the link between asthma and obesity in both adult and childhood populations and to undertake experimental studies to examine the effects of changes in lung volume on bronchial reactivity. In chapter 1, the literature is reviewed. The current literature suggests that there is a link between diagnosis of asthma, new onset of asthma, symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze. In chapter 2, data on 1997 adults in 3 population studies were analysed and the association between body mass index (BMI) and symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze, diagnosis of asthma, medication usage for asthma, lung function and bronchial responsiveness were studied. This study showed that obesity was a risk for recent asthma (OR 2.04; 95%CI 1.02-3.76, p=0.048), symptoms of shortness of breath and wheeze (OR 2.6; 95%CI 1.46- 4.70, p=0.001), and medication usage for asthma (OR 2.53; 95%CI 1.36-4.70, p=0.003). There was a reduction in lung volume as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC), but there was no increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.35-2.21, p=0.78). Thus although the symptoms of asthma are increased there were no increases in BHR, despite significantly reduced lung volumes. The increase the medication usage is unlikely to have normalised the BHR, as there were ongoing symptoms suggestive of asthma. In chapter 3, data on 5993 children in 7 population studies were analysed and the association between BMI percentile and symptoms of cough, wheeze, ix diagnosis of asthma, medication usage for asthma, atopy, lung function and bronchial responsiveness was studied. After adjusting for atopy, sex, age, smoking and family history, BMI was a significant risk factor for wheeze ever (OR=1.06; 95%CI 1.01-1.10, p=0.008) and cough (OR=1.09; 95%CI 1.05-1.14, p=0.001) but not for recent asthma (OR=1.02; 95%CI 0.98-1.07 p=0.43), or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (OR=0.97; 95%CI 0.95-1.04 p=0.77). In girls, a higher BMI was significantly associated with higher prevalence of atopy (x2 trend 7.9, p=0.005), wheeze ever (x2 trend 10.4, p=0.001), and cough (x2 trend 12.3, p<0.001). These were not significant in boys. With increasing BMI in children, there was no reduction in lung volume, no increase in airway obstruction and no increase in bronchial responsiveness. In chapter 4, the hypothesis that obesity per se is associated with bronchial responsiveness was tested. Six obese women without asthma were compared to 6 non-obese women without asthma with high dose methacholine challenges to assess the bronchial responsiveness. There was no increase in bronchial responsiveness, and no difference in the position or shape of the high dose methacholine curve despite the fact that these women had reduced lung volumes associated with their obesity. In chapter 5, the hypothesis whether reduced lung volume per se would cause a change in greater mechanical effect, ie more marked airway narrowing in both non-asthmatic and asthmatic subjects was tested. Lung volumes and methacholine challenges were undertaken in the supine and erect position on different days. As expected in normal subjects there was a small reduction in lung volume on lying down, this was associated with an increase in the measure of bronchial reactivity DRR. In contrast, in asthmatics, there was no acute fall in lung volume and there were variable changes in the index of reactivity suggesting non-homogeneity in the lung function abnormality. This suggests changes in bronchial reactivity can occur without any relationship to lung volume change. These negative results suggest that lung volume changes that may occur in obesity are unlikely contributors to the apparent increase in asthma symptoms. In chapter 6, the hypothesis that the supposed increase in asthma symptoms in the obese were due to the effects of gastro-oesophageal reflux were assessed in 147 obese subjects graded for gastro-oesophageal reflux severity using manometry and gastroscopy. This study showed that subjects with increased gastro-oesophageal reflux did not have subjective increases in asthma prevalence, obstructive sleep apnoea, or snoring however they had a clear worsening of gas transfer as measured by carbon monoxide transfer suggesting a greater level of parenchymal disease. The overall results are that there is an increase of diagnosis of asthma, increase in symptoms of asthma and medication usage for the treatment of asthma in the obese. Objectively despite reductions in lung volume, there is no increase in bronchial responsiveness in this group suggesting that these symptoms are not related to true asthma, but to alternative co-morbidities associated with obesity such as gastro-oesophageal reflux. Notably gastrooesophageal reflux was not associated with increased asthma prevalence or airway obstruction. However it was associated with reduced gas transfer suggesting parenchymal disease. This suggests that the increase in symptoms of wheeze and shortness of breath in the obese should not be attributed to asthma in the absence of variable airflow limitation that is reversible spontaneously or with treatment, or with an increase in the existing bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to a variety of stimuli.
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Gadenya, Paul Wolimbwa. "Realising the right to an adequate standard of living through the New Partnership for Africa's Development." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/979.
Full textAbstract:
"The research paper is premised on the fact that NEPAD has the potential to reduce poverty and improve the observance of human rights in Africa. Both of these outcomes are relevant because they address the right to an adequate standard of living. It is, however, doubtful whether the economic path chosen by NEPAD to addres the key issue of poverty is actually going to have a positive impact on realisation of this rigts. This is particularly important given the fact that NEPAD's economic plan is premised on free market economics, private sector led growth and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which it hopes, will improve the quality of life of the poor. There are problems with this approach because previous economic programmes that were imlemented in Africa with similar economic programmes failed because they never put people at the core of their develoment plans. The success of NEPAD's programme will depend on whether people are put at the core of its programmes, otherwise its contribution to improving living conditions in Africa will be minimal. Secondly, the institutional framework for human rights in NEPAD is not strong enough to address human rights. As a result, human rights issues are not likely to attract the seriousness that they deserve. This paper therefor intends to suggest ways of strengthening the human rights mechanism in NEPAD. ... The study is divided into five chapters. Besides this chapter, the seocnd chapter will trace the historical development of NEPAD. It will also examine what NEPAD is all about, its institutions and proposed programmes. The third chapter will discuss the concept of the right to an adequate standard of living as enunciated in the Internaitonal Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR). The chapter will seek to define the scope of the right to an adequate standard of living and discuss the obligations of the state towards the realisation of this right. The fourth chapter deals with how NEPAD addresses the right to an adequate standard of living as elucidated on in the previous chapter. The fifth chapter will address the issue of how NEPAD can be made more responsive to addressing the right to an adequate standard of living. The conclusion will be contained in this chapter." -- Chapter 1.Prepared under the supervision of Mr. Martin Nsibirwa, Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2002.
http://www.chr.up.ac.za/academic_pro/llm1/dissertations.html
Centre for Human Rights
LLM
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Xu, Shiyu. "TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION: IMPLEMENTATION, OPTIMIZATION AND COMPARISON IN DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS." OpenSIUC, 2014. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/979.
Full textAbstract:
Conventional 2D mammography was the most effective approach to detecting early stage breast cancer in the past decades of years. Tomosynthetic breast imaging is a potentially more valuable 3D technique for breast cancer detection. The limitations of current tomosynthesis systems include a longer scanning time than a conventional digital X-ray modality and a low spatial resolution due to the movement of the single X-ray source. Dr.Otto Zhou's group proposed the concept of stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) using a Carbon Nano-Tube (CNT) based X-ray source array. Instead of mechanically moving a single X-ray tube, s-DBT applies a stationary X-ray source array, which generates X-ray beams from different view angles by electronically activating the individual source prepositioned at the corresponding view angle, therefore eliminating the focal spot motion blurring from sources. The scanning speed is determined only by the detector readout time and the number of sources regardless of the angular coverage spans, such that the blur from patient's motion can be reduced due to the quick scan. S-DBT is potentially a promising modality to improve the early breast cancer detection by providing decent image quality with fast scan and low radiation dose. DBT system acquires a limited number of noisy 2D projections over a limited angular range and then mathematically reconstructs a 3D breast. 3D reconstruction is faced with the challenges of cone-beam and flat-panel geometry, highly incomplete sampling and huge reconstructed volume. In this research, we investigated several representative reconstruction methods such as Filtered backprojection method (FBP), Simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) and Maximum likelihood (ML). We also compared our proposed statistical iterative reconstruction (IR) with particular prior and computational technique to these representative methods. Of all available reconstruction methods in this research, our proposed statistical IR appears particularly promising since it provides the flexibility of accurate physical noise modeling and geometric system description. In the following chapters, we present multiple key techniques of statistical IR to tomosynthesis imaging data to demonstrate significant image quality improvement over conventional techniques. These techniques include the physical modeling with a local voxel-pair based prior with the flexibility in its parameters to fine-tune image quality, the pre-computed parameter κ incorporated with the prior to remove the data dependence and to achieve a predictable resolution property, an effective ray-driven technique to compute the forward and backprojection and an over-sampled ray-driven method to perform high resolution reconstruction with a practical region of interest (ROI) technique. In addition, to solve the estimation problem with a fast computation, we also present a semi-quantitative method to optimize the relaxation parameter in a relaxed order-subsets framework and an optimization transfer based algorithm framework which potentially allows less iterations to achieve an acceptable convergence. The phantom data is acquired with the s-DBT prototype system to assess the performance of these particular techniques and compare our proposed method to those representatives. The value of IR is demonstrated in improving the detectability of low contrast and tiny micro-calcification, in reducing cross plane artifacts, in improving resolution and lowering noise in reconstructed images. In particular, noise power spectrum analysis (NPS) indicates a superior noise spectral property of our proposed statistical IR, especially in the high frequency range. With the decent noise property, statistical IR also provides a remarkable reconstruction MTF in general and in different areas within a focus plane. Although computational load remains a significant challenge for practical development, combined with the advancing computational techniques such as graphic computing, the superior image quality provided by statistical IR will be realized to benefit the diagnostics in real clinical applications.
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Parrish, Michael Hubbard. "A Selective Approach to Hexahedral Refinement of Unstructured Conformal Meshes." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2007. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/979.
Full textAbstract:
Hexahedral refinement increases the density of an all-hexahedral mesh in a specified region, improving numerical accuracy. Previous research using solely sheet refinement theory made the implementation computationally expensive and unable to effectively handle multiply-connected transition elements and self-intersecting hexahedral sheets. The Selective Approach method is a new procedure that combines two diverse methodologies to create an efficient and robust algorithm able to handle the above stated problems. These two refinement methods are: 1) element by element refinement and 2) directional refinement. In element by element refinement, the three inherent directions of a hexahedron are refined in one step using one of seven templates. Because of its computational superiority over directional refinement, but its inability to handle multiply-connected transition elements, element by element refinement is used in all areas of the specified region except regions local to multiply-connected transition elements. The directional refinement scheme refines the three inherent directions of a hexahedron separately on a hexahedron by hexahedron basis. This differs from sheet refinement which refines hexahedra using hexahedral sheets. Directional refinement is able to correctly handle multiply-connected transition elements. A ranking system and propagation scheme allow directional refinement to work within the confines of the Selective Approach Algorithm.
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Harvey, Elizabeth Loyd. "Same place next summer: permanent chautauquas and the performance of middle-class identity." Diss., University of Iowa, 2011. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/979.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explores the impact of the permanent chautauqua movement in American culture, especially in the period from 1874 to 1935. It argues that chautauquas served as sites for the production of middle-class culture and the renegotiation of relationships among class, gender, race, and religion.
Permanent chautauquas were popular vacation resorts throughout the United States, beginning with the founding of the Chautauqua Sunday School Assembly in upstate New York and increasing in number to about two hundred in 1900. They were associations of cottages offering community programs that were educational, religious, and entertaining. This dissertation examines the programs that the chautauquas planned, arguing that they espoused a burgeoning form of culture, one that supported a perceived morality and middle-class values like dedication to family, temperance, education, patriotism, piety, and fighting against temptation to sin.
Particular emphasis is placed on how performance at permanent chautauquas led to new expectations of gender, class, race, and religion. Women had opportunities for leadership, were able to blur lines between public and private spheres, and could act out different expectations of their gender while on the grounds. While most chautauquans were middle class, attending a chautauqua meant that one's class was not important and all could enjoy a middle-class vacation. While the line between whites and non-whites remained stable, non-whites were granted performance opportunities at chautauquas that they might not have had; other non-whites participated as members of the work force that allowed white chautauquans the leisure they expected. Because chautauquas were Protestant communities, religion underlaid all activities on the grounds, redefining expectations of how religion and entertainment could be combined. Taken together, these renegotiations of identity at chautauquas impacted a broader American culture.
This dissertation examines the performances at chautauqua, in particular the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle and their Recognition Day graduation ceremony; historical pageantry; professional performers who visited as part of the circuit chautauquas; and early film exhibition. It places them in a broader American performance context and argues that permanent chautauquas played a role in their development and popularity.
It draws upon archival records from the chautauquas to outline the kinds of programming presented. Additionally, the research is supported by anecdotal evidence from a series of oral history interviews conducted with individuals who recall their childhoods at permanent chautauquas.
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Torres-Rua, Alfonso F. "Bayesian Data-Driven Models for Irrigation Water Management." DigitalCommons@USU, 2011. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/979.
Full textAbstract:
A crucial decision in the real-time management of today’s irrigation systems involves the coordination of diversions and delivery of water to croplands. Since most irrigation systems experience significant lags between when water is diverted and when it should be delivered, an important technical innovation in the next few years will involve improvements in short-term irrigation demand forecasting.
The main objective of the researches presented was the development of these critically important models: (1) potential evapotranspiration forecasting; (2) hydraulic model error correction; and (3) estimation of aggregate water demands. These tools are based on statistical machine learning or data-driven modeling. These, of wide application in several areas of engineering analysis, can be used in irrigation and system management to provide improved and timely information to water managers. The development of such models is based on a Bayesian data-driven algorithm called the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), and an extension of it, the Multivariate Relevance Vector Machine (MVRVM). The use of these types of learning machines has the advantage of avoidance of model overfitting, high robustness in the presence of unseen data, and uncertainty estimation for the results (error bars).
The models were applied in an irrigation system located in the Lower Sevier River Basin near Delta, Utah.
For the first model, the proposed method allows for estimation of future crop water demand values up to four days in advance. The model uses only daily air temperatures and the MVRVM as mapping algorithm.
The second model minimizes the lumped error occurring in hydraulic simulation models. The RVM is applied as an error modeler, providing estimations of the occurring errors during the simulation runs.
The third model provides estimation of future water releases for an entire agricultural area based on local data and satellite imagery up to two days in advance.
The results obtained indicate the excellent adequacy in terms of accuracy, robustness, and stability, especially in the presence of unseen data. The comparison provided against another data-driven algorithm, of wide use in engineering, the Multilayer Perceptron, further validates the adequacy of use of the RVM and MVRVM for these types of processes.
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Dars, Ghulam Hussain. "Climate Change Impacts on Precipitation Extremes over the Columbia River Basin Based on Downscaled CMIP5 Climate Scenarios." PDXScholar, 2013. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/979.
Full textAbstract:
Hydro-climate extreme analysis helps understanding the process of spatio-temporal variation of extreme events due to climate change, and it is an important aspect in designing hydrological structures, forecasting floods and an effective decision making in the field of water resources design and management. The study evaluates extreme precipitation events over the Columbia River Basin (CRB), the fourth largest basin in the U.S., by simulating four CMIP5 global climate models (GCMs) for the historical period (1970-1999) and future period (2041-2070) under RCP85 GHG scenario.
We estimated the intensity of extreme and average precipitation for both winter (DJF) and summer (JJA) seasons by using the GEV distribution and multi-model ensemble average over the domain of the Columbia River Basin. The four CMIP5 models performed very well at simulating precipitation extremes in the winter season. The CMIP5 climate models showed heterogeneous spatial pattern of summer extreme precipitation over the CRB for the future period. It was noticed that multi-model ensemble mean outperformed compared to the individual performance of climate models for both seasons.
We have found that the multi-model ensemble shows a consistent and significant increase in the extreme precipitation events in the west of the Cascades Range, Coastal Ranges of Oregon and Washington State, the Canadian portion of the basin and over the Rocky Mountains. However, the mean precipitation is projected to decrease in both winter and summer seasons in the future period.
The Columbia River is dominated by the glacial snowmelt, so the increase in the intensity of extreme precipitation and decrease in mean precipitation in the future period, as simulated by four CMIP5 models, is expected to aggravate the earlier snowmelt and contribute to the flooding in the low lying areas especially in the west of the Cascades Range. In addition, the climate change shift could have serious implications on transboundary water issues in between the United States and Canada. Therefore, adaptation strategies should be devised to cope the possible adverse effects of the changing the future climate so that it could have minimal influence on hydrology, agriculture, aquatic species, hydro-power generation, human health and other water related infrastructure.
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Guraydin, Alec D. "Analysis of Bimetallic Adhesion and Interfacial Toughness of Kinetic Metallization Coatings." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2013. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/979.
Full textAbstract:
Due to their ability to confer enhanced surface properties without compromising the properties of the substrate, coatings have become ubiquitous in heavy industrial applications for corrosion, wear, and thermal protection, among others. Kinetic Metallization (KM), a solid-state impact consolidation and coating process, is well-suited for depositing industrial coatings due to its versatility, low substrate heat input, and low cost. The ability of KM coatings to adhere to the substrate is determined by the quality of the interface. The purpose of this study is to develop a model to predict the interfacial quality of KM coatings using known coating and substrate properties. Of the various contributions to adhesion of KM coatings, research suggests that the thermodynamic Work of Adhesion (WAD) is the most fundamental. It is useful to define interfacial quality in terms of the critical strain energy release rate (GC) at which coating delamination occurs. Studies show that GC for a given interface is related to WAD. This study attempts to develop a theoretical model for calculating WAD and understand the relationship between GC and WAD. For a bimetallic interface between two transition metals, WAD can be theoretically calculated using known electronic and physical properties of each metal: the molar volume, V, the surface energy, γ, and the enthalpy of alloy formation, ΔHinterface; ΔHinterface is a function of the molar volume, V, the work function, φ, and the electron density at the boundary of the Wigner-Seitz cell, nWS.WAD for Ni-Cu and Ni-Ti interfaces were 3.51 J/m2 and 4.55 J/m2, respectively. A modified Four-point bend testing technique was used to experimentally measure GC for Ni-Cu and Ni-Ti specimens produced by KM. These tests yielded mean GC values of 50.92 J/m2 and 132.68 J/m2 for Ni-Cu and Ni-Ti specimens, respectively. Plastic deformation and surface roughness are likely the main reasons for the large discrepancy between GC and WAD. At the 95% confidence level, the mean GC of the Ni-Ti interface is significantly higher than that of the Ni-Cu interface. Further testing is recommended to better understand the relationship between WAD and GC.
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Larson, Cynthia J. "The Relationship of Provider Cultural Competence and Utilization of Prenatal Care in the Hmong of Minnesota." ScholarWorks, 2011. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/979.
Full textAbstract:
Experts suggest that the cultural competence of healthcare providers is a critical factor impacting healthcare services to the ethnically diverse patient populations in the U.S. and that it may play a role in improving outcomes and reducing health disparities; however, the association between cultural competence and health outcomes remains unclear. This study used a cross-sectional quantitative design grounded by cultural competency constructs and the ethnic origins theory to explore the relationships between provider cultural competence, adequacy of prenatal care, and neonatal health outcomes in Hmong women, a population whose cultural beliefs affect their use of early and adequate prenatal care. Patient perception and provider self-reported cultural competence data were collected from 80 patients and their 19 corresponding providers. No correlation was found between the patient and provider total cultural competency scores, nor were they predictive of adequacy of prenatal care or neonatal outcomes in multiple regression analyses. However, 3 specific constructs related to physicians' ability to communicate and demonstrate culturally competent behaviors predicted adequacy of prenatal care. There was a moderate but negative correlation between patient and provider cultural competence subscores and a significant difference in 6 of 13 survey questions suggesting discordance between patient and provider perceptions regarding communication during the healthcare encounter. Implications for positive social change include new prenatal care delivery models that incorporate Hmong health beliefs that may increase the number of Hmong women who receive adequate prenatal care, thus potentially improving birth outcomes. This can lead to reduced health disparities experienced by the Hmong.
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Krempl, Sandra Anne. "Spirituality and environmental sustainability: Developing community engagement concepts in Perth, Western Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/979.
Full textAbstract:
This research trials three concepts: The Connectivity Matrix; Five Dimensions; and Combined View. These engage communities of diverse backgrounds in conversation about their corporeal and metaphysical relationship with nature and spirituality: to ascertain the link between these phenomena in decision-making; and to analyse the influence of these experiences on the biophysical world. The findings identify three spiritual modalities and their impacts on the dichotomy of self-interest and selflessness, which in turn affect environmental sustainability.