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MSc (Med), Child Health Neurodevelopment, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Background The early identification of developmental disorders facilitates early intervention, improving childhood outcomes. Parent-administered questionnaires have been recommended for this purpose. The PEDS COMBINED, which includes the Parents Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and PEDS Developmental Milestones (PEDS:DM), and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) are parent-administered questionnaires with good psychometric properties. It has not been determined if they identify the same infants at-risk for developmental delays however. It is also not know how South African paediatricians monitor childhood development. Objective To compare the ASQ, PEDS COMBINED and South African paediatricians’ subjective assessment (PSA) of neonatal intensive care graduates at 6-months corrected age. To identify trends in developmental screening practices, including the knowledge and use of parentadministered screening tools, in a diverse group of paediatricans working in Gauteng, South Africa. Methods Developmental screening and referral practices of paediatricians were ascertained by analysis of a short questionnaire sent to participating paediatricians. Concordance between the questionnaires and PSA was determined using the kappa coefficient (κ) and Test of Symmetry (κ ≤ 0.4 indicating poor agreement; κ ≥ 0.75 indicating excellent agreement). Results Concordance between the ASQ and PEDS COMBINED was 90.7% (κ = 0.82, ρ = 0.05). The PSA showed poor concordance with both PEDS COMBINED and ASQ (κ = 0.28, ρ = 0.03 and κ= 0.26, ρ = 0.01 respectively). The ASQ and PEDS COMBINED identified 40% and 42% of the cohort with developmental concerns and the PSA identified 6%. Only 13% of paediatricians used specific guidelines for developmental assessment and none used, or could name any parent-administered questionnaire. Conclusion There is excellent agreement between the ASQ and PEDS COMBINED in identifying the same children with developmental concerns. Paediatricians identified significantly fewer infants and showed statistically significant poor agreement with both questionnaires. Most paediatricians in Gauteng, South Africa are not using standardized screening tools to detect developmental delay and have poor knowledge regarding these tools.

This dissertation studies two important models in the field of the distributed generation technologies to provide resiliency to the electric power distribution system. In the first part of the dissertation, we study the impact of assessing a Combined Cooling Heating Power system (CCHP) on the optimization and management of an on-site energy system under stochastic settings. These mathematical models propose a scalable stochastic decision model for large-scale microgrid operation formulated as a two-stage stochastic linear programming model. The model is solved enhanced algorithm strategies for Benders decomposition are introduced to find an optimal solution for larger instances efficiently. Some observations are made with different capacities of the power grid, dynamic pricing mechanisms with various levels of uncertainty, and sizes of power generation units. In the second part of the dissertation, we study a mathematical model that designs a Microgrid (MG) that integrates conventional fuel based generating (FBG) units, renewable sources of energy, distributed energy storage (DES) units, and electricity demand response. Curtailment of renewable resources generation during the MG operation affects the long-term revenues expected and increases the greenhouses emission. Considering the variability of renewable resources, researchers should pay more attention to scalable stochastic models for MG for multiple nodes. This study bridges the research gap by developing a scalable chance-constrained two-stage stochastic program to ensure that a significant portion of the renewable resource power output at each operating hour will be utilized. Finally, some managerial insights are drawn into the operation performance of the Combined Cooling Heating Power and a Microgrid.

The objective of this study is to determine a predicted energy capacity of disaster debris for the production of emergency power using a combined heat and power (CHP) unit. A prediction simulation using geographic information systems (GIS) will use data from past storms to calculate an estimated amount of debris along with an estimated energy potential of said debris. Rather than the expense and burden of transporting woody debris such as downed trees and wood framing materials offsite, they can be processed (sorting and chipping) to provide an onsite energy source to provide power to emergency management facilities such as shelters in schools and hospitals. A CHP unit can simultaneously produce heat, cooling effects and electrical power using various biomass sources.This study surveys the quantity and composition of debris produced for a given classification of disaster and location. A comparison of power efficiency estimates for various disasters is conducted.

Due to the combined effect of intense rainfall events together with the expected impact of climate change, this will put pressure on the existing and future infrastructure for storm water management. One of the challenges related to this is the combined sewer system which is still operating in large areas of many cities worldwide. In Stockholm, combined sewer represents around 50% of the total sewer pipe length. In a Combined sewer system, once the conveyed discharge exceeds the system capacity, the system overflows, which can result in a diverse range of health and environmental problems. The cause of overflow has been strongly linked to runoff from intense rainfall events. Therefore, a key proposal to overcome this problem is to disconnect runoff from hard surfaces. This research aims to investigate the impact of applying a rainwater harvesting (RWH) and reuse system to collect runoff water from roof surfaces in areas with combined sewer system. A simulation water balance model for a rooftop RWH system was developed and two reuse purposes were considered, which entails toilet flushing and garden irrigation within the property. The study area consists of one building block within Kungsholmen area in Stockholm. The obtained results indicate that applying such systems can reduce runoff to the sewer system. Toilet flushing reuse shows a higher reduction impact on sewer flow than the use for irrigation. Toilet flushing reuse reduces annual runoff volumes to sewer in a range of 49.5% - 93.4% while irrigation provided reduction in a range of 11.6% - 26.3%. Regarding number of times that overflow from the combined sewer system occurs, toilet flushing reuse demonstrated reduction of 40% - 100% while 20% to 60% was reduced by irrigation reuse. For overflow volume, a reduction rate of 11% to 100% was reached through toilet flushing in contrast to 9% to 43% reduction from irrigation reuse. 19% to 37% of toilet flushing water demand was covered by the tank, while arange of 48% to 100% was covered for irrigation demand. All these parameters were found to be sensitive to change in tank size where increasing the size result in higher flow reduction rates. When considering implementing a reuse system, it is important to consider the applicability of RWH and reuse within the specific property. In areas that are under development, either of the two reuses can be considered depending on local conditions. However, in already built up area it is difficult to introduce a system that requires significant adjustment to existing pipe networks, such as reuse systems for toilet flushing. Systems for outdoor irrigation are possible to implement in most situations. When it comes to tank size, the optimal size will depend on the intended reuse, the catchment area and the objective of the system. For example, if the main objective is to reduce potable water consumption, a smaller tank can be used compared to where the main objective is to reduce sewer overflow. Hence, when considering implementing a rainwater reuse systems, each project will need to consider the local conditions as well as the individual objectives when determining the optimal reuse purpose and tank size. A cost-benefit analysis should also be considered when determining the optimal tank size for the intended use.

The main questions concerning energy technologies today are their economical and environmental impacts. These entities are (at the present) assessed on the basis that operations proceed as newly installed/designed systems, during an assumed working life period. While this is the common way of perceiving energy systems, performance-over-time will change as an effect of (e.g. material) degradation and not solely of different operation scenarios. How and to what extent, is the question that needs assessing in order to evaluate if these changes will jeopardise the intended system performance requirement. In turn, this pro-active assessment and analysis is in line with today’s performance based directives, laws, regulations and concepts; of which the working life is an essential part. The main context of the thesis, is a contribution to the Research and Development (R&D) topic on life performance of energy technologies, with papers on a literature review and case study on two system parts: solar collector and ground heat exchanger (borehole); within the energy technology area of combined solar energy technologies/systems utilised in buildings. The thesis specifically presents a general description of requirements on constructed works and their material, components and systems. It also gives an insight to the energy technology R&D and engineering sector, regarding durability and service life assessment methodologies; and also to the durability of constructed works sector, regarding the needs for assessing material degradation in relation to system performance. The case studies presented in the thesis, show how durability of energy technologies may be sought-after, as well as specific knowledge and useful tools, methodologies and test setups for assessing long-term performance of combined solar energy technologies (in this case a solar-assisted heat pump system utilising a building integrated Unglazed Solar Collector and energy storage). The utilisation of solar collectors and heat pumps (primarily for space and domestic tap water heating) has rapidly increased in Sweden during the last decades. Sweden has today the largest heat pump market in Europe. During recent years, there has also been an increased interest in heating systems that combine heat pumps with solar collectors (glazed and unglazed) and energy storages; with the aim of attaining a system that provides higher energy and greater economical performances than individual solar collector or heat pump systems. If these systems are to be successful they must be economically feasible; placing emphasis on the cost, durability and performance of the system. The main issue on life performance of energy technologies is how and to what extent, performance reduction in individual materials and components influences the overall system performance; as the essence of energy system sustainability is system performance. / QC 20101117

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / LHX3 is a transcription factor important in pituitary and nervous system development. Patients with mutations in coding regions of the gene have combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) that causes growth, fertility, and metabolic problems. Promoter and intronic elements of LHX3 important for basal gene expression in vitro have been identified, but the key regulatory elements necessary for in vivo expression were unknown. With these studies, I sought to elucidate how LHX3 gene expression is regulated in vivo. Based on sequence conservation between species in non-coding regions, I identified a 7.9 kilobase (kb) region 3' of the human LHX3 gene as a potential regulatory element. In a beta galactosidase transgenic mouse model, this region directed spatial and temporal expression to the developing pituitary gland and spinal cord in a pattern consistent with endogenous LHX3 expression. Using a systematic series of deletions, I found that the conserved region contains multiple nervous system enhancers and a minimal 180 base pair (bp) enhancer that direct expression to both the pituitary and spinal cord in transgenic mice. Within this minimal enhancer, TAAT/ATTA sequences that are characteristic of homeodomain protein binding sites are required to direct expression. I performed DNA binding experiments and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to reveal that the ISL1 and PITX1 proteins specifically recognize these elements in vitro and in vivo. Based on in vivo mutational analyses, two tandem ISL1 binding sites are required for enhancer activity in the pituitary and spine and a PITX1 binding site is required for spatial patterning of gene expression in the pituitary. Additional experiments demonstrated that these three elements cannot alone direct gene expression, suggesting a combination of factors is required for enhancer activity. This study reveals that the key regulatory elements guiding developmental regulation of the human LHX3 gene lie in this conserved downstream region. Further, this work implicates ISL1 as a new transcriptional regulator of LHX3 and describes a possible mechanism for the regulation of LHX3 by a known upstream factor, PITX1. Identification of important regulatory regions will also enable genetic screening in candidate CPHD patients and will thereby facilitate patient treatment and genetic counseling.

The DigIndy tunnel is an extension of the Indianapolis combined sewer system that stores the combined sewer overflow during heavy rain conditions. The tunnel system has several openings in and around the city of Indianapolis. Gasses emitted from the tunnel may create health concerns and affect the quality of life for nearby residents. Understanding the air circulation patterns provides valuable insight into where gases are likely to emerge from the tunnel and what steps may be taken to mitigate gas emissions in undesirable locations. The objective of the present work is to develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model capable of predicting the air circulation patterns in the DigIndy tunnel under dry weather conditions. In order to inform and validate the CFD model, an experimental campaign was designed and executed to measure weather data and air flow rates within the DigIndy tunnel. Obtaining accurate results requires careful consideration of key physical phenomena to include in the model, geometric simplification strategies, mesh generation strategies, and numerical modeling strategies. Results showed that the seasonal effect, manifest by thermally-driven flow, plays a significant role in the air circulation patterns within the tunnel. Furthermore, results show that tunnel alignment affects the natural air circulation within the tunnel. Large diameter shafts, as the working and retrieval shafts, lead to significant circulation rates in the new tunnel alignments.