Emotions are integrated psychological, physical and cognitive responses that function as an internal automatic process that provides feedback to the individual regarding the success and quality of achieving goals, relations with others and the meaning of life. It is therefore important that emotions are regulated – this refers to the monitoring, evaluation and the modification of emotional reactions (Todd & Lewis, 2008) – so that failures do not negatively impact on a person‟s ability to achieve important goals in life. Young adulthood, between the ages of 20 and 30, can be typified as a developmental phase during which critical decisions with regard to goals in life are made. However, young adults are often not able to effectively regulate the emotional impact of blocked life goals. As a result the risk for poor decision-making and lower psychological well-being increases. The aim of this study is to firstly identify critical factors in emotional regulation of young adults in reaction to blocked life goals. Secondly, the research identifies relations between these critical factors and lastly, the study offers a model on emotional regulation in reaction to goals in life that are blocked. An availability sample of 77 young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 years took part in the study. The study was granted ethical permission by the North-West University and all the participants gave informed consent. Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), a systems approach to qualitative research was used to generate and analyse data (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004). IQA uses interviews with groups and individuals to collect and analyse data in a participatory way. Eight themes are identified, three of which are specifically considered regulation strategies, namely: the supression of emotions, productivity and giving in to primal urges. The other five themes can be considered emotions, namely: loneliness, frustration and disappointment, uncertainty, anger and discouragement. Participants indicated 56 possible cause-and-effect relations between these eight themes. According to a frequency analysis only 24 of these relations, which explains 74.8% of the variance in the group, were used in the development of the model. The model indicates that there are three central processes, namely: a feedback-loop that comprises three negative emotions and suppression as regulation strategy, a destructive path and a productive path. The findings support the literature in terms of the fact that emotions serve as an internal feedback process that provides feedback to the individual about the success and quality of achieving his or her goals, relations with others and the meaning of life. In this case, negative emotions are experienced as a result of goals in life that are blocked. The literature (Kassin et al., 2008) also confirms that suppression is not a successful long term strategy and eventually it only leads to further loneliness, uncertainty, and ultimately frustration and disappointment. For some of the participants alternative behaviours characterised by anger, discouragement and giving in to primal urges like smoking and alcohol abuse follow this. This seems to be an externalisation of negative emotions by participants with lower self-control, and it supports previous literature in this regard (Caprara et al., 2013). On the other hand, it seems that participants with more self-control make constructive plans to reach their goals or set new goals despite the frustration and disappointment that comes with having goals in life blocked. The final conclusion is that the regulation of emotions can be described as a complex process that individuals use to change or control their emotions in order to achieve a desired outcome. In this study it was particularly evident that the suppression of emotions play an important role and further research is needed to determine its short and long term effects. Further research is also needed to determine the factors that differentiate between young adults that apply destructive and productive regulation strategies respectively. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Emotions are integrated psychological, physical and cognitive responses that function as an internal automatic process that provides feedback to the individual regarding the success and quality of achieving goals, relations with others and the meaning of life. It is therefore important that emotions are regulated – this refers to the monitoring, evaluation and the modification of emotional reactions (Todd & Lewis, 2008) – so that failures do not negatively impact on a person‟s ability to achieve important goals in life. Young adulthood, between the ages of 20 and 30, can be typified as a developmental phase during which critical decisions with regard to goals in life are made. However, young adults are often not able to effectively regulate the emotional impact of blocked life goals. As a result the risk for poor decision-making and lower psychological well-being increases. The aim of this study is to firstly identify critical factors in emotional regulation of young adults in reaction to blocked life goals. Secondly, the research identifies relations between these critical factors and lastly, the study offers a model on emotional regulation in reaction to goals in life that are blocked. An availability sample of 77 young adults between the ages of 20 and 30 years took part in the study. The study was granted ethical permission by the North-West University and all the participants gave informed consent. Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA), a systems approach to qualitative research was used to generate and analyse data (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004). IQA uses interviews with groups and individuals to collect and analyse data in a participatory way. Eight themes are identified, three of which are specifically considered regulation strategies, namely: the supression of emotions, productivity and giving in to primal urges. The other five themes can be considered emotions, namely: loneliness, frustration and disappointment, uncertainty, anger and discouragement. Participants indicated 56 possible cause-and-effect relations between these eight themes. According to a frequency analysis only 24 of these relations, which explains 74.8% of the variance in the group, were used in the development of the model. The model indicates that there are three central processes, namely: a feedback-loop that comprises three negative emotions and suppression as regulation strategy, a destructive path and a productive path. The findings support the literature in terms of the fact that emotions serve as an internal feedback process that provides feedback to the individual about the success and quality of achieving his or her goals, relations with others and the meaning of life. In this case, negative emotions are experienced as a result of goals in life that are blocked. The literature (Kassin et al., 2008) also confirms that suppression is not a successful long term strategy and eventually it only leads to further loneliness, uncertainty, and ultimately frustration and disappointment. For some of the participants alternative behaviours characterised by anger, discouragement and giving in to primal urges like smoking and alcohol abuse follow this. This seems to be an externalisation of negative emotions by participants with lower self-control, and it supports previous literature in this regard (Caprara et al., 2013). On the other hand, it seems that participants with more self-control make constructive plans to reach their goals or set new goals despite the frustration and disappointment that comes with having goals in life blocked. The final conclusion is that the regulation of emotions can be described as a complex process that individuals use to change or control their emotions in order to achieve a desired outcome. In this study it was particularly evident that the suppression of emotions play an important role and further research is needed to determine its short and long term effects. Further research is also needed to determine the factors that differentiate between young adults that apply destructive and productive regulation strategies respectively. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

ITC/USA 2008 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Fourth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 27-30, 2008 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / Due to vehicle dynamics in mobile systems, GPS signal reception may be blocked by the body of the vehicle. This paper discusses various studies made on some vehicles such as the Space Shuttle, various aircraft, and analyzes the implementation of dual GPS antenna systems. Constructive and destructive interference characteristics of signal combining are considered. The author suggests an approach which uses a delay line on one of the antennas while analyzing the front end C/N0 needed for L1 GPS reception. An embedded Excel spreadsheet provides a front-end Noise Figure (NF) calculation tool based on user selected parameters.

In recent years, Internet and IP technologies have made inroads into almost every commu- nication market ranging from best-effort services such as email and Web, to soft real-time applications such as VoIP, IPTV, and video. However, providing a transport service over IP that meets the timeliness and availability requirements of soft real-time applications has turned out to be a complex task. Although network solutions such as IntServ, DiffServ, MPLS, and VRRP have been suggested, these solutions many times fail to provide a trans- port service for soft real-time applications end to end. Additionally, they have so far only been modestly deployed. In light of this, this thesis considers transport protocols for soft real-time applications. Part I of the thesis focuses on the design and analysis of transport protocols for soft real- time multimedia applications with lax deadlines such as image-intensive Web applications. Many of these applications do not need a completely reliable transport service, and to this end Part I studies so-called partially reliable transport protocols, i.e., transport protocols that enable applications to explicitly trade reliability for improved timeliness. Specifically, Part I investigates the feasibility of designing retransmission-based, partially reliable transport protocols that are congestion aware and fair to competing traffic. Two transport protocols are presented in Part I, PRTP and PRTP-ECN, which are both extensions to TCP for partial reliability. Simulations and theoretical analysis suggest that these transport protocols could give a substantial improvement in throughput and jitter as compared to TCP. Additionally, the simulations indicate that PRTP-ECN is TCP friendly and fair against competing congestion- aware traffic such as TCP flows. Part I also presents a taxonomy for retransmission-based, partially reliable transport protocols. Part II of the thesis considers the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), which was developed by the IETF to transfer telephony signaling traffic over IP. The main focus of Part II is on evaluating the SCTP failover mechanism. Through extensive experiments, it is suggested that in order to meet the availability requirements of telephony signaling, SCTP has to be configured much more aggressively than is currently recommended by IETF. Fur- thermore, ways to improve the transport service provided by SCTP, especially with regards to the failover mechanism, are suggested. Part II also studies the effects of Head-of-Line Blocking (HoLB) on SCTP transmission delays. HoLB occurs when packets in one flow block packets in another, independent, flow. The study suggests that the short-term effects of HoLB could be substantial, but that the long-term effects are marginal.

The immediate and subsequent effects of different durations of response restriction were evaluated in a multiple schedule design. Response restriction components of 15, 30, and 60 minutes were conducted between 15 minute alone components. Levels of responding subsequent to the termination of response restriction procedures were compared to free operant levels prior to the implementation of response restriction. Responding during response restriction components reduced to near zero levels. Subsequent levels of responding were similar to or exceeded free operant baseline levels. Results are discussed in terms of potential operant mechanisms responsible for levels of responding subsequent to response restriction.

This study examined the effects of response restriction (blocking and protective equipment) on subsequent durations of self-injury with two female participants with developmental disabilities. First, a functional analysis was conducted with each participant to identify potential maintaining variables of the self-injury. Second, access to the response was systematically restricted in a multiple schedule restriction paradigm. A baseline extended alone was conducted without the restriction component in place as a control condition. For one participant the results suggested that response restriction may have increased subsequent durations of responding once the restriction element was removed. For a second participant responding did not appear to be affected by the restriction component.

Malaria is a debilitating and deadly disease that afflicts over 200 million people and kills over 600 thousand each year. Due to quickly evolving drug resistance and lack of an affordable vaccine, novel interventions are needed to fight the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. Targeting Plasmodium inside their mosquito hosts is one approach that could complement other preventative and medicinal interventions by reducing the ability of the mosquitoes to transmit the disease to humans. The research presented here uses paratransgenesis, the genetic modification of symbiotic bacteria within the mosquito midgut, to provide antimalarial protein to the mosquito and to interfere with the life cycle of Plasmodium within the insect host. <br>This research has produced three new antimalarial paratransgenic tools. The first tool is a set of new antimalarial effector proteins that were constructed by converting anti-Plasmodium mouse antibodies into single-chain variable fragment (scFv) versions for expression by bacteria. These antibodies bind to Plasmodium surface proteins and interfere with critical steps in the parasite life cycle. The second tool is a modified bacterial species, Pantoea agglomerans , which was engineered to secrete diverse antimalarial proteins via the hemolysin secretion pathway. Modified P. agglomerans were fed to mosquitoes and were capable of inhibiting the invasion of Plasmodium within the midgut. The third tool is another modified bacterial species, Asaia sp. SF2.1. Native Type II secretion signals were discovered that enable the creation of paratransgenic strains of these bacteria. Modified strains of Asaia sp. SF2.1 were also demonstrated to interfere with the invasion of Plasmodium within the mosquito. <br>These tools have laid the groundwork for the future use of paratransgenic bacteria to combat malaria in the wild. Asaia sp. SF2.1 bacteria, in particular, are capable of spreading throughout mosquito populations, so they provide their own drive mechanism to establish themselves within the mosquito vectors of malaria. While further modifications will be required to make these bacteria ready for field use, the findings of this research provide proof of concept that the bacteria are suitable for eventual use in malaria transmission-blocking interventions. / Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; / Biological Sciences / PhD; / Dissertation;

Abstract In many institutional settings, blocking, response restriction (e.g., restraint, protective equipment), and re-direction procedures are used extensively as intervention for self-injurious behavior (SIB) and other forms of problem behavior. In the current study, a three component, multiple-schedule analysis was used to examine the immediate and subsequent effects of blocking on SIB that persisted in the absence of social reinforcement contingencies. During the first and third components the participant was in the room, alone, with no social consequences for SIB. During the second component (response restriction) the therapist sat in the room with the participant and blocked occurrences of SIB. Results indicated that, although blocking was effective in decreasing SIB while it was being implemented, subsequent effects were idiosyncratic across participants. Evidence of increased levels of SIB following blocking was observed for some participants.

Over the last millennium peatlands have accumulated significant carbon stores. Drainage for agricultural use has been widespread and has altered the functioning of these mires: shifting them towards carbon release. Recently, in recognition of the range of ecosystem services derived from these landscapes peatland restoration projects have been initiated. Carbon storage is often cited amongst the aims of these projects, especially since the inclusion of rewetting wetlands in the Kyoto Protocol. However, little is known about the effects of ditch blocking on CO2 fluxes, particularly in Molinia caerulea dominated peatlands, a species common on degraded peatlands which tolerates a range of water table depths. This thesis aims firstly to quantify CO2 fluxes from a drained Molinia caerulea dominated blanket bog and to improve understanding of the temporal and spatial controls on these fluxes and secondly, to quantify the immediate effects of ditch blocking. Closed chamber measurements of net ecosystem exchange and partitioned below-ground respiration from control-restored paired sites were collected over the growing seasons immediately pre- (2012) and post-restoration (2013/2014). These flux data were coupled with remotely sensed data quantifying vegetation phenology and structure with a fine resolution (daily/cm) over large extents (annual/catchment). Although temporal variation in water table depth was not related to CO2 fluxes, the seasonal average related to vegetation composition suggesting raising water tables may promote a change in vegetation composition within these species-poor ecosystems. The distribution of water table depths, vegetation composition and CO2 fluxes did not vary with proximity to drainage ditches despite their prominence. An empirical model suggests in a drained state these peatlands are CO2 sources, indicating carbon previously accumulated is gradually being lost. Data suggest restoration does not always significantly affect water tables and consequently CO2 fluxes in the short-term. Where shallower water tables were maintained during dry conditions photosynthesis decreased and heterotrophic respiration increased: enhancing carbon release. Research undertaken during atypical weather has been unable to determine if restoration will be able to raise water tables sufficiently to protect the existing peat store and promote the vegetation change required to reinstate CO2 sequestration in the longer-term.

[pt] O presente trabalho teve como objetivo apresentar diretrizes para a execução de experimentos fatoriais com restrições na aleatorização, mostrando a importância em identificar tais restrições, com base na visão de alguns autores e da aplicação de um estudo de caso. Este estudo foi cedido pela Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional - CSN, e exposto através da comparação entre dois modelos, cujas análises refletem as diferenças ao se considerar a restrição na aleatorização do experimento para obter uma resposta otimizada. Conforme identificado na literatura, poucos autores abordam a importância de reinicializar o nível dos fatores em um projeto de experimento industrial. Reinicializar o nível dos fatores, junto à necessidade de aleatorizar a ordem das corridas experimentais, torna válida a hipótese de que as observações obtidas no experimento serão variáveis aleatórias independentemente distribuídas. Quando a aleatorização completa do experimento não é possível de ser atingida, cabe ao experimentalista a decisão de projetar o experimento de tal forma que garanta a correta análise estatística e, conseqüentemente, a validação do modelo. Ao identificar se o experimento apresenta restrições em ser aleatorizado, classificando-o, identificando os fatores fáceis e difíceis de reinicializar, e analisando-se corretamente, evitam-se avaliações equivocadas ou incompletas, como se apresentou neste trabalho. Por fim, a análise, tendo em vista a existência da restrição em executar um experimento completamente aleatorizado e levando em consideração a presença de dois termos de erro no modelo permitiu a identificação das condições experimentais que garantem a minimização da resposta para o estudo de caso. / [en] This work presents some guidance for the execution of factorial experiments with restrictions in the randomization by showing the importance of restrictions identifying. The study is based on some author´s points of view and on a case study application. The original research information comes from Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional - CSN, in fact, the research is presented through two models comparisons. The analysis of these models reveals the differences in taking into account a restriction in the experiment randomization with the aim of getting an optimized response. As shown in the studied literature, just a few authors approach the importance of restarting the factors level in an experimental industrial project. Resetting the factor´s level added to the necessity of randomizing the order of the experimental runs, valid the hypothesis that sustains that the experiment observations will be random variables independently distributed. When the complete randomization of the experiment results in an impossible chore, it is expected that the one who is in charge decides to project the experiment in a way that assures the correct statistic analysis, and consequently, the model´s validation. By identifying if the experiment has restrictions to be randomized, classifying the experiment, identifying which ones are the easiest and hardest factors and doing a correct analyze; it is expected that incomplete or mistaken assessments, like those showed in this research, will be avoided. Finally, the analyses taking into account a restriction in the complete randomized experiment execution and the presence of two error terms in the model, allowed the identification of the experimental conditions that guarantee the case study´s response minimization.