Mothers who have children with a previous Asperger's syndrome diagnosis had to go through a process to maintain or obtain services for their child when the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5) removed the diagnosis. Prior to and since the release of the DSM-5 in 2013, there has been an expression of concern in the literature about how this diagnostic change would affect services for children with a previous Asperger's syndrome diagnosis. Current research has not sufficiently explored the experiences mothers have had with this process. The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of mothers since this diagnostic change. Data were collected and saturation was reached at 6 participants using semistructured interviews. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to interpret the experiences of these mothers which produced 3 main themes related to the process of obtaining a new diagnosis, insurance-funded services, and educationally-funded services. The results included both subthemes and superordinate themes that highlighted the need for more stakeholder education, difficulty navigating systems, the need for advocacy, concerns about new diagnoses and loss of services, and the public's perception and the stigma associated with the Asperger's syndrome diagnosis both before and after this diagnostic change. Study results may assist with improving counselors and other stakeholder's knowledge about the importance of the mothers' experiences when there is a diagnostic change of this nature. Also, counselor educators can instill the importance of diagnostic accuracy and supporting all stakeholders when teaching new counselors.

Le concept de structure clinique se réfère immédiatement à la classification d’une maladie mentale comme névrose, psychose ou perversion, mais aussi au sous-type nosographique la concernant. Actuellement, les développements de ce concept constituent la principale théorie psychopathologique de l’analyse lacanienne. Toutefois, il y a une disparité de jugement sur sa valeur : (1) quelques auteurs soutiennent une continuité naturelle entre cette théorie et la doctrine de Freud et Lacan ; (2) quelques autres proposent une réorganisation de la nosographie psychanalytique incluant des nouvelles pathologies ; (3) quelques autres, finalement, défendent la disparition complète de ces références théoriques dans la clinique.Cette disparité relève d’une lacune dans le savoir : les fondements des structures cliniques, ainsi que ses enjeux, n’ont pas été encore systématisés. L’objetctif général de ce travail fut de les restituer, afin de déterminer la légitimité de cette théorie en tant qu’interprétation de la pensée de Freud et Lacan, ainsi que sa pertinence dans les débats psychopathologiques actuels.Pour éclairer les filiations symboliques qui soutiennent le concept de structure clinique, une méthode généalogique a été employée. Les résultats démontrent que Freud a utilisé une notion de structure héritée de la science du XIX e siècle pour élaborer ses conceptions psychanalytiques. La référence minéralogique, fournie par son ancien professeur G. Tschermak, a notamment imprégné l’usage freudien de la structure en psychopathologie. Bien que les catégories de névrose, psychose et perversion n’arrivent pas chez lui à se constituer comme un triptyque, il y a dans ses textes une tendance à les considérer dans leurs rapports mutuels, en tant que perturbations de la vie sexuelle. Cette tendance a été récupérée par Lacan à partir de 1953, et déclinée sur son concept de structure – entendue alors comme un ensemble covariant de signifiants – et sur les registres du réel, du symbolique et de l’imaginaire. Les avancées de sa production intellectuelle, telles que l’invention de l’objet petit a et l’introduction des nœuds et des tresses en psychanalyse, auront apporté jusqu’à la fin de ses jours un approfondissement du triptyque freudien.La systématisation de la théorie des structures cliniques a proprement commencée en 1981, quand les membres du Champ freudien ont soudé cet ensemble d’éléments psychopathologiques avec le terme, homonyme et préexistant, de structure clinique. L’enjeu majeur de cette soudure a été de supporter la relation dialectique entre la théorie et la pratique analytique. À présent, le programme de recherche des structures cliniques porte sur les psychoses ordinaires et sur la spécificité de l’autisme. La psychopathologie lacanienne ainsi constitué est interrogée depuis nombreux angles : la proposition d’une structure psychosomatique, la promotion des pathologies borderline, la liquidation post-moderne de la structure perverse, la contrainte des nosographies opérationnalisées (CIM, DSM et PDM). Les conclusions de cette recherche qualifient la théorie des structures cliniques comme une interprétation légitime de la pensée de Freud et de Lacan. Elle est d’autant plus pertinente dans le contexte actuel qu’elle est d’une grande utilité pour l’établissement du diagnostic structural, pour la direction de la cure et pour la transmission du cas clinique. En tant que cartographie du malaise subjectif, la structure clinique signale la référence éthique du psychopathologique, et constitue une résistance et une subversion face à la défaillance contemporaine dans l’appréhension du réel clinique. / The concept of Clinical Structure concerns the classification of a mental disease as neurosis, psychosis or perversion, and its corresponding nosographic sub-type as well. Nowadays, the developments of this concept constitute the main psycho-pathological theory brought about by lacanian psychoanalysis. However, there is a disparity of judgment regarding its value: (1) some authors assert the natural continuity between that theory and the doctrine of Freud and Lacan; (2) some others propose a reorganization of psychoanalytic nosography which includes new pathologies; (3) some others finally advocate a complete disappearance of these theoretical references from clinical studies. This disparity takes on a lack of knowledge: the clinical structures’ foundations, and its stakes, have not yet been systematized. The main objective of this work was to restore them, in order to determine the legitimacy of this theory as an interpretation of Freud’s and Lacan’s thinking, and its appropriateness in contemporary psycho-pathological debates.For clarifying the symbolic filiations that support the concept, a genealogical method has been employed. The results demonstrate that Freud has used a notion of structure inherited from 19th century science to elaborate his psychoanalytical conceptions. The mineralogical reference, provided by his ancient Professor G. Tschermak, has notably permeated the freudien use of the structure in psychopathology. Although he did not constitute the categories of neurosis, psychosis and perversion as a triptych, there is in his textes a tendancy to consider them on their mutual connections, as disturbances of sexual life. This tendancy has been recovered by Lacan since 1953, and declined on his concept of structure (then understood as a co-variant set of signifiers) and on the registers of real, symbolic and imaginary. The advances of his intellectual production, like the invention of the Object petit a and the introduction of knots and braids in psychoanalysis, have brought until the end of his days a deepening of the freudien triptych.Systematization of the theory of clinical structures has properly started in 1981, when the members of the Freudien Field have welded this set of psycho-pathological items to the term, namesake and pre-existing, of clinical structure. The major stake of this welding has been to support the dialectical relationship between the psychoanalytic theory and the practice.Nowadays, the in-depth study of clinical structures is focused on the ordinary psychosis and the specificity of autism. The Lacanian psychopathology thus constituted is questioned from many angles: the proposition of a psychosomatic structure, the promotion of borderline pathology, the Postmodern liquidation of the perverse structure, the constraint of operationalized nosographies (ICD, DSM and PDM).In conclusion, this research confirms the theory of clinical structures as a legitimate interpretation of Freud’s and Lacan’s thinking. It is even more relevant in contemporary context that it has an important utility in order to the establishment of structural diagnose, to the direction of the cure and to the transmission of cases. As a cartography of subjective discomfort, the clinical structure points to the ethical reference of the psycho-pathological, and constitutes a resistance and a subversion facing the contemporary failure in the apprehension of clinical real.

This study examines the stressful responses of faculty/staff and students after experiencing the April 16, 2007 school shootings at Virginia Tech. Understanding people's responses to trauma not only assists in more knowledge about what is stressful after a traumatic event but also may facilitate the finessing of tools and strategies for resilience and recovery in the aftermath of trauma. After investigating stressful responses to the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, and in particular those with probable PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), I found it was not always necessary to meet the "stressor" A criterion of PTSD. This is crucial because the "stressor" criterion A of PTSD is required to receive the diagnosis of PTSD. Although I found subtle stress differences for women compared to men, and faculty/staff compared to students, none of the differences were statistically significant. This research additionally contributes to the literature by detailing a profile of stressors for both faculty/staff and students in the aftermath of the worst college campus shooting in U.S. history to date. Findings suggest future research should examine the "stressor" criterion A of PTSD as well as the full spectrum of stressful responses both in the "immediate" and "delayed" aftermath of trauma(s). / Ph. D. / This study looks at responses of stress for faculty/staff and students after being exposed to the April 16, 2007 school shootings at Virginia Tech. Understanding responses to trauma not only provides more knowledge about what is stressful after a traumatic event, it may help us to learn and better fine-tune ways for recovery in the aftermath of trauma. After investigating these stressful responses to the April 16, 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech, and in particular those likely to go on to develop PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), I found that it was not always necessary to meet the “stressor” criterion A of PTSD. This is important because the “stressor” criterion A of PTSD is required to receive the PTSD diagnosis. Although I found some interesting differences in stressors for women compared to men, and faculty/staff compared to students, none of the differences were significant statistically. This work also contributes to research by detailing a profile of stressors for both faculty/staff and students in the aftermath of the worst college campus shooting in U.S. history to date. Findings suggest the need to continue to examine criterion A of PTSD as well as the full range of stressful responses both during, and in the aftermath of, trauma(s).

[pt] Este trabalho é fruto da conjunção de quatro escritos independentes, mas que guardam entre si o mesmo fio contudor, o mesmo leitmotiv: a psicopatologia da vida sexual, em geral, e o diagnóstico de disforia de gênero, em particular. Ele busca perfazer a genealogia da categoria diagnóstica no DSM, analisando os dispositivos de poder que a engendraram e a mantêm no rol dos transtornos psiquiátricos. Discutimos sua função como sustentáculo do tratamento transicionador, bem como os efeitos a longo prazo deste último. Por fim, propomos um prognóstico do diagnóstico baseados nas contingências contemporâneas e precedentes históricos. / [en] This work is the result of the conjunction of four independent writings, which maintain between them the same leitmotiv, the psychopathology of sexual life in general, and the diagnosis of gender dysphoria in particular. It seeks to make the genealogy of the diagnostic category in the DSM, analyzing the power strategies that produced and maintain it in the role of psychiatric disorders. We discuss its function as a supporter for the transitional treatment model, as well as the long-term effects of the latter. Finally, we propose a prognosis of gender dysphoria diagnosis based on contemporary contingencies and historical precedents.

Deep gold mines use a vast amount of water for various purposes. After use, the water is pumped back to the surface. This process is energy intensive. The control is traditionally done with manual interventions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of automated control on mine dewatering pumps. Automating mine dewatering pumps may hold a great number of benefits for the client. The benefits include electricity cost savings through load shifting, as well as preventative maintenance and pump protection procedures. By automating pumps, the client will benefit from operating more cost effectively and realising electricity cost savings. The equipment needed for pump automation and the procedures involved in the process are discussed as part of this study. A DSM project was implemented in the form of a pump automation project. All safety and quality procedures were followed and training was provided where needed to ensure that personnel understand their duties and responsibilities. This ensures the sustainability of the project after completion. The performance of the project was tested in manual mode, manual scheduled control, manual scheduled surface control and auto control. Manual intervention achieved the highest electricity cost saving of R8.25 million (11.4 MW load shift saving). To achieve this saving the system was exhausted to a point where columns and infrastructure started failing. Auto intervention achieved an electricity cost saving of R5.57 million (7.7 MW load shift savings). The auto intervention achieved a lower electricity cost savings compared to the manual intervention. However, taking all factors into account, such as the damage to infrastructure after a period of manual control, the auto intervention proved the best balance for controlling mine dewatering pumps to achieve savings on the cost of electricity and system sustainability for optimal control. Automated systems can avoid system overload and protect the infrastructure from exhaustion. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Deep gold mines use a vast amount of water for various purposes. After use, the water is pumped back to the surface. This process is energy intensive. The control is traditionally done with manual interventions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of automated control on mine dewatering pumps. Automating mine dewatering pumps may hold a great number of benefits for the client. The benefits include electricity cost savings through load shifting, as well as preventative maintenance and pump protection procedures. By automating pumps, the client will benefit from operating more cost effectively and realising electricity cost savings. The equipment needed for pump automation and the procedures involved in the process are discussed as part of this study. A DSM project was implemented in the form of a pump automation project. All safety and quality procedures were followed and training was provided where needed to ensure that personnel understand their duties and responsibilities. This ensures the sustainability of the project after completion. The performance of the project was tested in manual mode, manual scheduled control, manual scheduled surface control and auto control. Manual intervention achieved the highest electricity cost saving of R8.25 million (11.4 MW load shift saving). To achieve this saving the system was exhausted to a point where columns and infrastructure started failing. Auto intervention achieved an electricity cost saving of R5.57 million (7.7 MW load shift savings). The auto intervention achieved a lower electricity cost savings compared to the manual intervention. However, taking all factors into account, such as the damage to infrastructure after a period of manual control, the auto intervention proved the best balance for controlling mine dewatering pumps to achieve savings on the cost of electricity and system sustainability for optimal control. Automated systems can avoid system overload and protect the infrastructure from exhaustion. / MIng (Mechanical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Automatic 3D building reconstruction has been a hot research area; a task which has been done manually even up today. Automating the task of building reconstruction enables more applications where up to date information is of great importance. This thesis proposes a system to extract parametric buildings and trees from dense aerial stereo image data. The method developed for the tree identification and parameterization is a totally new approach which have yielded great results. The focus has been to extract the data in such a way that small flying platforms can use it for navigational purposes. The degree of simplification is therefor high. The building parameterization part starts with identifying roof faces by Region Growing random seeds in the digital surface model (DSM) until a coverage threshold is met.For each roof face a plane is fitted using a Least Square approach.The actual parameterization is started with calculating the intersection between the roof faces. Given the nature of 2.5D DSM data there is no possibility to perform wall fitting. Therefor all the walls will be constructed with a 2D line Hough transform of the border data of all the roof faces. The tree parameterization is done by searching for possible roof face topologies resembling the signature of a tree. For each possible tree topology a second degree polynomial surface is fitted to the DSM data covered by the faces in the topology. By looking at the parameters of the fitted polynomial it is then possible to determine if it is a tree or not. All the extraction steps were implemented and evaluated in Matlab, all algorithms have been described, discussed and  motivated in the thesis.

In this study a new tool was developed that made new approaches possible for the successful implementation of Demand Side Management (DSM) projects. The new approaches are incorporated into a generic tool that makes it possible for Energy Services Companies (ESCos) to undertake DSM projects that were previously not possible with currently available technology. Through these new approaches, maximum results can be obtained on a sustainable basis on the clear water pumping systems of South African mines. The author was responsible and participated in four different investigations and implementations of DSM projects. These were grouped into three case studies. Each of these studies required different new innovations. The innovations described in this thesis include the adaptation of the Real-time Energy Management System (REMS) that was developed and marketed by HVAC International, to mines with intricate pumping systems, mines without any instrumentation and control infrastructure, as well as to mines that make use of a Three Pipe Water Pumping System. The tool developed and applied in these projects was part of Eskom's DSM programme. In this programme, large electricity clients who wish to shift electrical load out of peak periods, are assisted by having the total costs of such projects funded by Eskom. The fact that the clients will most likely enjoy substantial electricity cost savings, (by not having to pay the high peak prices), is a major attraction of this programme. Nevertheless, the programme is not moving as fast as it should. The National Energy Regulator (NER) has set an annual target of 153 MW load to be shifted since 2003. By the end of 2005, the accumulated target load to be shifted will be 459 MW. However, Eskom has indicated that an accumulated total of only 181 MW load will have been shifted by the end of 2005. This means that the Eskom DSM programme has actually only achieved 39% of its target. The innovations described in this thesis will help ESCos to address this shortfall more effectively / Thesis (Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

Variationen im Gen der Tryptophanhydroxylase 2 (TPH2), das den geschwindigkeitsbestimmenden Schritt der Serotoninsynthese katalysiert, wurden mit psychiatrischen Erkrankungen, die durch emotionale Dysregulation charakterisiert sind, in Verbindung gebracht. Die vorliegende Arbeit evaluierte die Rolle von TPH2 Varianten und Haplotypen bei Persönlichkeitsstörungen der Cluster B und C. Dazu wurden 420 Patienten mit Cluster B oder Cluster C Persönlichkeitsstörung (nach DSM-IV-TR) sowie 336 gesunde Probanden als Kontrollgruppe bezüglich TPH2 SNPs (rs4570625, rs11178997, rs4341581, rs4565946) genotypisiert. Die Persönlichkeitsstörungen wurden mit Hilfe des „Strukturierten Klinischen Interviews für DSM-IV-TR, Achse II“ (SKID-II) diagnostiziert und in die Cluster A, B und C eingeteilt. Die vorliegenden Resultate verknüpfen potentiell funktionelle TPH2 Varianten – insbesondere den rs4570625 SNP – mit Cluster B und Cluster C Persönlichkeitsstörungen. Für beide Patientengruppen zeigte sich eine signifikante globale Assoziation. Das T-Allel von rs4570625 war sowohl mit Cluster B als auch Cluster C Persönlichkeitsstörungen signifikant assoziiert. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen TPH2 als ein Suszeptibilitäts- und/oder Modifier-Gen von affektiven Spektrumsstörungen. Die Relevanz für die Ätiologie von adulten ADHS und dramatisch-emotionalen Cluster B beziehungsweise ängstlich-furchtsamen Cluster C Persönlichkeitsstörungen muss durch weitere Studien untersucht werden. / Variation in the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene (TPH2) coding for the rate-limiting enzyme of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis in the brain has been linked to a spectrum of clinical populations characterized by emotional dysregulation. Here, a set of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in and downstream of the transcriptional control region of TPH2 (rs4570625, rs11178997, rs4341581, rs4565946) was testet for association in two cohorts comprising of 336 healthy individuals and 420 patients with personality disorders. Personality disorders were diagnosed with the Structured Clinical Interview of DSM-IV and were allocated to clusters A, B, and C. Individual SNP and haplotype analyses revealed significant differences in genotype frequencies between controls and cluster B as well as cluster C patients, respectively. In both patient groups, overrepresentation of T allele carriers of a functional polymorphism in the upstream regulatory region of TPH2 (SNP G-703T, rs4570625) was observed. The results link potentially functional TPH2 variants to cluster B and cluster C personality disorders. These findings confirm TPH2 as a susceptibility and/or modifier gene of affective spectrum disorders. The relevance for the etiology of adult ADHD as well as Cluster B and Cluster C personality disorders needs further study.

<p>This project is focused on the presentation of the Namibia Zero Order Stations, including the descriptions of the 21 stations across the country and to create information site for Directorate of Survey and Mapping in Namibia. The main reason for the implementation of web site is for the distribution of information and data to domestic and international clients. Most of the materials and information used in this project were available in digital format. Some information was collected from Directorate of Survey and Mapping of Namibia, Swedesurvey of Sweden, and Asci of Sweden as well as from the internet and library facilities. As such it was very important to analyse and display geo-spatial data before creating web site. The computer makes it possible to create a link between filed documents, maps, graphic documents and other related information using hyperlinking. Therefore the computer made the world easier to communicate and mapping via internet.</p>