The scope of the present work was to investigate whether the protective role of the traditional Mediterranean diet (TMD), and virgin olive oil (VOO) rich in phenolic compounds (PC), towards cardiovascular disease can be mediated through gene expression changes. Two trials were performed to assess the in vivo nutrigenomic effects of TMD and VOO in healthy volunteers. The results point out: a) significant gene expression changes of those genes related with cardiovascular-risk processes after VOO ingestion; b) a down-regulation in the expression of atherosclerosis-related genes after a 3-month intervention with a TMD; and c) an olive oil PC health-protective nutrigenomic effect within the frame of the TMD. Changes in gene expression were concomitant with decreases in oxidative damage and systemic inflammation markers. Data from our studies provide further evidence to recommend both the TMD and the VOO as a useful tool for the prevention of atherosclerosis. / El objetivo de este estudio es investigar si el papel protector de la dieta Mediterránea tradicional (TMD) y del aceite de oliva virgen (VOO), rico en compuestos fenólicos (PC), puede ser mediado a través de cambios en la expresión génica. Se realizaron dos ensayos clínicos para evaluar los efectos nutrigenómicos de la TMD y del VOO, in vivo, en voluntarios sanos. Los resultados mostraron a) cambios en la expresión génica de genes relacionados con el riesgo cardiovascular tras la ingestión del aceite virgen de oliva, b) una infra-expresión en la expresión de genes relacionados con el proceso aterosclerótico tras una intervención con TMD de 3 meses y c) que los compuestos fenólicos del aceite de oliva ejercen un efecto nutrigenómico protector en el marco de la TMD. Los cambios en la expresión génica fueron coherentes.

The dialectics of globalization and multiculturalism is encountered everywhere and is an inescapable world reality. It has also become a major factor affecting teacher education. As a meeting ground and intercept for educational programs, teacher education provides an interface for both global imperatives and local identities. Ethiopia has pronounced achievements in most education programs at all levels, although official documents indicate variance in the quality of attainment across the levels (ESDP IV, 2011). Local studies (Ambisa, 2008; Amaliraj, 2008) also found that teacher education suffers from a lack of relevance and poor quality. Moreover, the demand for qualified teachers who are competent to shape the young generation through balancing the glocal context is increasing. This study investigated how local identities and global imperatives are integrated in contemporary Ethiopian teacher education at all levels. Critical theory was employed as the paradigm for the study. This epistemological view underpinned a discussion of the effect of globalization and multiculturalism on the world’s functioning. The research approach in the empirical study was qualitative and an interpretive case study method was employed. The units of analysis were literatures, such as The Lexus vs. the Olive Tree; McWorld vs. Jihad; The Clash of Civilization: The West vs. the Rest; and Demonstrating Common World Culture of Education (CWCE) or Locating A Globally Structured Agenda for Education (GSAE); and the contemporary Ethiopian teacher education programs (the PGDT and TESO programs). Data collection tools were basic dialectical questions under Eemeren’s (1986) established ‘system of norms’, observation, interviews and focus group discussions. Confidentiality, anonymity, informed consent, resolution of conflict of interest and intellectual ownership were considered in the study. The dialectical analysis investigated the four quadrant glocal relationships model and described the role players in each quadrant where nations may locate themselves. Moreover, the comparative analysis indicated that globalization has not yet become an issue in contemporary Ethiopian teacher education, while multicultural practices are fragmented and are addressed only in response to ethnic demands for accommodation. To this end, Ethiopian teacher education should redefine its programs in order to adjust to global understanding in an endeavor to produce competent teachers for the global market. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The study of lateralisation has taken several forms ranging from investigating morphological asymmetries to research on lateralised motor and perceptual functions with many studies successfully evidencing lateralisation in a variety of species. This study, featuring three species (olive baboons, rhesus macaques, and spotted hyaenas) investigated visual field biases with the aim of determining whether emotional valence underpins these biases whilst also considering the influence of a number of other factors such as emotional intensity, age, sex, rank, and, for the first time, oestrus cycles (olive baboons only). This study aimed to establish whether Campbell’s (1982) Right Hemisphere Hypothesis or Silberman & Weingartner’s (1986) Valence Hypothesis offered the more valid theory for the lateralisation of emotion by considering interactions across the full spectrum of emotion – a question the almost exclusive investigation of negatively affective scenarios by previous studies has been unable to answer. Furthermore, this study provided a new methodology for investigating behavioural lateralisation by suggesting that separating the visual spectrum into five fields (extreme left, mid left, centre, mid right and extreme right) allows a more accurate insight into the lateralisation of visual perception than the traditional hemifield model. Finally, a more conservative method is proposed for analysing behavioural data in future studies from this field and suggests that these methods provide a more accurate representation of the lateralisation of emotion than those previously employed. A population-level left side bias was found for the spotted hyaenas, thus providing the first evidence of significantly lateralised behaviour in a large carnivore and, for this species at least, lending some support to Campbell’s (1982) Right Hemisphere hypothesis but as population-level biases were not found for either of the other species it may be premature to suggest this support is unequivocal. Significant age effects were found in two species as adult olive baboons and spotted hyaenas were both found to express significant left side biases. Spotted hyaenas were also found to express significant left side biases for females, dominant individuals, high intensity interactions, and sexual valence interactions whilst olive baboons expressed a significant left side bias during negative valence behaviours but no significant lateral biases were found in any context for rhesus macaques. In olive baboons behaviours performed by males and those of a low intensity were found to occur more frequently in the mid and central visual fields and neutral valence behaviours were less occurrent in the extreme visual fields whilst in spotted hyaenas sexual, positive and negative valence behaviours were significantly less centralised than neutral valence behaviours. Non-oestrus adult female olive baboons were significantly more strongly lateralised than in-oestrus females, thus suggesting an influence of sex hormones upon lateralisation that may also have been apparent from the hyaena data, particularly regarding the significant lateral biases observed for females and dominant individuals. Finally, this thesis discusses a number of methodological issues that were encountered during this study and provides recommendations for future research in this field. Namely, this thesis provides an updated method for calculating laterality bias that is much more suitable for species with binocular vision and details a novel method of assessing visual field preferences by considering central and peripheral visual fields as separate entities. Furthermore, this thesis suggests that the weighted method designed and implemented for this study provides a much more accurate methodological foundation for analyses which avoids the caveats that may have affected previous research and thus provides a considerably more robust template that should be encouraged for any similar subsequent studies.

The dialectics of globalization and multiculturalism is encountered everywhere and is an inescapable world reality. It has also become a major factor affecting teacher education. As a meeting ground and intercept for educational programs, teacher education provides an interface for both global imperatives and local identities. Ethiopia has pronounced achievements in most education programs at all levels, although official documents indicate variance in the quality of attainment across the levels (ESDP IV, 2011). Local studies (Ambisa, 2008; Amaliraj, 2008) also found that teacher education suffers from a lack of relevance and poor quality. Moreover, the demand for qualified teachers who are competent to shape the young generation through balancing the glocal context is increasing. This study investigated how local identities and global imperatives are integrated in contemporary Ethiopian teacher education at all levels. Critical theory was employed as the paradigm for the study. This epistemological view underpinned a discussion of the effect of globalization and multiculturalism on the world’s functioning. The research approach in the empirical study was qualitative and an interpretive case study method was employed. The units of analysis were literatures, such as The Lexus vs. the Olive Tree; McWorld vs. Jihad; The Clash of Civilization: The West vs. the Rest; and Demonstrating Common World Culture of Education (CWCE) or Locating A Globally Structured Agenda for Education (GSAE); and the contemporary Ethiopian teacher education programs (the PGDT and TESO programs). Data collection tools were basic dialectical questions under Eemeren’s (1986) established ‘system of norms’, observation, interviews and focus group discussions. Confidentiality, anonymity, informed consent, resolution of conflict of interest and intellectual ownership were considered in the study. The dialectical analysis investigated the four quadrant glocal relationships model and described the role players in each quadrant where nations may locate themselves. Moreover, the comparative analysis indicated that globalization has not yet become an issue in contemporary Ethiopian teacher education, while multicultural practices are fragmented and are addressed only in response to ethnic demands for accommodation. To this end, Ethiopian teacher education should redefine its programs in order to adjust to global understanding in an endeavor to produce competent teachers for the global market. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

L’objectif de cette thèse a consisté en la synthèse d’un polymère à empreinte moléculaire (MIP) permettant l’extraction du phosmet, un pesticide organophosphoré largement utilisé en oléiculture. La recherche du monomère fonctionnel (MF) disposant de la meilleure capacité à interagir de manière non-covalente avec le phosmet en présence du solvant porogène le plus approprié a été réalisée pour la toute première fois au moyen d’un capteur à acétylcholinestérase. Cette stratégie innovante a permis une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes cinétiques à l’œuvre lors de l’interaction MF-molécule cible. De par l’importance de son rôle dans la détermination de la structure d’un MIP, le choix d’un agent réticulant aux caractéristiques physico-chimiques adéquates a permis de sélectionner le meilleur MIP en s’appuyant sur l’étude des isothermes d’adsorption selon les modèles de Freundlich et Langmuir. La procédure d’extraction du phosmet selon la procédure MISPE (Molecularly Imprinted Solid Phase Extraction) a été effectuée par le biais d’une cartouche SPE dont la capacité a été évaluée à partir d’une solution standard. La validation du choix des réactifs de MIP sélectionnés a été confortée par la réalisation d’une expérience de réactivité croisée appliquée à une molécule analogue au phosmet. L’extraction du phosmet de l’huile d’olive a pu être effectuée avec succès selon un protocole d’extraction en flux inverse optimisé. Cette étude ouvre ainsi la voie à la recherche de nouvelles interactions MFs-molécules cibles au moyen de biocapteurs enzymatiques inhibant des composés toxiques tels que les herbicides, fongicides et autres pesticides. / The objective of this thesis has been the synthesis of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) for the extraction of phosmet, an organophosphorus pesticide widely used in olive growing. The search for the functional monomer (FM) having the best ability to interact non-covalently with phosmet in the presence of the most suitable pore-forming solvent was carried out for the first time by means of an acetylcholinesterase sensor. This innovative strategy allowed us to better understand the kinetic mechanisms of FM-template interaction. Because of the importance of its role in determining the structure of a MIP, the selection of a crosslinking agent with adequate physicochemical characteristics made it possible to select the best MIP, whose adsorption isotherms were studied according to Freundlich and Langmuir models. Extraction of phosmet using a Molecularly Imprinted Solid Phase Extraction (MISPE) procedure was carried out via an SPE cartridge, whose capacity was evaluated from a standard solution. The choice of reagents and experimental conditions were validated by carrying out selectivity assays using another organophosphorus insecticide. Extraction of phosmet from olive oil was successfully carried out according to an optimized reverse flow extraction protocol. This work opens new opportunities for studying new FM-template interactions by means of enzymatic biosensors capable of detecting other inhibitors such as herbicides, fungicides and other pesticides.

L’histoire de l’olivier et de l’huile d’olive est indissociable de l’histoire de l’agriculture corse. La réalité historique de la culture de l’olivier et de la production d’huile a été appréhendée à partir de la fin du XVIe siècle jusqu’à la veille de la première guerre mondiale. Le paysage oléicole a connu un grand développement à l’époque moderne sous l’impulsion de la Sérénissime République de Gênes ; il s’est poursuivi au XIXe siècle sous l’autorité de l’administration française. L’étude de l’ensemble des microrégions de l‘île a mis en évidence le rôle majeur joué par les communautés dans l’économie oléicole insulaire. On parle d’une diversité et non d’une unicité de l’olivier en Corse : diversité des variétés, des pratiques culturales, des modes d’extraction de l’huile, des paysages… L’impact économique de cette culture durant la période étudiée a été très important pour la Corse. L’olivier est au cœur des préoccupations des hommes, il a transformé partiellement l’agriculture, les paysages, les infrastructures de transports, l’architecture rurale et a participé à l’émergence d’une société microrégionale originale. / The olive tree and olive oil's history is inseparable from the History of the Corsican agriculture. The real nature of the culture of the olive tree and the production of the olive oil have been comprehended from the end of the XVIth century to the eve of the first world war. The olive landscape knew a great development during the modern age with the Serene highness Republic of Genoa; it pursuded on the XIXth century under the authority of the French administration. The study on the whole microregions of the island higlights the main part played by the comunities in the oleicol economy of the island. Concerning the olive tree in Corsica we notice an important diversity of trees not an uniquiness: diversity of the sorts of trees, of the cultural pratices, of ways to extract the oil, of landscapes... the economic impact of this culture during the era studied had been really important for Corsica. The olive tree is at the heart of the humans' concerns, it partially transformed the agriculture, the landscapes and the substructure of the transports, the rural architecture and took part in the emergence of an original regional micro society. / A storia di l'alivu è di l'oliu d'aliva hè propiu ligata à a storia di l'agricultura corsa. A realità storica di a cultura di l'olivu è di a produzzione d'oliu hè stata studiata da a fine di u XVIe seculu finu à a prima guerra mundiale. U paisaghju d'alivi hà cunnisciutu un grande sviluppu durante l'epica muderna per via di l'abbrivu datu da a Republica di Genuva. S'hè perseguitu durante u XIXe seculu sottu à l'autorità di l'admministrazione francesa. U studiu di l'inseme di a rughjoni di l'isula hà dimustratu a funzione maestra di e communità in l'ecunumia à partesi di a cultura di l'alivi. Si parla d'una diversità è micca d'un'unicità di l'alivu in Corsica : diversità di e varietà, di e pratiche culturale, di e manere per fragne l'alive, di i paisaghji... U pesu ecunomicu di sta cultura durante u periodu studiatu hè statu assai impurtante per a Corsica. L'alivu face parte di e riflessione di l'omi. Hà cuntribuitu à transfurmà l'agricultura, i paisaghji, l'infrastrutture di i trasporti, l'architettura campagnola è hà participatu ancu à a nascita d'una sucetà micro regiunale originale.

El alperujo (AL) es uno de los principales residuos agroindustriales que se generan actualmente en España. Su tratamiento mediante compostaje ha demostrado ser suficientemente viable para su revalorización y utilización agrícola, conduciendo a la producción de composts ricos en materia orgánica humificada de clara naturaleza lignocelulósica, que pueden constituir una excelente materia prima para la producción industrial de abonos orgánicos y órgano-minerales de calidad. En el presente trabajo se ha estudiado a escala pre-industrial la viabilidad del compostaje de AL demostrando que con este proceso se pueden llegar a obtener cerca de 20 categorías de abonos y enmiendas orgánicas comerciales tanto en sus formas sólidas como líquidas de acuerdo con la legislación vigente (Real Decreto 824/2005).

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The farm in South Africa is an ideologically laden but also ambivalent concept, associated with pastoral ideals and the hierarchy of the colonial past; but also with fear and insecurity. The representation of the farm in the South African farm novel has been subjected to larger processes of development, dissolution and replacement in accordance with changing socio-historical contexts. Accordingly, the farm novel's contribution to the conceptualization of space, place and identity within the South African and postcolonial literary context, needs to be traced and related to the pastoral tradition as well as its mutations and deviations. This dissertation investigates how Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm (1883) and J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace (1999) as anti-pastoral farm novels, in different ways and degrees, rewrite and transcend the pastoral farm novel tradition by rejecting and subverting the inherent ideological assumptions and pastoral values exemplified by this genre. Specific focus is given to the role of space and place in the identity formation of the female protagonists and the conceptualization thereof in a postcolonial society. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005

The farm in South Africa is an ideologically laden but also ambivalent concept, associated with pastoral ideals and the hierarchy of the colonial past; but also with fear and insecurity. The representation of the farm in the South African farm novel has been subjected to larger processes of development, dissolution and replacement in accordance with changing socio-historical contexts. Accordingly, the farm novel's contribution to the conceptualization of space, place and identity within the South African and postcolonial literary context, needs to be traced and related to the pastoral tradition as well as its mutations and deviations. This dissertation investigates how Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm (1883) and J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace (1999) as anti-pastoral farm novels, in different ways and degrees, rewrite and transcend the pastoral farm novel tradition by rejecting and subverting the inherent ideological assumptions and pastoral values exemplified by this genre. Specific focus is given to the role of space and place in the identity formation of the female protagonists and the conceptualization thereof in a postcolonial society. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005