Hydrodynamic analysis and electron microscopy of GLUT1/lipid/detergent micelles and freeze fracture electron microscopy of GLUT1 proteoliposomes support the hypothesis that the glucose transporter is a multimeric (probably tetrameric) complex of GLUT1 proteins. Some detergents (e.g. octylglucoside) maintain the multimeric complex while other detergents (e.g. CHAPS and dodecylmaltoside) promote the dissociation of GLUT1 oligomers into smaller aggregation states (dimers or monomers). GLUT1 does not appear to exchange rapidly between protein/lipid/detergent micelles but is able to self-associate in the plane of the lipid bilayer. Quantitatively deglycosylated GLUT1 displays aberrant electrophoretic mobility, but each protein band contains full-length GLUT1 and the less mobile species, when treated with additional detergent and reductant, converts to the more mobile species. Preliminary structural analysis suggests that denaturing detergent- and thiol chemistry-related changes of α-helical content may mirror mobility shifts. Limited proteolysis of membrane-resident GLUT1 (± ligands) releases membrane-spanning α-helical domains suggesting that (i) some bilayer-resident helices are highly solvent exposed; (ii) membrane-spanning domains 1, 2, & 4 and 7, 8, & 10 are destabilized upon ligand binding; and (iii) helix packing compares well with high-resolution structures of prokaryotic transporters from the same superfamily. Results are consistent with a central, hydrophilic, translocation pathway comprised of amphipathic, membrane-spanning domains that alter associations upon ligand/substrate binding. We have resolved technical difficulties (heterogeneity, lipid/detergent removal, glycosylation, small molecule contamination) associated with GLUT1 analysis by mass spectrometry; and we map global conformational changes between sugar uptake and sugar efflux.

Children with ADHD are characterized frequently as possessing underdeveloped executive functions and sustained attentional abilities, and recent commercial claims suggest that computer-based cognitive training can remediate these impairments and provide significant and lasting improvement in their attention, impulse control, social functioning, academic performance, and complex reasoning skills. The present review critically evaluates these claims through meta-analysis of 25 studies of facilitative intervention training (i.e., cognitive training) for children with ADHD. Random effects models corrected for publication bias and sampling error revealed that studies training short-term memory alone resulted in moderate magnitude improvements in short-term memory (d= 0.63), whereas training attention did not significantly improve attention and training mixed executive functions did not significantly improve the targeted executive functions (both nonsignificant: 95% confidence intervals include 0.0). Far transfer effects of cognitive training on academic functioning, blinded ratings of behavior (both nonsignificant), and cognitive tests (d= 0.14) were nonsignificant or negligible. Unblinded raters (d= 0.48) reported significantly larger benefits relative to blinded raters and objective tests (both p < .05), indicating the likelihood of Hawthorne effects. Critical examination of training targets revealed incongruence with empirical evidence regarding the specific executive functions that are (a) most impaired in ADHD, and (b) functionally related to the behavioral and academic outcomes these training programs are intended to ameliorate. Collectively, meta-analytic results indicate that claims regarding the academic, behavioral, and cognitive benefits associated with extant cognitive training programs are unsupported in ADHD. The methodological limitations of the current evidence base, however, leaves open the possibility that cognitive training techniques iv designed to improve empirically documented executive function deficits may benefit children with ADHD.

No description available.

Most of the training programmes received by the health advisers in the Gauteng health promotion directorate, are delivered in a lecture form, whereby trainers prepare their presentations according to themes chosen by management, without the involvement of trainees. After training, the health advisers adopt the same attitude with the individuals they educate. This study describes how participatory research was carried out to investigate how health advisers in the Gauteng Province experience and utilise these training programmes. It articulates the roles of the researcher and participants in the research process. The study showed that while it is true that trainees must receive theoretical information, it is equally true that they must be able to relate that information to their practical situations. The study indicates that this can occur by introducing a form of training in which the focus is on both the trainer and trainees as co-learners in the learning situation. / Social Work / M.A. Soc. Sc. (Mental Health)

No description available.

This thesis concerns the leader as a facilitator of learning at work. More specifically, the aim of the study is to increase knowledge about leadership in relation to co-workers’ learning and development at the workplace. The focus is on the leaders’ notions of learning-oriented leadership, their actions in daily work and on the factors that may enable and constrain learning-oriented leadership. The theoretical framework is structured around a review and analysis of three leadership research traditions: studies of effective leadership, studies of managerial work, and critical studies of leadership. The research reported in the thesis is based on an interactive research approach comprising case studies of two industrial firms. The main empirical data have been collected in interviews with leaders. In addition, the empirical material includes observations of leaders and studies of documents. The results indicate that the leaders view learning and the development of their co-workers as important issues and that they use a number of different activities to facilitate learning. Based on the degree of formalization these activities can be characterized as planned, partially planned and spontaneous. When working with the co-workers’ learning the leaders alternate between acting as supporters, educators and confronters. Furthermore, learning-oriented leadership is influenced by factors such as the co-workers’ attitudes and motivation, the leaders’ views of learning and development, the presence of learning issues on the organizational agenda and the design of the organizations’ production systems. To conclude, the leaders in both companies can be seen as facilitators of learning. However, their leadership is mainly performance-oriented and focused on adaptive learning. There are traces of development-oriented leadership as well, but these patterns are not as apparent. For instance, the facilitation of critical reflection associated with developmental learning is not very common for the leaders in either of the cases. / Denna avhandling handlar om hur ledare främjar lärande i dagligt arbete. Mer specifikt är syftet med studien att bidra med ökade kunskaper om ledarskap i relation till medarbetares lärande och utveckling på arbetsplatsen. I avhandlingen studeras vad som karaktäriserar ledarnas arbete och deras syn på sitt ledarskap, vad ledarna gör för att främja medarbetarnas lärande, samt vilka faktorer som hindrar och möjliggör ett ledarskap för lärande. Den teoretiska referensramen är baserad på tidigare forskning om ledarskap och lärande. Mer specifikt granskas och analyseras tre forskningstraditioner: studier av effektivt ledarskap, studier av ledares arbete och kritiska ledarskapsstudier. Studien utgår från en interaktiv forskningsansats och det empiriska materialet består av fallstudier av två svenska industriföretag. Data har huvudsakligen insamlats genom intervjuer med ledare. Därtill omfattar det empiriska underlaget även observationer av ledare och studier av dokument. Resultaten visar att ledarna uppfattar det som mycket viktigt att främja sina medarbetares lärande och utveckling. När de arbetar med dessa frågor använder de sig av en rad olika aktiviteter, vilka skiljer sig åt med avseende på grad av formalisering. Aktiviteterna kan kategoriseras som planerade, delvis planerade och spontana. Vidare visar resultaten att ledarna i interaktionen med medarbetarna agerar stödjande, utbildande och konfronterande. I studien framkommer även faktorer som hindrar och möjliggör ett ledarskap för lärande. Dessa omfattar exempelvis medarbetarnas inställning till lärande, ledarnas syn på lärande, ekonomiska resurser för lärande, samt arbetsorganisationens och produktionssystemets utformning. Avslutningsvis pekar denna studie på att ledarna i företagen uppvisar ett ledarskap för lärande, men att detta i huvudsak orienteras mot lärande för daglig drift och anpassning, snarare än mot lärande för utveckling. Det finns också spår av ett mer utvecklingsstödjande ledarskap, men dessa är inte tydligt framträdande i resultaten. Exempelvis arbetar ledarna i begränsad utsträckning med att främja kritisk reflektion, vilket kan ses som en förutsättning för ett utvecklingsinriktat lärande.

Most of the training programmes received by the health advisers in the Gauteng health promotion directorate, are delivered in a lecture form, whereby trainers prepare their presentations according to themes chosen by management, without the involvement of trainees. After training, the health advisers adopt the same attitude with the individuals they educate. This study describes how participatory research was carried out to investigate how health advisers in the Gauteng Province experience and utilise these training programmes. It articulates the roles of the researcher and participants in the research process. The study showed that while it is true that trainees must receive theoretical information, it is equally true that they must be able to relate that information to their practical situations. The study indicates that this can occur by introducing a form of training in which the focus is on both the trainer and trainees as co-learners in the learning situation. / Social Work / M.A. Soc. Sc. (Mental Health)

Magister Educationis - MEd / Continuous learning has been identified as a key element for SMMEs to succeed in their drive to build productive capacity, to compete, to create jobs and to contribute to poverty alleviation in South Africa. Without the necessary business skills and insight, emerging entrepreneurs will not be able to run their business successfully. Therefore, emerging small business owners especially those in rural areas attend the general, basic, government-subsidized courses provided by non-profit organizations.To ensure that learning is being transferred to the workplace, the Western Cape Business Development Centre (WCBDC) applies the concept of mentoring as a follow-up programme. In layman’s term, a business mentor refers to someone who is experienced in business, trustworthy and professional, trained and up-to-date in their advice.The goal of the research was to evaluate the impact of the WCBDC’s mentoring program on the development of marketing skills of an established small business. I did a case study on one of the successful small businesses in Saldanha, The Marine and Industrial Coaters (MIC), whose owners have attended the Western Cape Business Development Center’s (WCBDC) entrepreneurial development program and then enrolled for its business mentoring programme.Since the mentoring programme commits a substantial amount of resources to mentoring and requires a lot of time from the WCBDC, it is of interest to see whether the expected goals of the mentoring programme – to enhance the entrepreneurs’ business skills and to lead entrepreneurs to business growth – are achieved. I have focused on the development of marketing skills and found that the entrepreneurs’ marketing knowledge and skills did developed as a result of the programme. More efforts need to continue to sustain the existing momentum. However, success in implementing the mentoring programme will depend on essential factors such as selfdirected learning, facilitative and multiple mentoring, application of both psychosocial and career mentoring functions, and shared accountability and responsibility of both mentee and mentor.

This dissertation explores congregational participation in worship services in the discipline of “Building up the local Church”. The research indicates the levels of participation within worship services of 98 respondents. I have felt that the low levels of participation (43 % of the respondents reported no active congregational participation and in 93% of the indicated the congregation were involved in two or less areas of the worship service) contribute to the practice of nominal Christianity. The congregation view themselves as the ‘Audience’(passive participants) at worship rather that the ‘Actors’ (active participants). The hypothesis is that ministers have centralized themselves specifically in worship and this has and is contributing towards the ‘nominal Christian’ problem experienced by the Church presently. Secondly, that a strategically planned and instituted process with the aim of involving all attendee’s at worship will facilitate active participation (the congregation become the ‘actors’ in and during the intercessory prayer time) and in so doing build up the local church. The Thesis sadly also points out that, ministers fundamental beliefs seem to have little or no influence on there practices. Of the ministers interviewed some indicated there primary task as that of ‘equipping the body of Christ’ yet those who held to that tenet had no significant levels of congregational involvement during worship. The research also shows that regardless of fundamental belief where ministers serve more than one congregation there is a 300% more congregational involvement during worship. The thesis then focuses on the roles of intercessory prayer in worship as a vehicle for getting ministry into the hands of the congregation. Interviews have been conducted and stories recorded as to the effectiveness of this process. I was particularly encouraged that the ‘sticky prayer’ as it became know took the ministry in some cases into the work place and created opportunities for ministry with in the worlds of the respondent. Beyond this it also sends a message to the world at large of the church as being faithful to God (expressed in prayer) and serving the world (those for whom we pray). / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

No description available.