My thesis tells of the Cambodian refugee experience. It is based on the life stories of ten Cambodian refugees who presently live in Melbourne Australia. The stories that people told me were about their experiences of life before the Pol Pot regime, their survival of one of the twentieth century's totalitarian regimes, then their travel to and life in the Thai refugee camps and more recently their experiences of resettlement and life in Australia. My work explores the profound impact these life experiences had on Cambodian people and how they remembered and told stories about their past. Further, it considers how these experiences shaped the identities of survivors of the Pol Pot years. It is clear that the Cambodian refugee experience tells us that people can do the most terrible things to other people, but it is also clear that human beings can also survive almost any situation. In this regard my work shows that life is a most precious and fragile thing, but it also has an amazing strength and resilience.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is one of the most important tuber crops globally and is classified amongst the most crucial food crops in Africa. South Africa has a very vibrant potato industry, producing about 2.5 million tonnes every year, with quantities bettered only by Algeria and Egypt. Potato production is very expensive (R150 000 ha-1), with fertilizers contributing 20%. Potato is highly reliant on steady nutrient supply and any deficiencies result in poor yield. Potato fertilizer demand is higher than that of other crops such as cereals and it has a very unique demand for phosphorus (P), which is vital from its early development to maturity. In addition, potato has a very shallow root system, which compromises P uptake, making most potato cultivars ineffective in nutrient uptake. Therefore, high P fertilizer rates are applied of which <20% is utilized by plants within a few days after application and about a further 4% within the next 10 days, mostly due to fixation. The production of P fertilizer, such as super phosphate (SP) is energy-consuming, costly and emits fluorine. There is also a risk of cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soils and plants due to the heavy fertilisation, posing a risk to human health, animals and aquatic life. Runoff phosphorus leads to eutrophication of water bodies. In addition, P fertilizer production is severely threatened by declining rock phosphate (RP) reserves, expected to hit a low by 2200. This will result in a hike in P fertiliser prices as miners move to low concentration ores. The high demand of P in potato, the environmental and human health risks, the high costs and declining reserves, all call for prudent and sustainable management of P in potato production. Nitrate and ammonium results in contrasting plant metabolism and growth. Most importantly through rhizosphere modification where ammonium supply results in reduced soil pH while nitrate results in increased soil pH. The pH reduction in ammonium supplied soils increases P dissolution and availability while the opposite is noted in nitrate. Most of the studies in this phosphorus-nitrogen interaction have been conducted on tree species, grasses and cereal crops with little done on tuber crops. In addition, the application of RP directly to plants could help cut the emissions, processing costs and environmental contamination associated with chemical P fertiliser production. There is, therefore, an urgent need to develop P fertilizer management systems to effectively manage this finite resource by improving its use efficiency for maximum yield at optimum application rates. To attain this objective, two experiments were conducted, namely a laboratory study to investigate the interaction between nitrogen forms and phosphorus sources in soil columns without a test crop, and a glasshouse pot trial to investigate the same interaction with potato as test crop. The column study treatments comprised of two soil types, N supplied as ammonium or nitrate and three P sources (SP, RP and a P0) to give 12 treatments that were replicated four times to give 48 columns. Mechanical dry packing method was used. The columns were leached with one pore volume over four watering events (1, 21, 42 and 63 days) and terminated on day 90. The leachate was collected in glass bottles at the column bases and analysed for pH, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium contents. A glasshouse pot trial was set up at the University of Pretoria Experimental Farm with potato cultivar Mondial as the test crop over two seasons, with a high and low initial soil P in season one and two, respectively. One minituber was planted per 10 litre pot. Watering was done using a pressure compensated drip irrigation system. Data was collected at tuber initiation (TI) and at the end of the season (ES). Parameters assessed included plant height, dry masses, number of tubers initiated, yield, leaf tissue and soil P status. Significant phosphorus-nitrogen interactions occurred on most assessed parameters in both trials. The exceptions were pH, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium levels, at some stages of the column study. Significant phosphorus-nitrogen interactions were noted at all watering events for both soil and leachate pH, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium concentration. In the pot trial, significant phosphorus-nitrogen interactions were noted for most of the plant measurements at both the TI and ES assessment periods with a few exceptions. Ammonium + SP produced the highest tuber initiation rate and final yield, as well as highest tissue and plant available P levels in both seasons. In the leachate and soils at the end of the column study, as well as at both stages assessed in the pot trial, ammonium treatments tended to have higher P contents. In the pot trial, ammonium treatments gave taller plants, but with lower dry mass compared to nitrate. Nitrate treatments had higher soil and leachate pH compared to ammonium treatments in both trials. Plants supplied with SP tended to have longer haulms and roots, higher haulm and root biomass and higher yield compared to treatments with RP and P0. The findings of these trials indicated that ammonium results in higher phosphorus dissolution (with or without a crop) and uptake by plants due to increased soil acidity. The resulting effect on potato crop is an increase in the number of tubers initiated and higher yields. However, the positive effect of ammonium was mostly achieved in combination with superphosphate. Rock phosphate, despite the increased yields, compared to treatments without P, gave inferior plant performance and is therefore not a worthy substitute for superphosphate. / Dissertation (MSc (Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Plant Production and Soil Science / MSc (Agric) / Unrestricted

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Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a fundamental human right and a critical component of public and environmental health. Inadequate access to WASH facilities and practices can give rise to preventable diarrheal and waterborne diseases, which can have severe consequences on individuals' health and well-being. This is especially true in low- and middle-income countries such as India. To address these issues, the S.M. Sehgal Foundation identified water quality and hygiene needs in Bihar, India, and thus launched a behavior change intervention called "WASH for Healthy Homes." The intervention aimed to promote the use of silver-ceramic pot filters and safe handwashing practices in five communities of the Vaishali District. While behavior change is a common approach to address WASH issues, evaluating the outcomes of such interventions is crucial for determining the most effective strategies and conditions under which they can be successful. Therefore, this study assessed the effectiveness of the WASH for Healthy Homes intervention and identified factors that influenced its success. A mixed methods approach was utilized that combined statistical analyses of pre- and post-intervention survey data with a thematic analysis of interview and focus group discussion data. Results demonstrated that the intervention was successful in increasing the adoption of the silver-ceramic pot filter and overall safe handwashing practices within the study communities. Success of the WASH for Health Homes intervention was facilitated by participants' health concerns, trust in the field coordinator and social peers, the aesthetic appeal of the treated water, and repeated intervention messaging. However, adoption of intervention behaviors was hindered by several factors, including economic barriers, gender roles in decision-making, the effects of children and elderly in the household, and low attendance during intervention sessions. The research findings provide valuable insights that can help nonprofits better design and execute behavior change interventions, especially in the face of increasing WASH challenges. / Master of Science / Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is a basic human right and critical for human health. Unfortunately, many people, especially those in low- and middle-income countries like India, lack adequate access to these facilities, leading to waterborne diseases and other health problems. To address this issue, the S.M. Sehgal Foundation launched a behavior change program called "WASH for Healthy Homes" to promote the use of water filters and safe handwashing practices in rural Bihar, India. To determine the success of the intervention and identify factors that influenced its effectiveness, this study used a variety of methods including statistics, interviews, and focus group discussions. Results showed that the program was successful in increasing the adoption of the filter and safe handwashing practices. Success was due to participants' health concerns, trust in the field coordinator and their peers, the aesthetic appeal of the filtered water, and repeated messaging. However, there were also barriers to adoption, such as economic barriers, gender roles, and low attendance during intervention sessions. These findings are important for nonprofits to better design and execute behavior change interventions in the face of growing WASH challenges.

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Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T13:56:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 385614.pdf: 1063255 bytes, checksum: 5c5392f7d81d1df266ac48b79fe7015b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-08-30 / Esta disserta??o aborda o estudo do controle hier?rquico de tens?o em sistemas de energia el?trica. O foco ? o estudo de um dos n?veis hier?rquicos, chamado de controle secund?rio de tens?o. Para suportar esta disserta??o ? realizada uma extensa revis?o bibliogr?fica sobre o tema, onde s?o analisados os problemas relacionados ao projeto e implementa??o de esquemas de controle secund?rio de tens?o. Uma an?lise sobre a implementa??o desse tipo de controle em programas de fluxo de pot?ncia e de simula??o n?o linear no dom?nio do tempo ? apresentada. Especial aten??o ? dada ao problema de escolha de barras piloto e ?reas de controle de tens?o. ? proposta uma metodologia baseada no algoritmo Fuzzy C-Means para determina??o das ?reas de controle, e seus respectivos geradores, e das barras piloto representativas de cada ?rea. Inicialmente s?o identificadas barras que possuem comportamento do m?dulo de tens?o semelhante frente a uma dada a??o de controle, agrupando-o as em um conjunto chamado de ?rea coerente de tens?o. O pr?ximo passo consiste na avalia??o da possibilidade deste agrupamento compor uma ?rea de controle de tens?o, determinado pela capacidade dos geradores da ?rea de suprir pot?ncia reativa e controlar a tens?o da ?rea. Finalmente, ? escolhida a barra piloto mais representativa do comportamento de cada ?rea. A pr?xima etapa consiste no projeto de uma estrutura de controle secund?rio coordenado de tens?o para equalizar as reservas de pot?ncia reativa do sistema, atrav?s da utiliza??o de um fator de participa??o de gera??o de pot?ncia reativa para cada gerador. A fim de validar a abordagem proposta, s?o realizadas simula??es est?ticas e din?micas utilizando-se o sistema teste New England (39 barras) e o sistema de 230 kV da CEEE - Companhia Estadual de Energia El?trica S.A. (55 barras).

La recherche dans le domaine de la génomique génère de données colossales dont la dimension ne cesse de s'accroître avec la technologie. Pour traiter cette masse d'information, la statistique est devenue un outil indispensable. Ce nouveau type de données représente un véritable challenge dans la mesure où ces données sont de très grande dimension, qu'elles sont très "bruitées" et qu'il n'existe généralement pas de "golden standard" permettant de valider les résultats. Au cours de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'analyse statistique de trois types de données : les puces à ADN, les ChIP-chip et les ChIP-Seq. Pour chacune d'entres elles, une nouvelle approche a été mise au point. Dans le cas des données de puces à ADN, la méthode GAGG permet de détecter les gènes différentiellement exprimés et de les grouper par type de profils. Pour ce faire, un Algorithme Génétique est utilisé de manière à optimiser deux critères liés à des méthodes voisines de l'ACP et des k-means. Pour les données de ChIP-chip, la méthode POTChIPS a été réalisée. Elle permet de repérer sur le génome, les sites de fixation d'une protéine d'intérêt (ex : un facteur de transcription). Dans cette méthode, une extraction des pics du signal est réalisée puis un seuil de significativité est déterminé à partir d'une modélisation POT. Enfin, pour ce qui est des données de ChIP-Seq, l'objectif est le même que pour les ChIP-chip, à savoir, repérer les sites de fixation d'une protéine sur l'ADN. La méthode POTSeq, mise au point au cours de cette thèse, est une adaptation de POTChIPS aux données de ChIP-Seq. / Research in Genomics produces very huge data which still increase with technology. Statistics is becoming essential to treat this amount of information. These new kind of data represent a great challenge in data analysis because of the great dimensions, the important background and the absence of "golden standard" which could allow to validate the obtained results. During this PhD thesis, we focused on statistical analysis for three kinds of data: DNA microarray, ChIP-chip and ChIP-Seq. For each one, a new approach have been proposed. For DNA microarrays, the GAGG method allows to detect differentially expressed genes and to cluster them by profile types. To do so, a Genetic Algorithm is used in order to optimize two criteria related to two nearby methods of PCA and $k$-means. In the case of ChIP-chip data, the POTChIPS method have been proposed. It allows to detect the binding sites of a protein of interest (a transcription factor e.g.) along the genome. In this method a peak extraction i realized then a significant threshold is obtained from a POT modelization. Finally, for ChIP-Seq data, the goal is the same that the one of chIP-chip, i.e., to find on DNA the binding sites of a protein of interest. The POTSeq method is an adaptation of POTChIPS for ChIP-Seq.La méthode POTSeq, mise au point au cours de cette thèse, est une adaptation de POTChIPS aux données de ChIP-Seq.

Les ions phosphiraniums sont connus depuis plus d’une cinquantaine d’année mais leur ouverture C-centrée n’a jamais été décrite. Une telle réactivité permettrait d’obtenir des phosphines β fonctionnalisées de façon innovante ouvrant ainsi la voie à de nouvelles perspectives synthétiques. De nouveaux phosphiranes ainsi que les ions phosphiraniums correspondant ont été synthétisés au travers de réactions innovantes d’alkylations et d’arylations. Ces composés ont par la suite pus être ouverts sélectivement sur le carbone du cycle pour la première fois, ce par l’intermédiaires de différents nucléophiles azotés. La méthodologie proposée au cours de ce projet de thèse a permis l’obtention de composés de type β-aminophosphines innovants tant par la structure que par la voie d’accès. De nombreux paramètres ont pu être étudiés pendant cette étude afin de mieux appréhender les différentes interactions et facteurs régissant cette réactivité singulière. / Phosphiraniums ions are known for more than fifty years. However, heir C-centered ring opening has never been reported. This novel reactivity would grant access to β-functionalized phosphines in an innovative manner, opening the way to new synthetic perspectives. Novel phosphiranes as well as their corresponding phosphiraniums have been synthesized through alkylation and arylation reactions. Then, these compounds were reacted with different nitrogen compounds allowing their ring opening in a C-centered fashion for the very first time. New β-aminophosphines could be accessed this way in regards for their innovative structure and synthetic pathway. Various parameters have been studied to increase our understanding on these specific yet promising reactions.In this line, along this PhD project, interactions and factors which might rule this particular reactivity were screemed.

Thesis (MScAgric (Viticulture and Oenology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The total sale of brandy for 2007 in South Africa was R 7 300 000 000 and local statistics indicate that brandy is by far the most purchased spirit beverage. Sales of brandy even outweigh the total sales for whisky and the forecast for the estimated sales of brandy in the next five years is said to increase by 25%. It is therefore crucial to investigate those factors that influence the production of brandy as better understanding and control of these processes leads to the production of a brandy that is consistent and of premium quality. Many factors influence the final outcome of distillates. Of these factors, the distillation technique, the apparatus used for the purpose of distillation together with the low wine is of utmost importance as they influence the sensory profile and the chemical composition of the distillate. The effect of different variations of pot still designs on the chemical composition and the sensory profile of the resultant distillate was investigated. Five different Pot still variations were used and varied with regards to the design of their pot still head and swans neck apparatus. Two low wines were used for the purpose of distillations and were both from 2007 vintage. GCFID was used to identify the volatile compounds found in the distillates and together with Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) a profile of the distillates was produced which was used to differentiate between the different pot still variations and their effect on the final product. The data generated from the QDA sessions was subjected to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and together with the chemical analysis a correlation between certain compounds and sensory attributes were found in the distillates. Distillate samples were also subjected to a sensory style classification system and were classified accordingly. The chemical composition of the two low wines prior to distillations differed significantly from each other with low wine one containing a larger amount of total esters and carbonyl compounds whilst low wine two contained a larger amount of total higher alcohols and acids. The distillates of low wine one also contained over all larger amounts of total esters and in the case of the distillates of low wine two, they contained larger amounts of higher alcohols and acids than low wine one. Variation one was based on the Alambic Charentais method of pot still design and it was found that only variation one influenced the chemical composition and the sensory profile of the distillates. This variation produced a distillate with a lower amount of total esters and more specifically ethyl acetate as well containing a lower intensity of the fruit and sweet associated caramel aromas and flavours. The esters, ethyl acetate and the ethyl esters of the long chained fatty acids were found to correlate with the sensory attributes known as fruit associated aroma, soapy aroma, and spicy aroma and therefore indicated that these compounds are responsible for these attributes. There were no correlations found between the chemical compounds, sensory attributes and sensory style classifications in the distillates of both low wine one and two. It was shown that the addition of certain esters, carbonyl compounds, higher alcohols and acids in specific ratios could alter the sensory classification of the distillates. Therefore the chemical composition and the sensory characteristics of distillates are largely dependent on the chemical composition of the low wine prior to distillation rather than the pot still design. Therefore, with further research it could be possible to predict the outcome of the chemical composition of the distillates by analyzing the chemical compounds found in the low wine prior to distillation. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die totale verkope aan brandewyn vir 2007 in Suid Afrika beloop R7 300 000 000 en statistiek wys dat brandewyn by verre die mees gesogte spiritus drank is. Verkope van brandewyn is selfs meer as die verkope van whisky en die voorspelling is dat die verkope van brandewyn met 25% gaan vermeerder in die volgende vyf jaar. Dit is dus belangrik om die faktore te ondersoek wat die produksie van brandewyn beïnvloed om sodoende die verstokingsproses te verstaan en te kontroleer om ‘n konsekwente kwaliteitsproduk op die mark te plaas. Baie faktore beïnvloed die finale produk. Faktore soos die distillasie tegnieke, die apperate wat gebruik word vir distillasie tesame met die rabatspiritus is van die uiterste belang aangesien dit die sensoriese profiel en die chemiese samestelling van die distillaat beïnvloed. Die effek van die verskillende variasies van potketelhelms op die chemiese samestelling van die distillate word ondersoek. Vyf verskillende helms met variasies in die swaannek ontwerp was gebruik. Twee verskillende rabatspiritus, van die 2007 oesjaar, was gebruik vir distillasie. GC-FID was gebruik om die vlugtige komponente van die distillate mee vas te stel. Kwantitatiewe Beskrywende Analise (QDA) is gebruik om ‘n profiel van die distillate op te stel wat weer gebruik is om te differensieer tussen die verskillende potketelhelm variasies en hulle effek op die finale produk. Die data wat deur die QDA sessies gegenereer was, is in die Vernaamste Komponent Analise (PCA) ingevoer en tesame met die chemiese analise is ‘n korrelasie tussen sekere komponente en die sensoriese analise van die distillate gevind. Distillaat monsters was ook aan sensoriese styl van klassifikasie onderwerp en is as volg daarvan geklassifiseer. Die chemiese samestelling van die twee rabatspiritus voor finale distillasie het betekenisvol van mekaar verskil ten opsigte daarvan dat die eerste rabatspiritus het hoë konsentrasies esters en karboniel verbindings gehad terwyl die tweede rabatspiritus meer hoë konsentrasies van sure en hoër alkohole gehad het. Die distillaat van die eerste rabatspiritus het ook hoë konsentrasies esters en karboniel verbindings gehad terwyl die distillaat van die tweede rabatspiritus weer hoë konsentrasies van sure en hoër alkohole gehad het. Variasie een is gebaseer op die Alambic Charentais van potketel ontwerp en daar is ook gevind dat hierdie variasie die enigste een was wat die chemiese samestelling en die sensoriese profiel van die distillate beïnvloed het. Hierdie variasie het ‘n distillaat geproduseer wat lae konsentrasies van totale esters, veral etielasetaat, sowel as laer intensiteit van vrugtige en soet geassosieerde karamel aromas en geure. Die esters, etielasetaat en etiel esters van die lang ketting vetsure, is gevind dat dit goed korreleer met die sensoriese eienskappe wat geassosieer word met vrugtige aromas, spesery-agtige aromas en seperige aromas. Daar is geen korrelasie gevind tussen die chemiese verbindings, sensoriese eienskappe en sensoriese styl van klassifikasie van distillate een en twee nie. Dit was ook bewys dat byvoeging van esters, karboniel verbindings, sure en hoër alkohole, in spesifieke verhoudings, die sensoriese eienskappe kan verander. Dus is die chemiese samestelling en sensoriese eienskappe van die distillate grootliks afhanklik van die chemiese samestelling van die rabatspiritus, voor die tweede distillasie, as wat dit afhanklik is van die potketelhelm ontwerp. Gevolglik, met verdere v navorsing, is dit moontlik om die uitkoms van die chemiese samestelling van die distillaat te voorspel deur die analise van die chemiese verbindings van die rabatspiritus te ontleed.

Les synthèses « one pot » multi-étapes efficaces et éco-compatibles ont été envisagées pour la synthèse de molécules potentiellement bioactives tels que les systèmes bis(bibenzyliques) et leurs précurseurs stilbéniques ou bibenzyliques par catalyse hétérogène au palladium. Une synthèse « one-pot » impliquant une réaction de couplage de Heck suivie d’une hydrogénation des stilbènes ainsi formés a été mise au point en présence de Pd/C. Cette stratégie c’est révélée être limitée lors de l’application à des substrats désactivés et stériquement encombrées. Couplée au manque de disponibilité commerciale d’oléfines aromatiques intéressantes pour nos objectifs, nous avons mis au point une synthèse de styrènes par catalyse hétérogène à partir d’halogénures d’aryles et du vinyltrifluoroborate de potassium impliquant un couplage de Suzuki-Miyaura. Cette vinylation hétérogène a été ensuite appliquée à la synthèse « one-pot » de stilbènes. Des études d’optimisation de ce procédé sont encore en cours. Les stilbènes ainsi obtenus ont été utilisée pour la synthèse de bis(bibenzyles) ouverts et fermés. Pour ce faire différentes stratégies « one-pot » ont été évaluées au cours de ces travaux et des bis(stilbènes) ont été obtenus avec des rendements compris entre 30% et 50%. Les bis(stilbènes) ainsi obtenus ont été l’objet d’études en hydrogénation. A ce jour aucune de nos tentatives n’a permis l’obtention de bis(bibenzyles) quelles que soient les conditions employées. Des études sont en cours pour comprendre les raisons de ces résultats et obtenir les bis(bibenzyles) cibles de nos travaux / “One-pot” strategy, powerful tools for the creation of molecular complexity, has been applied in the synthesis of possible bioactive molecules such bis(bibenzyls) systems and their precursors stilbenes and bibenzyles using heterogeneous palladium catalysts. In this work a “one-pot” synthesis concerning a Heck coupling reaction followed by in situ hydrogenation with Pd/C has been studied for the synthesis of bibenzyl derivates. We have observed limitations for deactivated and hindered substrates. Moreover due to the low commercially availability of aromatic styrenes we focused our attention on the development of new heterogeneous vinylation reaction starting from aromatic halides and potassium vinyltrifluoroborate through a Suzuki coupling reaction. This strategy was then applied to “one-pot” stilbenes synthesis. The study is still under investigation in our laboratory. The synthesized stilbenes have been used as precursors in the synthesis of cyclic or acyclic bis(bibenzyls) derivates. Many different “one-pot” strategies have been developed that allowed to reach yields of bis(stilbenes) between 30% and 50% in only one step. Bis(stilbenes) have been objects of investigation as what concerned the hydrogenation. However every effort has not yet been successful under our reaction conditions. Studies are still in progress to understand the reasons of these results and to obtain bis(bibenzyls) systems, target of our research