In addition to mood symptoms, major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by cognitive impairments that can have detrimental impacts on quality of life and daily function, and have been found to persist into remission. In particular, altered affective cognition (e.g. biased attention to negative stimuli) has been reported in MDD, and may continue into remission. Unfortunately, current pharmacotherapies do not adequately address cognitive dysfunction in acute or remitted MDD. Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of affective cognitive dysfunction in remitted MDD may help inform the development of new interventions to address this lingering problem and the associated poorer functional outcomes. The triple network model posits that altered functioning of three key networks implicated in normal cognitive function – the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN) and salience network (SN) – underlies cognitive dysfunction in a variety of psychiatric illnesses, including MDD. Though notable exceptions exist, work in acutely depressed MDD patients has found evidence of DMN hyperconnectivity, CEN hypoconnectivity and abberant SN connectivity both at rest and during the completion of various cognitive tasks. The evidence for triple network connectivity alterations persisting into remission is less robust, and warrants further investigation. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies examining remitted MDD connectivity during affective tasks. As such, the primary objectives of this thesis were to: 1) compare resting-state and task triple network connectivity profiles in remitted MDD patients (rMDDs) and healthy volunteers (HVs) at rest, during an affective (emotional Stroop [eStroop]) task, and during rest vs. the task and, 2) assess the relationship between DMN and CEN connectivity and measures of daily functioning, quality of life and/or negative, self-relational rumination in the rMDD cohort. Behaviourally, there were findings of an affective attentional bias and impaired processing speed in the rMDD vs. HVs, as revealed by a computerized cognitive test battery. However, we found no evidence of DMN hyperconnectivity or CEN hyperconnectivity in the rMDD study sample. We did find evidence of altered intrinsic CEN and CEN-SN connectivity between the rest and task conditions that seemed driven by the rMDD sample, as well as positive CEN-DMN correlations across the entire sample both at rest and during the eStroop task. Suprisingly, we also found higher intrinsic DMN connectivity during the eStroop task vs. at rest across the whole sample. Finally, we found a positive relationship between task-based CEN connectivity and hopeless rumination, and a significant negative relationship between resting state and task-based DMN connectivity and psychosocial dysfunction in the rMDD sample. These findings contribute to our understanding of large-scale intrinsic network connectivity alterations during remitted depression, and their relationship to functional outcomes.

Modellgetriebene Entwicklung (Model-Driven Development - MDD) und serviceorientierte Architekturen (SOA) versprechen Vorteile wie Flexibilität, Interoperabilität und Effizienz. In der Praxis kommen diese Konzepte jedoch nicht auf der grünen Wiese zum Einsatz, sondern treffen auf gewachsene, oft heterogene Systemlandschaften in sehr unterschiedlichen Anwedungsdomänen. Ihre Umsetzung in Unternehmen muss daher durch ein geeignetes IT-Management unterstützt werden, um die versprochenen Vorteile tatsächlich zu erzielen. Ansätze wie das Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM), die sich nicht auf die IT-Sicht eines Unternehmens beschränken, sondern diese mit der Geschäftsebene koppeln, scheinen eine sinnvolle Ergänzung zu MDD und SOA zu sein.

Jordens resurser används åt att tillfredsställa människans livsstil vilket har lett till att jorden har börjat säga ifrån genom klimatförändring eftersom den inte klarar av det som människan gör. Hållbarhet är ett av de viktigaste ämnena i dagens samhälle och aldrig har det varit viktigare att tänka på miljön och hur man inte skadar den. Hållbarhet är ett ämne som det bedrivs mycket forskning kring, vilket företaget RISE lägger stora resurser på. De har tagit fram ett nytt material som baseras på träavfall, eftersom de vill undersöka ifall människan kan återanvända något som inte har ett värde och ge det ett nytt värde och nytt liv. I ett samarbete med RISE har jag undersökt detta material som kallas för White Wood och fått i uppdrag att hitta ett användningsområde för materialet baserat på dess egenskaper. Forskningen kring White Wood har inte ännu kommit till stadiet där det kan börja produceras i stor skala, då det krävs en hel del fortsatta studier innan det steget kan tas. Målet med min studie har varit att hitta ett lämpligt användningsområde för White Wood när det är redo att ta det steget. Jag har använt mig av Material Driven Design metoden då detta är ett materialdrivet arbete som utgår ifrån materialets egenskaper och möjligheter. Jag har haft ett öppet sinne och låtit materialet och utforskandet av detta ta mig framåt, men mina tidigare erfarenheter och kunskaper har också varit till stor nytta. Genom att utmana och testa gränserna för White Wood så har jag upptäckt unika egenskaper och tillverkningsmetoder. Denna summering använde jag mig av för att sedan kunna placera White Wood inom elektronikområdet och ge konkreta produktförslag. Jag hoppas att mitt bidrag inom denna forskning kommer till nytta och kan inspirera till ökad hållbarhet nu och för framtiden.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a relevant condition to consider regarding Work Capacity Evaluation (WCE) because of its high prevalence, strong impact on short-term work disability, and low rate of treatment. The challenge that faces occupational therapists (OTs) is that there is no specific guideline and process to follow when conducting Work Capacity Evaluation with clients suffering from MDD. The researcher had also noted conflicting opinions with regard to the outcome of Work Capacity Evaluation (WCE) and recommendations in occupational therapy reports. The researcher is of the opinion that indeed occupational therapy assessments need to be clear about what to measure, and selection of appropriate standardised measures and non-standardised assessments is needed. Therefore, the research question was, what are the perceptions and practices of occupational therapists in determining work capacity of employees suffering from major depressive disorder? The aim of this study was to describe the perceptions and practices of occupational therapists in determining work capacity of employees suffering from major depressive disorder. The literature showed that Work Capacity Evaluation assists to determine the employee’s returnto- work. The Code of Good Practice: Dismissal contained in the Labour Relations Act of 1998, stipulates that incapacity on the ground of ill health or injury may be either temporary or permanent. The nature of this study was a mixed method design including both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The phenomenological strategy was used. The study had a sample size of 68 participants, practising as occupational therapists. Purposive sampling was used. The data were collected in four distinct phases, referred to as sequential exploratory strategy with elements of embedded design. Phase one, used descriptive open-ended questions; phase two was a close-ended questionnaire to confirm findings in phase one; phase three consisted of focus group interviews and phase four was member checking to confirm findings in phase three. During data analysis, five themes related to employees suffering from MDD emerged and they were identified as: (1) the content of comprehensive assessment for work capacity evaluation, (2) the process of work capacity evaluation, (3) the competency requirements of the occupational therapist, (4) occupational performance and (5) formulating return-to-work decision. Recommendations related to the five themes were formulated and suggestions for future research proffered. The study clarified and confirmed that occupational therapists have a major role to play in performing work capacity of employees suffering from major depressive disorder, and that they need to be competent in performing these evaluations. Copyright / Dissertation (MOccTher)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Occupational Therapy / unrestricted

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The aetiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) is poorly understood. Current evidence suggests immune activation and gut microbiota may play a role. Recent studies demonstrated that behavioural traits can be transferred through microbiota transplantation into germ-free (GF) mice. Here we study whether microbiota from patients with MDD can induce depressive-like behaviour. Methods: GF NIH Swiss mice were colonized with stool microbiota from a patient with MDD with elevated faecal β-defensin 2, or a healthy donor (HC). After three weeks, behaviour was assessed using standard tests. Expression of neuroimmune markers was assessed in the gut and brain using gene expression profiling and immunohistochemistry. Microbiota composition was assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: Microbiota profiles differed between the two groups of mice (p=0.001). Mice colonised with microbiota from a single characterised MDD patient (MDD1), exhibited lower preference for sucrose (p=0.002) and more emotionality (p=0.003) than mice with HC microbiota, however other MDD mice did not display abnormal behaviour. Abnormal MDD1 behaviour was associated with lower BDNF expression in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (p=0.02). Mice colonised with another characterised MDD patient (MDD4 mice) did not have differences in BDNF expression in the same region (p=0.20). MDD1 and MDD4 mice had altered hippocampal and gut gene expression for genes associated with the immune and nervous system. In summary, GF mice colonized with MDD1 microbiota exhibit depression-like behaviors. This appears to be accompanied by changes in intestinal permeability and neuroimmune function. These results suggest that gut microbiota has the capacity to influence the expression of MDD in some patients. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Esta tese apresenta um processo para a criação de um catálogo de modelos de computação para apoiar o design de DSMLs, e a primeira versão do catálogo, com atributos que ajudam a selecionar os modelos de computação mais adequados para cada desenvolvimento de DSML, e as características dos sistemas de software para os quais esses modelos de computação são mais adequados. O contexto de aplicação desse catálogo é o Model-Driven Development (MDD desenvolvimento dirigido por modelos) a abordagem em que o desenvolvimento de software é baseado em modelos gráficos que são posteriormente traduzidos (transformados) em modelos de nível mais baixo e, no final, em código de linguagens de programação, tais como Java ou C#. A aplicação do processo gerou uma versão inicial do catálogo com os seguintes modelos de computação: diagramas BPMN, diagramas de classe da UML e regras de negócio. Visa-se contribuir para popularizar a abordagem de MDD com base em DSMLs e, em particular, a elaboração do design das DSMLs a partir de modelos de domínio, para o que o uso do catálogo efetivamente contribui. / This thesis presents a process for the creation of a catalog of models of computation to support the design of Domain-Specific Modeling Languages (DSMLs), and the first version of the catalog, which comprises attributes that aim to help the selection of the most suitable models of computation for each DSML development, and characteristics of software systems for which these models of computation are more appropriate. The context for the use of the catalog is the Model-Driven Development (MDD) - the approach where software development is based on graphical models that are subsequently translated (transformed) into lower-level models and, in the end, in source code in programming languages, such as Java or C #. The process was applied to generate an initial version of the catalog with the following models of computation: BPMN diagrams, UML class diagrams and business rules. It aims to contribute to popularize the MDD approach based in DSMLs, and in particular, the development of the DSMLs design from domain models, for which the use of the catalog effectively contributes.