Workplace sedentary behavior has been associated with many chronic diseases. A nine-month study has been initiated to determine participation and benefits of shared treadmill workstations. It would be an advantage to understand factors that would increase the use of these types of workplace interventions aimed at reducing sedentary behavior. To address some of these factors, characteristics of nineteen office workers willing to participate in this study were investigated. Baseline anthropometric measurements were taken. Participants provided seven-day exercise and sleep logs and three-day dietary records. Accelerometers were given to measure energy expenditure, step counts and activity durations. Participants also completed the questionnaires assessing their expectations and perceptions of a workplace intervention. The willing participants were generally overweight and sedentary middle aged individuals with below average daily energy expenditures and they had low fatigue and pain levels, poor sleep quality ratings, and wanted to reduce their sedentary behavior to achieve health benefits.

Bakgrund: Måltidsmiljön och personalens agerande under måltiden påverkar gästens fysiska välmående och nutritionsstatus. Syfte: Att observera om följsamheten till riktlinjer för nutrition förändras efter en intervention med fokus på den sociala interaktionen och serveringen vid måltidssituation. Metod: Fältanteckningar från måltidsobservationer genomförda på två boenden analyserades enligt Systemic Text Condensation (STC). Denna innebar att identifiera teman, meningsbärande enheter, koder och underkoder för att slutligen resultera i en syntetisering som representerade innehållet i fältanteckningarna. Interventionen bestod av handledning av personalen under ett år. Kontrollgruppen gavs en sedvanlig föreläsning vid ett tillfälle. Resultat: Handledning ökade följsamheten till riktlinjerna hos personalen i viss mån och speciellt inom vissa områden till exempel förfrågan om portionsstorlek och samtal med gäster. Även på det boende som fick den sedvanliga föreläsningen kunde en skillnad ses, om än inte lika tydlig. Slutsats: Handledning ökade personalens följsamhet till riktlinjerna i något högre grad än den sedvanliga föreläsningen. Mer forskning behövs för att kunna säga vad som skulle öka följsamheten ytterligare samt för att förstå varför vissa områden inom måltidsstöd är svårare att förändra.

The increasing tendency of youth getting involved in crime, globally as well as in South Africa is an indication of the comprehensive problem and the duty that is resting upon professionals dealing with the youth. It is therefore important that in South Africa attention will be given to the young first offender. Various intervention methods such as drama-based intervention can be used as service delivery for the young first offender. Drama based intervention hold various therapeutic values for the young first offender. This program can make use of various methods for intervention such as, dance, movement and theatre. The objectives of the program, the need of the participants as well as the background of each individual participant are determining the choice of the intervention method. A drama-based intervention program was used for the study. The aim of this study was to examine the nature of a drama-based intervention for young first offenders. The aims were to: • Through an intensive literature study the various intervention methods was studied. The finding of the literature study was that the involvement of the first young offender within any creative activity has a lasting effect on the social development of the client resulting in a decrease in anti-social behaviour such as crime. Experimental exercises that is based on social learning-; role- and cognitive-behavioural theory are very effective in working with young people • To develop, implement and evaluate a drama-based intervention program through an intensive literature study and empirical research. This program needs to focus on the decreasing and prevention of recidivism with young first offenders. This goal was achieved as the program was developed according to guidelines of the GEESE theatre, which was adapted for South-African circumstances. The program was implemented and evaluated with a group of seven young first offenders. The research showed that the most effective intervention program for young first offenders should be more experimental and based upon creative arts, rather than a structured goal-oriented program, creating opportunities for in-depth exploration of the inner self. The program would then also help the respondent to develop resiliency by building on protective factors, identifying risk factors and developing skills to manage factors such as low self esteem, family relations, peer pressure and poverty. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Youth in modem society can be seen as a synonym for the term problems. No longer children, yet not adults, youth are exposed to most of the stressors of adulthood. Alcohol, drugs and other illegal substances are freely available and provide youth with the easy way of handling the problems that they face in becoming adults. The objective of this study was to determine whether an adventure experiential learning programme had an effect on the self-perception as an emotional component of youth, as well as the sustainability of the proposed change. The participants (N=28) were tested before the five-month adventure experiential learning programme, directly afterwards and a month after the programme. Participants were from all over South Africa and the training took place at Beyond Adventure School located in the Alexandria vicinity in the Eastern Cape Province. There were boys (n=18) and girls (n=10) within the group that included white (n=26) and other (n=2) race groups. The effect on self-perception was determined by means of two tests, the Self-perception Scale (SPS) and the Comprehensive Functioning Inventory: Post-matric (CFI-post). The tests include the following dimensions: inner insecurity, guilt feelings, lack of self-worth, anxiety, responsibility for consequences for others and lack of assertiveness. The data received from the two tests was processed in conjunction with PASWIN 2000. The SAS System for Windows Release (SAS Institute lnc.. 1999) was used to determine the effect sizes and calculate the sustainability of the effect. The study shows that the adventure experiential learning programme had a medium effect (d = 0.59) on the self-perception of participants. All the different dimensions improved after the second testing. Inner insecurity (d = 0.47), lack of self-worth (d = 0.67) and anxiety (d = 0.53) were the biggest contributors towards the medium effect. Adventure experiential learning programmes were results oriented and had a significant effect on the participants. In other words, the effect was medium-sustainable (d = 0.46). The effect could have been greater if more time had been available and if more participants had been involved. Responsibility for consequences (d = 0.90) for others showed the largest sustainability in the long run. The presence of change could be related to several factors. One, the participants were pre-assessed, which helped to plan the programme according to the identified needs of the participants. Two, the programme had a duration of more than 20 days, which created a greater and more sustainable effect on the participants. Three, there was more time for reflection on activities during this programme to make the participants aware of what they had actually accomplished. There were also some shortfalls. In future, more participants should be involved in the programme to create more sustainability. Secondly in experiential learning programmes provision must be made for diversity. Boys and girls experience certain aspects differently and the programme should be planned accordingly. In the third instance, individual attention should be paid to the dimensions instead of the bigger aspects (i.e. total self-perception) to ensure a more results-oriented adventure experiential learning programme. / Thesis (M.A. (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

This is a study that aims to look at the violence occurring in Sudan and Libya in 2011. It asks the question why there was an intervention in the latter case but not the former. The analysis will use an integrated theoretical framework, looking at national interests, power balance and international norms to explain the behavior and decision-making of states in these particular cases. The fact that so little has been done or said about the conflict in Sudan is troubling, and deserves an explanation, especially considering the very different reaction to similar situations like Libya at the time. This study uses a comparative method to map the differences and similarities between the two cases using both statistical numbers and facts, as well as a content analysis to examine the discourse and media coverage on the two conflicts. The analysis may seem very broad and complex, but the same can be said about world politics in general. It is a very complex thing, and sometimes a complex explanation is required. Very rarely is there just one answer to a question like this, but many different perspectives that are often equally legitimate and important to consider. This is the basis of the method used in this study, to use different perspectives to give a clearer overall image of why states act as they do, and why they make the decisions that they make.

The purpose of this study was to implement and assess the efficacy of a novel social skills intervention (First Friends; Graham, 2000, 2006) on improving social cognitive skills, social behaviours, and executive functions in an early childhood population of children from socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Early school years are a critical developmental period to intervene to facilitate social competency and reduce problem behaviours. Children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are at-risk as many suffer from behavioural problems and begin school without the social maturity and behavioural regulation skills needed to succeed in an academic environment. First Friends is an 8-week preventive intervention designed to promote critical areas of social-emotional development including problem solving, conflict resolution, planning, identification of emotions, empathy, assertiveness, anger management, verbal communication, creativity and cooperation. In addition to examining intervention effects, another goal for this study was to examine the mediational role of improvements in different latent EF components (i.e., working memory, inhibition, set-shifting/mental flexibility) on intervention outcomes. Executive functions (EF) have been linked to social-emotional competence. The First Friends program teaches social skills that are suggested to require EF to learn, as well as implement, during social interactions. The social skills taught and practiced also utilize overlapping brain pathways. Therefore, the First Friends intervention was hypothesized to impact both social-emotional functions and EF, given that 1) EF appears to be required in learning and developing several social and emotional skills, and 2) brain pathways utilized in carrying out these functions overlap. Eighty-seven kindergarten children (41 controls, M = 5.42 years; 46 intervention, M = 5.40 years) from socio-economically disadvantaged areas of the Greater Victoria region in B.C. participated in this study. Children's EF and social-emotional and social-cognitive skills were assessed and their social skills and behaviours were rated by parents, teachers, and observers before and after the intervention. Results provided support for the efficacy of the intervention with children who participated in the intervention demonstrating significantly stronger socio-emotional and social cognitive abilities, more prosocial behaviours, and less negative behaviours compared to a control group. Parent and teacher reports did not reveal significant changes. In addition, significant intervention effects on working memory and set-shifting/mental flexibility were found. Contrary to hypotheses, intervention effects were not revealed for inhibition. In addition, none of the EF latent constructs were found to mediate intervention outcomes. Overall, the First Friends program shows promise with regard to improving both social and executive functioning skills, and continued research and implementation with this program is warranted. These findings highlight the importance of not only assessing for social outcomes, but also examining the development of other cognitive processes that appear to be involved in social development. The results of this study can facilitate understanding of the scope of social intervention outcomes on cognitive processes and guide the selection and implementation of effective prevention programs with early childhood populations in the future. / Graduate

No description available.

Red raspberries, as an excellent source of dietary antioxidants, were investigated for their effect on oxidative stress in healthy adults. Study 1 measured effects of chronic exposure in a parallel, multi-dose intervention. Subjects consumed one-cup red raspberries (1cR) daily for two-weeks, then were randomized to consume 1cR, 2cR or 4cR for additional two-weeks (n=8, by group). There was a reduction in TBARS, indicating a decrease in lipid peroxidation, after two-weeks of intervention in the 1cR group, but effects were not significant at week 4, or for other treatment groups. Study 2 measured effects of acute exposure using a cross-over design. Subjects (n=8) consumed single treatments of 1cR, 2cR, 4cR, bread and bread plus vitamin C. Post-prandial oxidative stress responses were complex and appeared related to calorie and antioxidant load. Overall there was no clear relationship between red raspberry consumption and protection against oxidative stress.

The enteric pathogen Escherichia albertii represents an emerging food safety challenge. It has been mistakenly identified as Hafnia alvei, Shigella, or as a member of the Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Isolates of certain strains of the organism are known to possess genes encoding pathogenesis factors capable of inducing attaching/effacing (A/E) lesions, cytolethal distending toxin and a variant Shiga toxin. The pathogen has been isolated from infants and adults and has been identified as a causative agent from an outbreak of foodborne disease occurring in an industrialized nation. Recent reports have detailed the ability of this pathogen to survive on ground beef and to resist several classes of therapeutic antibiotics. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the efficacy of E. albertii isolates to survive lactic acid exposure as a function of solution pH, and (ii) verify its inactivation in ground beef according to the USDA recommendations for in-home preparation. Rifampicin resistant (RifR) isolates of E. albertii (ATCC 9194, 19982, 10457) were obtained according to published methods. Thermal resistance of parent and RifR isolates were compared in vitro at 55 °C to confirm no significant differences in tolerance to heat as a result of antibiotic resistance capacity. Tolerance to food grade lactic acid (Purac, Olathe, KS) (3.0% w/v) at differing pH levels (3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.0) was examined in physiological saline at 35 °C. Finally, ground beef patties (80% lean) inoculated with individual RifR isolates were cooked to internal temperatures of 62, 71, or 76 °C to determine resistance of different internal temperatures. Experiments comparing the in vitro tolerances of parent and RifR E. albertii isolates indicated no differences between parent and mutant with regards to heat and lactic acid challenge. E. albertii inactivation in lactic acid increased as the pH of the solution was decreased; maximum reduction at pH 3.0 was at 30 min and maximum reduction for pH 4.0 at 2.5 hours. Changes in populations of E. albertii at pH 5.0 were not different than that at pH 7.0. Cooking of beef to 62 °C internal temperature produced reductions of all RifR isolates to non-detectable levels.

Risk management is one of the critical issues in supply chain management. Supply chain disruptions negatively impact on the performance and the business continuity of a firm, and the disruptions should be managed proactively if possible. One of the approaches for supply disruption management is to raise the level of inventory: supply disruptions can be reduced by simply increasing the safety stock level. However, inventory costs will be increased at the same time. Therefore it is assumed that having extra safety stock when and where needed is better than keeping a high safety stock all of the time. In this thesis, the concept of dynamic inventory management by supplier behavior monitoring is suggested and explored. Key to the concept is the assumption that out-of-control situations at a supplier can be causal triggers for stockouts, and that these triggers can be potentially predicted by using statistical monitoring tools. In the suggested approach, the statistical process control approach of using run tests is employed to monitor and evaluate the supplier behavior. The supplier’s yield rate is monitored as the performance measure, and the receiver’s safety stock level is increased when the supplier’s performance is detected to be potentially out-of-control (or about to reach an out-of-control situation). The simulation results under different yield rates indicate that stockouts can be reduced by monitoring the supplier behavior and dynamically adjusting inventory policy when production capacity is relatively loose and enough variability can be seen in the performance measure.