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In the holistic development of the young child, optimal gross motor development has an important influence on optimal physical, perceptual, cognitive, language, affective-social and normative (behavioural) development (Kapp, 1991; Gallahue & Ozmun, 1998), and is therefore considered to be essential in the preschool years. The goal of this dissertation was to present the results of much-needed recent research on gross motor development of a group of children living in an urban area in South Africa, by 1) determining the current levels of gross motor development, 2) assessing the prevalence of and the influence of overweight and obesity on gross motor development, 3) establishing the relationship between overweight and obesity, gross motor development and gender, 4) determining the relationship between quantitative and qualitative assessment results of the one leg balance, and 5) investigating the occurrence of gender differences in gross motor development, in a group of 3-6 year old children living in Potchefstroom. These aims were addressed by structuring the dissertation in eight chapters, Chapter 1 constituting the introduction and statement of the problem, Chapter 2 a review of relevant literature, Chapters 3 to 7 constituting 5 research articles addressing the specific aims of the study, and Chapter 8 including the summary, conclusions and recommendations. For each of the 5 research articles, the participants were 3-6 year old children (N = 514) who lived in Potchefstroom and had been enrolled in the movement development program (MDP) presented by movement developmentalists of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (P.U. for C.H.E.). Descriptive statistics (Chapter 3-7), practical significance based on effect sizes (Chapter 4 and 5), 2 way frequency tables and Pearson Chi-square as well as the Phi for two-way tables (Chapter 6), and t-values, degrees of difference and p-values (Chapter 7) were used. The current levels of gross motor development of preschool children in Potchefstroom (Chapter 3) were determined by testing a total of 462 3-6 year old children (215 males and 247 females) on 8 gross motor tasks, and comparing the results to norms and criteria as found in the literature. The 3, 4 and 5 year olds compared favourably to their counterparts in all the tests except for balance walk and catching, standing long jump in the 4 year olds and throwing in the 5 year old group. The 6 year old group scored lower than the norms and criteria in all the tests except for standing long jump, indicating alarming implications for school readiness. Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 examined the prevalence of and the differences in the quantitative and qualitative execution of four gross motor tasks (standing long jump, hopping, one leg balance and catching) between groups of overweight and obese (0) and nonobese (NO) boys, and girls, respectively. In the male study, 17 0-participants and 49 NO-participants were compared, while 13 0-participants and 54 NO-participants were used in the female study. Differences of practical significance (medium or large effects) in favour of nonobese groups were found in all the quantitative and qualitative tests among the male participants, while similar differences were found in only the quantitative tests for the one leg balance and all the qualitative tests among the female participants. A prevalence of overweight and obesity of 16.35% was found among the boys and 11.81% among the girls. The results indicated that 0-children of the ages 3-6 years generally compare poorly to NO-children in relation to gross motor proficiency. In Chapter 6, the one leg balance ability of 514 subjects was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed using valid norms and criteria found in literature. A positive relationship of statistical significance (p :S 0.05) was established between the quantitative and qualitative scores of the one leg balance in every age group. A relatively large percentage (44.10%) of 3 year olds scored well above the average level for their age in both types of assessment, indicating that the norms and criteria used might not be appropriate for 3 year olds. Relatively large percentages (25.27% - 27.47%) of the 6 year olds scored below the average level for 5 year olds in the qualitative assessment, suggesting developmental balance delays or disorders. These findings indicate that a quantitative and qualitative assessment should be combined to assure a more accurate assessment. The results of Chapter 7, involving 221 male and 243 female participants, showed significant gender differences in hopping and balancing on the right leg in favour of the females in the 3 year old group, and in the standing long jump and throwing for distance in favour of the males in the 5 and 6 year old groups, indicating that separate norms should be used for the different genders when assessing standing long jump and throwing for distance in 5 and 6 year olds. In the light of the findings of these studies, recommendations presented in Chapter 8 for the assessment and structuring of a programme for the optimal development of gross motor skills in preschool children, living in urban areas in South Africa, include that: 1) special attention should be given to the optimal development of gross motor skills of 6 year olds in a structured gross motor development programme, 2) obesity should be addressed even in the preschool years, and activities for the specific skills shown to be related to overweight and obesity (balance skills and catching in boys and girls and standing long jump in boys) should also be specifically emphasized in these children, 3) both a quantitative and a qualitative assessment should be used specifically in the one leg balance assessment and is recommended for other fundamental motor assessments, and 4) separate norms should be used for the assessment of the standing long jump and throwing for distance in 5 and 6 year olds, and more emphasis should be placed on ball skills in girls, and co-ordination skills of boys in the structuring of a movement development programme. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2002

In the holistic development of the young child, optimal gross motor development has an important influence on optimal physical, perceptual, cognitive, language, affective-social and normative (behavioural) development (Kapp, 1991; Gallahue & Ozmun, 1998), and is therefore considered to be essential in the preschool years. The goal of this dissertation was to present the results of much-needed recent research on gross motor development of a group of children living in an urban area in South Africa, by 1) determining the current levels of gross motor development, 2) assessing the prevalence of and the influence of overweight and obesity on gross motor development, 3) establishing the relationship between overweight and obesity, gross motor development and gender, 4) determining the relationship between quantitative and qualitative assessment results of the one leg balance, and 5) investigating the occurrence of gender differences in gross motor development, in a group of 3-6 year old children living in Potchefstroom. These aims were addressed by structuring the dissertation in eight chapters, Chapter 1 constituting the introduction and statement of the problem, Chapter 2 a review of relevant literature, Chapters 3 to 7 constituting 5 research articles addressing the specific aims of the study, and Chapter 8 including the summary, conclusions and recommendations. For each of the 5 research articles, the participants were 3-6 year old children (N = 514) who lived in Potchefstroom and had been enrolled in the movement development program (MDP) presented by movement developmentalists of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (P.U. for C.H.E.). Descriptive statistics (Chapter 3-7), practical significance based on effect sizes (Chapter 4 and 5), 2 way frequency tables and Pearson Chi-square as well as the Phi for two-way tables (Chapter 6), and t-values, degrees of difference and p-values (Chapter 7) were used. The current levels of gross motor development of preschool children in Potchefstroom (Chapter 3) were determined by testing a total of 462 3-6 year old children (215 males and 247 females) on 8 gross motor tasks, and comparing the results to norms and criteria as found in the literature. The 3, 4 and 5 year olds compared favourably to their counterparts in all the tests except for balance walk and catching, standing long jump in the 4 year olds and throwing in the 5 year old group. The 6 year old group scored lower than the norms and criteria in all the tests except for standing long jump, indicating alarming implications for school readiness. Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 examined the prevalence of and the differences in the quantitative and qualitative execution of four gross motor tasks (standing long jump, hopping, one leg balance and catching) between groups of overweight and obese (0) and nonobese (NO) boys, and girls, respectively. In the male study, 17 0-participants and 49 NO-participants were compared, while 13 0-participants and 54 NO-participants were used in the female study. Differences of practical significance (medium or large effects) in favour of nonobese groups were found in all the quantitative and qualitative tests among the male participants, while similar differences were found in only the quantitative tests for the one leg balance and all the qualitative tests among the female participants. A prevalence of overweight and obesity of 16.35% was found among the boys and 11.81% among the girls. The results indicated that 0-children of the ages 3-6 years generally compare poorly to NO-children in relation to gross motor proficiency. In Chapter 6, the one leg balance ability of 514 subjects was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed using valid norms and criteria found in literature. A positive relationship of statistical significance (p :S 0.05) was established between the quantitative and qualitative scores of the one leg balance in every age group. A relatively large percentage (44.10%) of 3 year olds scored well above the average level for their age in both types of assessment, indicating that the norms and criteria used might not be appropriate for 3 year olds. Relatively large percentages (25.27% - 27.47%) of the 6 year olds scored below the average level for 5 year olds in the qualitative assessment, suggesting developmental balance delays or disorders. These findings indicate that a quantitative and qualitative assessment should be combined to assure a more accurate assessment. The results of Chapter 7, involving 221 male and 243 female participants, showed significant gender differences in hopping and balancing on the right leg in favour of the females in the 3 year old group, and in the standing long jump and throwing for distance in favour of the males in the 5 and 6 year old groups, indicating that separate norms should be used for the different genders when assessing standing long jump and throwing for distance in 5 and 6 year olds. In the light of the findings of these studies, recommendations presented in Chapter 8 for the assessment and structuring of a programme for the optimal development of gross motor skills in preschool children, living in urban areas in South Africa, include that: 1) special attention should be given to the optimal development of gross motor skills of 6 year olds in a structured gross motor development programme, 2) obesity should be addressed even in the preschool years, and activities for the specific skills shown to be related to overweight and obesity (balance skills and catching in boys and girls and standing long jump in boys) should also be specifically emphasized in these children, 3) both a quantitative and a qualitative assessment should be used specifically in the one leg balance assessment and is recommended for other fundamental motor assessments, and 4) separate norms should be used for the assessment of the standing long jump and throwing for distance in 5 and 6 year olds, and more emphasis should be placed on ball skills in girls, and co-ordination skills of boys in the structuring of a movement development programme. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Human Movement Science))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2002

Evaluation is a process of investigating a project's implementation and results methodically and objectively. The evaluation problems in industry are extremely complicated and call for the examination of numerous qualitative and quantitative variables. Evaluators from different disciplines examine these variables. In order for the evaluators to collaborate during a broad evaluation process, there is a requirement for a collaborative evaluation methodology. In this research, a methodology for evaluation of any general application was implemented which is initially developed as part of a research effort supported by the Office of Naval Research. This technique is based on identifying the indicators to be applied in the evaluation of complex projects. In order to decrease complexity, these indicators are organized hierarchically which is modeled after the Analytic Hierarchy Process method. While at the top layer of this hierarchy is the subject we want to evaluate, towards the lower layers it is divided into more and more simple indicators. Therefore, the evaluators are responsible for assessing the project in terms of only the most simplified indicators. As a result, a precise evaluation which is not subject to human bias is accomplished. We have created a web-based application called Evaluator which allows the users to execute this methodology step by step. It simplifies the process by providing a user-friendly and easily accessible cloud-based platform in accordance with today's user experience principles. Although we have used this method and the software to evaluate projects, it is a tool that provides general usage for the assessment of a broad range of systems from various contexts. / Master of Science / Evaluation of a project is a process of systematic and objective assessment using a certain methodology. The evaluation problems we encounter in industry are quite complicated. This is due to the fact that a project must be evaluated in light of the numerous indicators it contains. Therefore, the project being assessed must be divided into these indicators as the first stage in the evaluation process. This layered form of the problem creates a hierarchical structure. Because the people who take part in evaluation are only capable of handling problems up to a certain level of complexity due to human nature. Therefore, it is essential to simplify problems to the point that those evaluating them can come to informed determinations. The strategy employed in this study makes it feasible to assess the primary subject of the evaluation effectively by limiting the evaluators to assessing only the most simplified indicators at the bottom of this hierarchy. This is the only task that the people in the evaluation process are responsible for. As a result, an accurate assessment not subject to human bias of error is achieved. We have created a web-based application called Evaluator which allows users to carry out this method's procedures. The user-friendly user interface of Evaluator makes it straightforward for people to take part in this complex process. Though we have used this approach and the software to assess projects, it is a flexible software which can be applied broadly for the assessment of a wide variety of systems from different contexts.

[pt] Os constructos responsáveis pela fundamentação teórica da neuropsicologia foram, em grande parte, constituídos a partir da convergência de várias ciências. Sendo assim, para que se possa compreender a neuropsicologia, é necessário ter em mente um percurso histórico desde os estudos iniciais da história da mente e do cérebro. A avaliação neuropsicológica ocupa um lugar central na neuropsicologia, uma vez que auxilia no exame de determinadas manifestações do indivíduo para a investigação do funcionamento cognitivo e mental. A avaliação neuropsicológica deve abranger a análise quantitativa e a análise qualitativa. Os resultados quantitativos dos testes neuropsicológicos refletem a maturidade conceitual e o nível cognitivo dos pacientes, porém é importante ressaltar que muitas variáveis externas aos testes podem interferir nesse desempenho. Assim, os escores dos testes, isoladamente, fornecem pouca informação acerca do funcionamento do paciente, sendo muitas vezes importante verificar como ele soluciona um problema e o porquê de não conseguir executar determinadas tarefas. Com o objetivo de averiguar a importância da avaliação qualitativa na prática dos psicólogos que realizam a avaliação neuropsicológica, foi realizada uma entrevistada semiestruturada com 11 profissionais. A entrevista semiestruturada, neste caso, visou o entendimento amplo do processo de avaliação neuropsicológica na prática de cada profissional. Os resultados foram organizados em princípios de classificação, dando origem, por sua vez, a conjuntos de categorias que, ao serem analisados, permitiram concluir que a importância dada pelos neuropsicólogos à avaliação qualitativa ainda está muito aquém da avaliação quantitativa. / [en] Constructs responsible for the theoretical basis of neuropsychology were largely formed from the convergence of various sciences. Thereafter, so that we can understand the neuropsychology, it is necessary to bear in mind a historical journey since the initial studies of the mind and brain history. Neuropsychological assessment plays a central role in neuropsychology, as it assists in the examination of certain manifestations of individual for investigation of cognitive and mental functioning. Neuropsychological assessment should cover quantitative and qualitative analysis. The quantitative results of the neuropsychological tests reflect the conceptual maturity and cognitive level of patients, however it is important to stress that many external tests variables may interfere with this performance. Thus, scores from tests, separately, provide little information about the patient s functioning; being often important to check how he or she solves a problem and why can not perform certain tasks. In order to investigate the importance of qualitative assessment in the practice of psychologists who carry out the neuropsychological assessment, a semi-structured interview was performed with 11 professionals. The semi-structured interview, in this case, aimed at comprehensive understanding of the neuropsychological assessment process in regard to the practice of each professional. Results were organized in classification principles, leading afterwards to sets of categories that, since analyzed, allowed to conclude that the importance given by neuropsychologists to the qualitative assessment is still far short of quantitative one.

This document reviews qualitative assessments used to explore the impact on art therapy interventions with patients in cancer treatment. The study explored the use of qualitative assessment in evaluating patient perspective on receiving art therapy adjunctly with cancer treatment. In addition, the research aimed to determine if art therapy interventions are perceived as effective in helping cancer patients reduce stress, cope, improve quality of life, express emotions, and reduce cancer-related symptoms during and after cancer treatment through qualitative assessment. Approximately 300 cancer patient experiences were reviewed through surveying qualitative studies that explored the effects of art making in cancer treatment through qualitative assessment such as interviews, questionnaires, observations, and open-ended questions. This archival research used a thematic approach to identify emergent themes in format, administration techniques, and impact in qualitative assessments to learn about the patient art therapy experience. The emergent themes were discovered while surveying information regarding types of formats and administration procedures used in qualitative cancer research. These findings suggest that qualitative assessments used in art therapy programs are a useful tool to determine how art interventions may help address patient's psychosocial needs, provide coping skills, and relieve cancer–related symptoms.

Magistro darbo tikslas - siekiant didesnio organizacijos efektyvumo nustatyti Bendrojo vertinimo modelio (BVM) taikymo VšĮ ,,Šiaulių donoras“ galimybes. Tikslui realizuoti pasirinkti tyrimo metodai: su darbo tema susijusių Lietuvos Respublikos įstatymų, kitų teisės aktų, reglamentuojančių viešajį administravimą, nevyriausybines organizacijas, neatlygintiną donorystę bei Lietuvos mokslininkų publikacijų analizė, išorinės aplinkos analizė (PEST), interviu. Teorinėje dalyje analizuojami kokybės vadybos metodų taikymo ypatumai viešajame sektoriuje nevyriausybinių organizacijų aspektu. Magistro darbe nagrinėjami BVM diegimo viešojo administravimo institucijose pagrindiniai ypatumai, atskleidžiami BVM įgyvendinimo probleminiai aspektai. Tyrimo rezultatuose analizuojama išorinės aplinkos veiksnių įtaka bei BVM diegimo galimybės VšĮ „Šiaulių donoras“ įstaigos veikloje. Tyrimas atskleidė pagrindines galimybes ir grėsmes kylančias iš aplinkos bei VšĮ „Šiaulių donoras“ įstaigos kokybės lygį, vadybos kokybės žinias ir kompetencijas, vizijas bei perspektyvas siekiant efektyvesnės įstaigos paslaugų kokybės ir geresnių veiklos rezultatų rodiklių. / Master's thesis purpose - to indentify opportunities for greater organizational efficiency and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to VšĮ ,,Šiaulių donoras“ options. To realize the purpose investigation methods were selected: relevant to job laws oft he Republic of Lithuania, the laws governing public administration, non-governmental organizations, unpaid blood donations and the Lithuanian scientific publication sanalysis, external environmental analysis (PEST) and interview. In theoretical chapter features of quality management applications to aspects of non-governmental organizations in public sector are analyzed. In Master's thesis features of CAF integrating into public administration institutions are written, problemic aspects of realizing CAF are mentioned. In investigation rezults an influence of external enviroment and CAF opportunities in VšĮ „Šiaulių donoras“ actyvity are analyzed. The study explains main opportunities and threats which goes from outside and quality level of VšĮ „Šiaulių donoras“ , also quality management skills and competencies, visions and perspectives for more efficient institution service quality and better rates of activity rezults.

The Own Risk and Solvency Assessment, ORSA, is referred to as the heart of the regulation to be for European insurance companies - Solvency II. The aim of the ORSA process is to provide an overall and holistic view of the insurer’s risks by analyzing their current financial status and business strategy at hand. There is no predefined way to implement this process, which means that the companies are forced to develop a model themselves, as they see fit. In collaboration with a regional insurance company in Sweden we develop a structure and framework for an ORSA-model, flexible enough to be used by similar insurers yet standardized enough to overcome the issue of constrained resources within these smaller organizations. We apply a risk-factor based approach and tie together a balance sheet projection and stress testing, designed to be further developed as the individual insurer see fit. The suggested approach yields partially satisfying results and we consider the model to be particularly well-suited for assessing risk in the context of the small, non-life insurer. / Den egna risk- och solvensutvärderingen, ORSA, kallas hjärtat av det kommande regelverket för europeiska försäkringsbolag - Solvens II. Syftet med ORSA-processen är att ge en övergripande helhetsbild av försäkringsgivarens risker genom att analysera deras finansiella ställning och affärsstrategi. Det finns inget fördefinierat sätt att genomföra denna process, vilket innebär att företagen tvingas att utveckla en modell på egen hand, på ett sätt som de finner lämpligt. I samarbete med ett regionalt försäkringsbolag i Sverige utvecklar vi en struktur och en grund för en ORSA-modell. En modell som är tillräckligt flexibel för att kunna användas av liknande försäkringsgivare men samtidigt standardiserad nog att lösa problemet med begränsade resurser i dessa mindre organisationer. Vi tillämpar en riskfaktor-baserad metod, prognostiserar resultat- och balansräkning för bolaget och utför stresstester. Metoden är utformad för att utvecklas vidare av den enskilde försäkringsgivaren så som de finner lämpligt. Den föreslagna metoden ger delvis tillfredsställande resultat och vi anser att det är en grund väl lämpad att använda som utgångspunkt för att konstruera riskmätningsmetoder för små, skadeförsäkringsbolag.

英國政府認為公共投資計畫案，必須具備公帑節省之價值（value for money），才能採取民間融資創建（private finance initiative）。本文是從制度面探討如何評估公帑節省之價值（VfM）。一旦部會有初步的證據支持PFI是適當的採購模式，部會就應該開始進行三階段的VfM評估。在第一階段，採購當局應該對可能適用PFI的採購計畫進行定性（qualitative assessment）和定量評估（quantitative assessment）。在第二階段專案團隊應該對計畫中的組成專案執行更細部的分析，這個分析結果將成為未來要公告的專案概要樣本（OBC）的一部分。當第二階段的評估結果顯示此時PFI專案具有VfM，第三階段（在OBC刊登於歐盟公告至採購程序結束的這段期間）仍須持續地進行評估VfM，以確保VfM的結果不會變化。 本文結論的後半部闡明了採購當局在做VfM評估時常會遇到的實務問題，並根據專家、學者的看法以及實際評估報告的結果提出建議，以供未來政府部門在進行VfM評估時之參考。

L'ingénierie des systèmes ou Génie Logiciel est une approche interdisciplinaire, dont le but est de formaliser la conception et le développement des systèmes. Cette approche commence par la définition des besoins, puis se poursuit avec la conception, l'implémentation et la validation du système. Historiquement, les systèmes ont été isolés et souvent basés sur des technologies propriétaires. De nos jours les systèmes informatiques s'interconnectent, s'ouvrent vers Internet, et s'appuient de plus en plus sur des technologies standards en favorisant l'inter-opérabilité. A côté d'apports indéniables, ces changements génèrent cependant de nouveaux risques de malveillance informatique. Pour y faire face, la sécurité informatique s'est fortement développée en permettant de mettre en place des contre-mesures plus ou moins fiables. Cette thèse se situe à la croisée de l'ingénierie des systèmes et de la sécurité. Elle vise à proposer une approche qui intègre ces deux domaines de manière collaborative et complémentaire. Même si ces deux domaines sont très liés l'un à l'autre, il existe relativement peu d'approches qui intègrent les aspects sécurité au processus d'ingénierie logicielle, et encore moins celles qui la considèrent dès la phase d'ingénierie des besoins, et/ou permettent l'évaluation de la politique de sécurité à un haut niveau d'abstraction. Cette thèse apporte une contribution dans ce domaine. Par conséquent, dans cette thèse nous proposons une approche basée sur l'IDM (Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles) et MDA (Model-Driven Architecture) qui intègre l’ingénierie des systèmes et la sécurité en utilisant les modèles. Cette approche permet d’identifier, de concevoir et d’évaluer des aspects de sécurité dans les différentes étapes de l'ingénierie des systèmes afin d'obtenir des systèmes sécurisés. / Software engineering is an interdisciplinary approach aiming to formalize the development of systems. This approach begins with defining system requirements and then continues with defining the design, implementation and validation of systems. Historically, systems were isolated and often based on proprietary technologies. Todays, computer systems are interconnected using Internet and standard technologies by promoting interoperability. In spite of undeniable contributions, these changes engender new risks of computer vulnerabilities/attacks. To cope with these risks, information security has improved to implement more or less reliable counter-measures. This thesis is situated at the intersection/crossroads of the software engineering and the information security. It aims to propose an approach that integrates these two fields in a collaborative and complementary manner. Although both fields are closely related, there are few approaches that integrate security aspects into software engineering process, much less from engineering requirements, which allow the assessment of security policies from a high level of abstraction. Hence, this thesis makes a contribution in this area. Therefore, in this thesis, we propose an approach based on MDE (Model-Driven Engineering) and MDA (Model Driven Architecture) which integrates software engineering and information security using models. This approach allows to identify, to design and to assess security aspects in the stages of the system development in order to obtain secure systems.