AIM AND OBJECTIVES The main aim of this thesis was to explore the possibilities of promoting the cultivation, utilisation and consumption of indigenous and traditional plant foods (ITPF) among urban and rural communities in the North West Province of South Africa that could possibly lead to increased IK and dietary diversity. The objectives were the following: Assess consumption of TLV in the rural and urban communities. Compare nutritional status of consumers and non-consumers of TLV using data obtained from the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE-SA) study. Assess the availability, cultivation and consumption patterns of ITPF. Assess indigenous knowledge (IK) within the rural and urban communities. Assess consumers’ views of ITPF in the rural and urban communities. Assess consumers’ acceptance of, preference for and consumption intent of dishes made from cowpea leaves. To compile recipes for the most important ITPF commonly consumed in the study areas in order to promote the cultivation and consumption of ITPF (see Addendum D). STUDY DESIGN Health profile study: For the health profile study, a comparative study was conducted on the baseline data of the population that participated in the PURE-SA study (1004 urban and 1006 rural participants) which follows the health transition in urban and rural subjects over a 12 year period. The baseline data for the North West Province of South Africa were collected from October to December 2005. Utilisation of ITPF study: The study on the utilisation of ITPF used a sequential explanatory study design which involved the collection of quantitative and qualitative data and analyses. The consumer acceptance study consisted of an explorative and experimental phase. Participants were male and female, aged older than 20, residing in the selected communities and knowledgeable on the indigenous and traditional foods of the area. METHODS A variety of quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used. Data were generated through questionnaires, focus groups and individual - and group interviews. Health profile study: Demographic characteristics and frequency of consumption of TLV data were collected by the researcher from 396 randomly selected subjects from participating subjects in the PURE-SA study. An extensive nutritional profile of these subjects was compiled including blood samples, blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and total dietary intake by means of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Utilisation of ITPF study: A comparative study was conducted in rural and urban populations of the North West Province. Data were collected by the researcher using a questionnaire (n=396 households), key informant interviews (n=4), and four focus groups. Consumer study: Four focus groups were conducted by the researcher, two in rural and two in urban communities, to investigate consumers’ views about ITPF. Eighty-seven participants were recruited based on a specific purpose rather than randomly. Consumers’ acceptance of, preference for and intended consumption of products made with cowpea leaves were assessed. A 5-point hedonic scale and a 7-point food action rating scale were used for sensory evaluation. RESULTS Health profile study: As expected, rural inhabitants were more likely to consume TLV. However, no household reported to consume TLV more than ten times a month. Factors such as price (affordability) and availability and easy-to-get-to points of purchase were found to be major constraints in the consumption of TLV, especially in urban communities. Urban respondents had significantly higher macronutrient intakes than rural subjects. There was no significant difference between the selected micronutrient intakes between consumers and non-consumers of TLV. Non-consumers of TLV had higher blood lipid levels than consumers from both the rural and urban areas. In the urban subjects the relative risk to develop high blood pressure was higher in non-consumers of TLV than in the consumers. However, the risk ratios of raised serum cholesterol and triglycerides were not significantly different. Utilisation of ITPF study: More plant foods were available and consumed in the rural area than the urban area. However, fewer species were available than expected due to insufficient rainfall, poor soil quality, deforestation and over harvesting. Consumption of indigenous foods was influenced by price, culture, seasonality/availability, accessibility and diversity in markets. A lack of markets for indigenous crops, insufficient rainfall and diseases and pests were cited as the major cultivation problems, followed by a lack of capital to buy farming implements, veld fires and poor soil quality. Consumer study: Based on the qualitative focus group discussions, factors that influence the consumption of ITPF were identified. These factors included benefits and barriers of ITPF consumption. Ways to increase ITFP consumption were also identified. Health and nutrition; tradition and culture; and food safety emerged as drivers for ITPF consumption. A lack of knowledge and skills of food preparation and negative images and unfamiliarity of ITPF acted as barriers. Differences in views existed between older and younger consumers. In general younger consumers found ITF rather revolting and undesirable, humiliating to consume. Sensory evaluation of food samples for the pooled data of the total study population showed that significant differences existed between the acceptability of all attributes, overall acceptance and consumption intent. Socio-demographic backgrounds such as place of residence (urban or rural), levels of education and age were shown to influence the acceptability of food samples and consumption intent. There was no positive association between acceptability of food and gender. CONCLUSIONS Health profile study: This study showed the possibility of beneficial effects of rural diets, however, the lack of knowledge concerning the bioavailability of nutrients from TLV and lack of information on food consumption database, of these vegetables constitute main barriers to obtaining information on nutrient intake. The low frequency of consumption of TLV is of concern. Taking into consideration safe agricultural practices, the promotion of TLV might be a solution towards healthier diets and combating poverty. More research is needed to investigate the health effects of these vegetables. Utilisation of ITPF study: It is evident that there was a limited number of ITPF species cultivated and consumed. Consumers, especially older people, were found to possess extensive knowledge regarding the availability of ITPF species, their habitat and uses, seasonality and potential health benefits. There is a need to intensify education on conservation of natural resources and more studies should be undertaken to document and disseminate traditional food systems. In addition, there is a need to integrate existing health and nutrition interventions with traditional food promotion. Consumer study: The results highlighted the importance of making use of a mixed method approach which made it possible not only to identify factors that influence the consumption of ITPF but also to understand the dynamics thereof from focus group discussions and how they influence acceptability, preference and consumption intent. Important benefits (drivers) of and barriers to ITPF consumption as well as suggestions on how to increase ITPF consumption were identified. Barriers to ITPF consumption and low scores of acceptability provided by younger participants can be connected to misconceptions about ITPF and lack of familiarity with the products. Therefore, a combination of strategies aimed at enhancing individual awareness of the health benefits of ITPF, decreasing barriers and conducting more acceptability studies may have a positive impact on the younger segment of the population. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Consumer Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

The goal of this research is to show that the Scottish reformer, John Knox, while seen by many as a political figure, was religiously motivated in his thought, writings, and ministry. Knox saw himself as an Old Testament style prophet who sought to blow his Master's trumpet by proclaiming an unpopular message to the realms of both Scotland and England. Knox was deeply rooted in the Old Testament theology of the covenant. He believed that following an idolatrous path, most notably in the continuing practice of the Catholic Mass, meant the breaking of the covenant with God, as with the transgression of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. He proposed that an aristocratic resistance by the lesser magistrates would result in deposing the idolatrous rulers and restore the realms of Scotland and England to a genuinely covenanted relationship with God.

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Domain feature models concisely express commonality and variability among variants of a software product line. For separation of concerns, e.g., due to legal restrictions, technical considerations, and business requirements, multi-view approaches restrict the configuration choices on feature models for different stakeholders. However, recent approaches lack a formalization for precise, yet flexible specifications of views that ensure every derivable configuration perspective to obey feature model semantics. Here, we introduce a novel approach for clustering feature models to create multi-perspectives. Such customized perspectives result from composition of multiple concern-relevant views. A structured view model is used to organize feature groups, whereat a feature can be contained in multiple views. We provide formalizations for view composition and guaranteed consistency of the resulting perspectives w.r.t. feature model semantics. Thereupon, an efficient algorithm to verify consistency for entire clusterings is provided. We present an implementation and evaluate our concepts on two case studies.

Bibliography: leaves 29-340 / 340 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, 1988

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Oι εκπαιδευτικοί Ειδικής Αγωγής, η διερεύνηση των αναγκών τους και οι προκλήσεις που αντιμετωπίζουν αποτελούν ίσως ένα από τα πιο πολύπλευρα ερευνητικά ερωτήματα. Είναι γεγονός πως στην Ελλάδα δεν έχουν αναπτυχθεί ακόμη οι κατάλληλες δομές και συνήθως οι ειδικοί παιδαγωγοί βρίσκονται αντιμέτωποι με σημαντικά ζητήματα που καλούνται μόνοι τους να επιλύσουν χωρίς συνεχή συστηματική καθοδήγηση και υποστήριξη. Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας, η οποία αποτελεί μία εμπειρική προσπάθεια, είναι να διερευνηθούν τα προβλήματα που αντιμετωπίζουν οι Ειδικοί παιδαγωγοί, απαντώντας σε μία σειρά ερωτήσεων αναπτυγμένων σε θεματικούς άξονες που σχετίζονται με την ψυχολογική και ηθική τους υποστήριξη από τους αρμόδιους φορείς και την κοινωνία. Συγκεκριμένα, ιδιαίτερη έμφαση θα δοθεί στα προβλήματα που αντιμετωπίζουν στις τάξεις τους από την έλλειψη υλικοτεχνικής υποδομής, αναλυτικών προγραμμάτων και εποπτικών μέσων, στις απόψεις τους σχετικά με την ένταξη, στο επίπεδο συνεργασίας με τους συναδέλφους και τους γονείς των μαθητών τους, στην ανάγκη τους για επιμόρφωση και περαιτέρω εξειδίκευση, στο βαθμό της ικανοποίησής τους από την άσκηση του επαγγέλματός τους και στα συναισθήματα που βιώνουν κατά τη διάρκεια του εκπαιδευτικού τους έργου. Στην παρούσα εργασία αναδεικνύεται ο πολλαπλός ρόλος που καλείται να διαδραματίσει ο εκπαιδευτικός Ειδικής Αγωγής, καθώς επιφορτίζεται με όλο και αυξανόμενα καθήκοντα και υποχρεώσεις, αρμοδιότητες και ευθύνες λόγω των ιδιαίτερων αναγκών των μαθητών. Υπάρχει η κατάλληλη ευαισθητοποίηση και μέριμνα για την προάσπιση των δικαιωμάτων των μαθητών με Ειδικές Εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες, αλλά και των Εκπαιδευτικών τους, οι οποίοι είναι οι αρωγοί της γνωστικής, συναισθηματικής ανάπτυξης και κοινωνικής αλληλεπίδρασής τους από το μέρος της Πολιτείας με τη δημιουργία του κατάλληλου μαθησιακού περιβάλλοντος; Στις περισσότερες έρευνες ο εκπαιδευτικός εξετάζεται βάσει των πρακτικών που αναπτύσσει μέσα στην τάξη του, θεωρώντας όμως πως πρέπει να αντιμετωπίζεται ως μία αυτοτελής προσωπικότητα θα ήταν θεμιτό αν μπορούσαν να εξεταστούν όλοι οι παράγοντες, ψυχολογικοί ή κοινωνικοί που επηρεάζουν το έργο του και επιδρούν στην αποκρυστάλλωση των απόψεών του ιδωμένοι μέσα από την πορεία και εξέλιξη της Ειδικής Αγωγής στην Ελλάδα. Αναφορικά με το ερευνητικό κομμάτι, εξετάστηκαν οι απόψεις 12 Ειδικών Παιδαγωγών εργαζόμενων σε σχολεία Ειδικής Αγωγής ή σε τμήματα ένταξης επάνω σε οκτώ θεματικούς άξονες μέσω ημι-δομημένων συνεντεύξεων. Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον δόθηκε στα συναισθήματα που βιώνουν ως εκπαιδευτικοί ατόμων με Ειδικές Εκπαιδευτικές Ανάγκες, τα οποία επιδρούν στη διδασκαλία τους. Επιπλέον, ιδιαίτερη έμφαση δόθηκε στο επίπεδο κατάρτισης και εξειδίκευσής τους, στις απόψεις τους για την ένταξη στα κοινά σχολεία και τους ανασταλτικούς παράγοντες που αποτελούν τροχοπέδη στην άσκηση του διδακτικού τους έργου, στα επίπεδα συνεργασίας τους με τους συναδέλφους, τη διεπιστημονική ομάδα και τους γονείς των μαθητών τους και στις προτάσεις τους για την εξυγίανση του χώρου της Ειδικής Αγωγής. Από τα αποτελέσματα που προέκυψαν μετά από το στάδιο της ανάλυσης του περιεχομένου φαίνεται ότι τα σχολεία δε διαθέτουν την κατάλληλη οργανωτική υποδομή για να εκπαιδεύσουν τα παιδιά με Ειδικές Εκπαιδευτικές Ανάγκες. Επιπλέον, αρκετοί από αυτούς, δεν έχουν καταρτιστεί επαρκώς σε ζητήματα Ειδικής Αγωγής, ενώ οι απόψεις τους για τη σπουδαιότητα της ανάπτυξης συνεργατικών δομών στο σχολείο, εμφανίζουν ασυνέπεια ως προς τις πρακτικές που ακολουθούν και αυτό που πραγματικά ισχύει στην καθημερινότητά τους. Οι εκπαιδευτικοί αντιμετωπίζοντας τις δύσκολες εργασιακές καταστάσεις, τα δύσκαμπτα αναλυτικά προγράμματα, την ανυπαρξία υποστήριξης από τους αρμόδιους φορείς, τη μη κατοχύρωση των εργασιακών τους δικαιωμάτων και την έλλειψη ευαισθητοποίησης από την κοινωνία ως προς το εκπαιδευτικό τους έργο, αγωνίζονται και προσπαθούν με τα λιγοστά μέσα που διαθέτουν να αντισταθούν στους χαλεπούς καιρούς και να εκπαιδεύσουν τους μαθητές με Ειδικές Εκπαιδευτικές Ανάγκες. Το ελπιδοφόρο πάντως είναι ότι η νέα γενιά εκπαιδευτικών οραματίζεται, επινοεί, καινοτομεί, αγαπά το επάγγελμά του και με διαρκή προσπάθεια μάχεται ενάντια σε κάθε δυσμενή κατάσταση. / Special Education Teachers, the investigation of their needs and the challenges they face, are probably one of the most versatile research questions. In Greece appropriate structures have even developed and special educators are often faced with insurmountable issues and they are not provided with any systematic guidance and support. This present study is a pilot effort to explore the problems faced by special educators in response to a series of questions developed in thematic areas related to the psychological and moral support from stakeholders, society, as well as the problems faced in their classrooms due to the lack of logistical, curricula and teaching aids. Furthermore the teachers’ views on integration, the level of cooperation with colleagues and parents, their need for further training and specialization, the degree of satisfaction with the exercise of their profession are also analyzed in this study. In this paper the multiple role to play as special education teacher is highlighted as they are charged with growing responsibilities and duties, due to the specialised needs of students. It will also determine the degree of development and the steps that have taken place in Special Education on behalf of the State. It will also be examined if proper awareness and care has been developed to protect the rights not only of the students with special educational needs, but also of their teachers, who are helpers of cognitive, emotional development and social interaction. In most studies the teacher is examined on the basis of the practices developed in the classroom, considering that should be seen as a totality, a self-existent entity. Though, it would be legitimate if they could consider all factors, psychological or social work that affect and influence the crystallization of views seen through the course and development of special education in Greece.

À travers la thèse Vu(es) de dos : la photographie comme espace d'identité et de création, je questionne ma pratique photographique suivant la phénoménologie du regard, tout en faisant face à une obsession, celle de vouloir voir mon propre dos et celui des autres. En partant de mon corps comme source d'expérimentation, j'exprime ce besoin d'exister autrement, à travers cette part qui semble invisible à mon regard. C'est cette quête de reconnaissance qui me pousse à mettre en place des protocoles artistiques afin de me confronter à l'autre de dos. En me déplaçant dans l'espace et en allant à la rencontre de l'inconnu, je commence à créer des espaces de réflexion. Le dos devient alors le sujet photographié et observé, ce point de départ de ma recherche théorique et esthétique, tout comme la base du rapport que j'établis avec le monde de l'art et les autres. En tant qu'interface, la vue de dos semble donner sur un lieu ou une territorialité anthropologique et artistique, qui suggère une autre manière d'être, de voir et de penser le monde. / Through the thesis Back view(s) : photography as identity and creation space, I question my photographic practice through the phenomenology of the gaze, while facing an obsession, the desire to see my own back and the back of the others. Starting from my own body as a source of experimentation, I express the need to exist in a different way through this part of my body that remains invisible to my own gaze. This search for recognition leads me towards developing artistic protocols, to face the other from the back. While I am traveling through space and meeting the unknown, I create different spaces of reflection. The back becomes the subject being photographed and observed, the starting point of my theoretical and aesthetic research, as well as the foundation that I build with the world of art and the others. As an interface, the view of the back seems to provide a look onto an anthropological and artistic place or territoriality, suggesting another way of being, seeing and thinking the world.

L’économie de marché est classiquement basée sur la vente de produits. Pourtant, au cours des dernières décennies, la compétitivité accrue dans une économie mondialisée et la raréfaction des ressources a conduit les entreprises industrielles des pays développés à réorienter leurs offres de produits par l’intégration de services. Le concept de Système Produit-Service (SPS) fait référence à cet ensemble commercialisable de produits et services, capables de répondre ensemble à un besoin utilisateur. Les SPS soulèvent beaucoup d’intérêt pour la réduction des pressions environnementales parce qu’ils font évoluer le paradigme classique de production et consommation de masse vers de nouveaux mécanismes de création de valeur. La recherche sur les SPS accorde beaucoup d’importance à leur « potentiel » pour la réduction des impacts environnementaux ainsi qu’à la nécessité de concevoir les SPS comme des ensembles « intégrés » de produits et services. Néanmoins, un important manque de réel support à la conception et à l’éco-conception de SPS est à noter. Cette thèse cherche à combler ce manque en proposant un cadre conceptuel pour la conception intégrée de SPS. Son rôle est d’assister l’intégration de produits et de services durant la conception de SPS jusqu’aux phases les plus détaillées en permettant la communication entre les ingénieurs produits et les concepteurs de services. Un cadre pour la conception intégrée de SPS est proposé, basé sur une approche système et permettant sa modélisation multi-vues. Un cadre d’évaluation environnemental lui est couplé pour évaluer, au cours de la conception, les impacts environnementaux générés durant le cycle de vie du SPS. L’applicabilité du cadre conceptuel est testée sur un cas industriel de SPS pour la fourniture d’énergie pneumatique. / Classical business economy is based on the sale of products. However, during the last decades, the increasing competition in the globalized economy and the resources rarefaction has led manufacturing companies in developed countries to re-orient their business towards integration of services in their product offers.The Product-Service System (PSS) concept is used to depict the resulting marketable set of products and services capable of jointly fulfilling a user’s need. PSS raise many interests for the reduction of the environmental pressure because they evolve the classical paradigm of mass production and consumption towards new mechanisms of value creation.In the PSS research field, a strong emphasis is put on their “potential” for decreasing the environmental impacts and on the necessity to design PSS as “integrated” sets of products and services. However, there is an important lack of effective support for PSS design and eco-design.This thesis aims at filling this gap by proposing a conceptual framework for PSS integrated eco-design. Its role is to support integration of products and services during PSS design until the most detailed phases by allowing communication between product engineers and service designers.A framework for PSS integrated design is proposed based on a system-based approach and allowing multi-views system modelling. An environmental evaluation framework is coupled to evaluate during design the environmental impacts generated over the PSS life cycle. The applicability of the conceptual framework is tested on an industrial case of a pneumatic energy delivery PSS.