Now is a time of dramatic change in mental health care as the world is witnessing a proliferation of research into the genetics of mental disorders. Despite several genetic test developments there is a paucity of qualitative research exploring the issues concerning its potential future introduction. This inspired my primary research question: What are the main implications regarding the developments being made in genetic testing for mental disorders in terms of their proposed introduction in a clinical setting? This was investigated through 33 semi-structured interviews with a range of psychiatric professionals from a single NHS trust location in the South West of England. As research has demonstrated that different medical professionals consider issues in mental health care in different ways (Colombo, et al. 2003 ; Fulford and Colombo, 2004) participants’ personal constructs of mental disorder were examined to see if their accounts of the tests differed on the basis of their unique conceptualisations of mental distress. An additional component feature in this research relates to what these developments may ultimately represent or provide psychiatry and mental health care as a result of being able to consider mental disorders in terms of underlying biology. Historically there has been a persistent attempt to determine the underlying genetic components of mental distress, however, this always seems to fail or the next big development is always ‘just around the corner’ - this observation is considered when the major developments in psychiatric genetics are examined in light of the sociological field of the ‘promissory nature of science’ (Borup, et al. 2006) - I suggest that the developments in genetic testing for mental distress represent an iconic continuation of this process. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis and five themes were developed that cover aspects such as how the tests’ introduction will alter perceptions in mental health care, issues concerning the tests’ practical impact, their possible shortcomings, and how they may alter clinical practice. My findings indicate that, in the majority of themes, personal approaches to mental disorder do appear to influence participants’ accounts of the tests. The overall trend is that if an interviewee personally endorsed a biological approach to understanding mental disorder they would be willing to see the tests used in clinical practice. There were two areas of thematic agreement between all psychiatric professionals regardless of their conceptualisations of mental disorder. These concerned the impacts genetic testing could have on different aspects of the legitimacy of mental disorders and the significance of using the tests to aid in treatment rather than diagnosis. Implications of my thematic findings for patient groups, mental health services, and policy makers are discussed.

Looking at newspapers nowadays, you are likely to see reports about public projects which turn out to be more expensive than estimated, sometimes even fourteen times the planned cost budget as in the case of the Sydney Opera. In order to gain a new insight on how this problematic could be improved, this paper aims to find correlations between the causes of deviations in public procurement and in the private market. Data from a on a global scale operating firm has been analyzed and compared to causes found in prior research. The questions this paper aims to answer are “Are causes and correlations found in smaller, private projects consistent with causes of cost overruns in public procurement?” and “Which implications and recommendations can be derived from the smaller dimension for the larger dimension of public procurement?”   After introducing the theoretical framework and its theories, the individual cost deviations and correlations of the different segments are introduced and analysed. As a result, one can see how the rational behaviour model and asymmetric information influence the estimated cost and that, in order to decrease the problematic of cost overruns, estimation techniques and especially the way contracts are constructed have to be improved. Furthermore, positive correlations between the size of cost deviations and number of employees, possible chain of events and pay offs between

The importance of the financial markets has constantly been increasing during the last few decades. With the increase of the importance of the financial markets the popularity and importance of financial reporting have also increased dramatically. The importance of financial reporting has logically created a need for a lot of research in the area. It is for instance important to understand the links financial reporting has with the different parts of the business and its implications on them and the business in general. Based on that the research conducted has focus on the following research issue – identify, understand and explain the implications of financial reporting on leadership’s decision making process as well as identify, understand and explain their effects on leadership’s strategic choices. The aim of the research process is to reach some general conclusions on the issue derived from a certain context – the crisis in the financial sector originating from the US subprime mortgage crisis as well as provide basis for further research on the issue.

The buying and selling of a business was previously a fairly simple transaction. A seller had a business he wanted to sell, and a purchaser wanted to buy a business and the two paths met. Those times have changed. More complicated tax laws have been introduced and the structuring of a purchase/sale agreement is much more complicated. This dissertation is about the structuring and forming of a purchase/sale agreement, examining in detail - from both the sides of the purchaser and the seller. This paper looks at the different entities involved in purchasing and selling eg, sole proprietors, close corporations and so on. It examines in detail the difference and reasons between the selling of shares of a business and the selling of assets. Discussed in this paper, again from both the seller and the purchaser's view, is an analysis of what is being sold, and what is being purchased. The different ways of paying for the purchase and the different types of payment, eg in kind, royalties etc. Lastly, but perhaps the most important aspect, are the tax implications in buying and selling a business. Items such as the contents of a Sale Agreement, Fixed Assets, Goodwill, stock etc are also discussed in depth. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is regarded as one of the greatest biological threats to the U.S. livestock industry because of its potential to cause catastrophic economic damages and massive livestock depopulation. Current U.S. contingency plans call for "stamping out" of FMD. An integral component of a "stamping out" policy is movement restrictions. The main purpose for movement restrictions is to stop the spread of disease, but they also disrupt the agribusiness sector. Welfare slaughter, the depopulation of healthy quarantined animals, is a possibility if movement restrictions are kept in place for prolonged periods of time. Many studies have analyzed the economic consequences of alternative mitigation strategies, but generally these studies have ignored the costs that might arise because of movement restrictions affecting uninfected premises located within the quarantine zone. Ultimately this study seeks to improve preparedness in the event of a FMD outbreak. It does this by developing information for those formulating plans on the costs associated with movement restrictions regarding quarantined, uninfected large feedlots located in the Texas High Plains Region. To accomplish this objective two strategies were compared: an unrestricted feed strategy, where feed is allowed to be brought onto uninfected premises and finished cattle are sold; and a welfare slaughter strategy, where feed isn't allowed to be brought onto the uninfected premises so animals are depopulated. In addition, seasonal differences in total costs were examined. This study expanded on the High Plains Study conducted by M. Ward, L. Highfield, P. Vongseng, and M. Garner by using their epidemiological data combined with a cost accounting framework to estimate the total cost of each strategy. This study examined direct disease management costs (indemnity payments, feed costs, marketing costs, surveillance costs, cleaning and disinfecting costs, appraisal cost, euthanasia costs, and disposal costs). Overall, the unrestricted feed strategy was less expensive than the welfare slaughter strategy, costing on average $22.6 million compared to $48.5 million, respectively. Disease outbreak timing did impact the overall cost of both strategies. The results suggest the policy makers should strongly consider creating movement policies that address feed supply and finished cattle movement for uninfected large feedlots in prolonged quarantine zones; as such policies appear to reduce outbreak related costs for stakeholder and the U.S. government.

The aim of this thesis is to explain the change in the debate about police accountability in Britain that took place in the 1980s. In seeking such an explanation in the reinvention of police accountability over this period, a four dimensional analysis of accountability is presented. This is used to examine, in turn, the history of police governance in London, the debates about police accountability that took place in the 1980s, and the implications of the growing influence of community policing that culminated in the introduction by the Metropolitan Police of a new style of ‘sector policing’. A series of questions about whether and how police accountability was reinvented in the 1980s are posed, and the implications of the reconceptualisation that took place are assessed in their historical and theoretical contexts. Use is also made of empirical data drawn from a study of the implementation of sector policing on an inner city police area in North London. It is argued that far-reaching changes took place in the conceptualisation of police accountability during the 1980s on all four of the dimensions identified, and that this reinvention of the relationship between police and people made policing in London neither more democratic nor more consensual.

<p>The importance of the financial markets has constantly been increasing during the last few decades. With the increase of the importance of the financial markets the popularity and importance of financial reporting have also increased dramatically.</p><p>The importance of financial reporting has logically created a need for a lot of research in the area. It is for instance important to understand the links financial reporting has with the different parts of the business and its implications on them and the business in general. Based on that the research conducted has focus on the following research issue – identify, understand and explain the implications of financial reporting on leadership’s decision making process as well as identify, understand and explain their effects on leadership’s strategic choices.</p><p>The aim of the research process is to reach some general conclusions on the issue derived from a certain context – the crisis in the financial sector originating from the US subprime mortgage crisis as well as provide basis for further research on the issue.</p>

abstract: The current study is a follow up to a previous evaluation of Believe It!, an internet-based career development program for adolescent girls. This study attempted to extend the program's effectiveness by manipulating animated agent appearance based on literature suggesting that agent appearance has implications for human-computer program interface. Participants included 52 Latinas (ages 11 to 14) randomly assigned to view one of two versions of the revised career program. Each version contained identical content but included animated agents designed to represent different ethnicities. Pre and post-treatment scores for three career belief measures and an occupational stereotype measure were analyzed using a MANCOVA. The results were not significant and further analyses revealed that the results were confounded by complications with the perceived ethnicity of the animated agents. Despite a lack of significance the results provide enriching information about Latina adolescent perception of ethnicity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Counseling Psychology 2011

This thesis investigates the psychological implications of prolongation, a structural phenomenon of tonal music, which is described in the musicological literature as an elaborative process in which some pitch events - such as chords and notes - remain as if they were sounding even though they are not physically present.

The objective of this study was to establish and define the theological alterations made to the Masoretic Text of the biblical book of Esther (MTE) by the translators of the Septuagint (LXX) and the Josephus (J) texts, focusing on the explicit references made to God in these texts. This objective was reached by means of three working objectives: a. Comparing key passages from the MTE with the LXX and J texts; b. Indicating differences and similarities between the various accounts; and<p c. Making some inferences about the theological implications of these insertions. The comparison of the texts was introduced by an excursion into the reconstruction of the Esther text. The texts that were compared were divided into two groups, namely canonical insertions (2.20; 4.8, 14; 6.1, 13; and 7.10), and non-canonical additions (add. A, C, D and E). From this comparison, differences and similarities became apparent, and especially those that were theologically explicit were investigated. The conclusion was reached that the LXX and J texts’ theological alterations limit the theological creativeness and open-endedness of the MTE. The depth and strength of the MTE’s theological silence about the activity of God have been removed in these translations to make space for a more ‘traditional’ theology. The investigation serves to caution modern translators of the book of Esther to refrain from translating the book in a way that is theologically more explicit than the source document, since this would damage the communicative potential of the book. / Dissertation (MA (Ancient Languages and Culture))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Ancient Languages / MA / unrestricted