Human red blood cells (RBCs) must undergo severe deformation to pass through narrow capillaries and submicronic splenic slits for several hundred thousand times in their normal lifespan. Studies of RBC biomechanics have been mainly focused on cell deformability measured from a single application of stress using classical biomechanical techniques, such as optical tweezers and micropipette aspiration. Mechanical fatigue effect on RBCs under cyclic loadings of stress that contributes to the membrane failure in blood circulation is not fully understood. This research developed a new experimental method for mechanical fatigue testing of RBCs using amplitude-modulated electro-deformation technique. Biomechanical parameters of individually tracked RBCs show strong correlations with the number of the loading cycles. Effects of loading configurations on the cellular fatigue behavior of RBCs is further studied. The results uniquely establish the important role of mechanical fatigue in influencing physical properties of biological cells. They further provide insights into the accumulated membrane damage during blood circulation, paving the way for further investigations of the eventual failure of RBCs in various hemolytic pathologies. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2019. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation (1976), psoriasis is a little known and poorly understood skin disease afflicting an estimated eight million victims in the United States. About fifteen thousand new cases of psoriasis are diagnosed each year. It affects men and women in equal numbers at any age, most often between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five.

The aim of this study was to fulfil two purposes: to gain deeper insights into what young children think about their teachers, and to examine the effectiveness of different methodologies which are designed to elicit information from school beginners. By employing a variety of qualitative techniques, the study focussed on the development of research methodologies specifically appropriate to this age group. Although the results of the study suggest that the children perceive teachers as performing the more obvious didactic and authoritarian roles, they also indicate an awareness of the managerial aspects of teaching. The data also suggested that the children placed greater emphasis on the teachers role as an entertainer than as a nurturer. An examination of the results in relation to the methodologies used, indicates the possibilities of further developing the drawing and interview technique for use by classroom teachers. The research highlights some interesting implications for teachers. A better understanding of childrens views about classroom practices may influence teachers decisions about how they wish to fulfil their roles and functions.

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Stakeholder driven research has been advocated to link hydroclimatic research with the needs and capabilities of groups affected by climatic variability and related governmental policies. A stakeholder driven research agenda was designed, focusing on hydroclimatic forecasts and their assessment, within the context of an interdisciplinary integrated assessment of the vulnerability of diverse stakeholders to climate variability in the U.S. Southwest. Water management, ranching, and wildland fire management stakeholders were solicited for their input. Their perspectives about hydroclimatic variability and opportunities for using hydroclimatic forecasts differed widely. Many individuals were uninformed or had mistaken impressions about seasonal hydroclimatic forecasts, but understood practical differences between forecasts for "normal" conditions and "nonforecasts" having total uncertainty. Uncertainty about the accuracy of forecasts precludes their more effective use, as does difficulty in distinguishing between "good" and "bad" information. A survey of hydroclimatic forecasting confirmed stakeholder perceptions and identified improvements in hydrologic predictability that could be rapidly incorporated into current operations. Users faced a complex and evolving mix of forecasts available from many sources, but few corresponding interpretive materials or reviews of past performance. Contrasts between the state of meteorologic and hydrologic forecasting were notable, especially in the former's greater operational flexibility and more rapid incorporation of new observations and research products. The research agenda uses predictions as the linkage between stakeholders and scientific advances in observations (e.g., snow conditions) or process understanding. The agenda focuses on two areas: (1) incremental improvement of seasonal water supply forecasts, and (2) improvement of stakeholder perceptions of forecasts through ongoing forecast assessments. A forecast evaluation framework was developed that provides consistency in assessing different forecast products, in ways that that allow individuals to access results at the level they are capable of understanding, while offering opportunity for shifting to more sophisticated criteria. Using the framework, seasonal temperature and precipitation outlooks issued by the National Weather Service were evaluated, considering regions, lead times, seasons, and criteria relevant to different stakeholders. Evaluations that reflect specific user perspectives provide different assessments of forecast performance. Frequently updated, targeted forecast evaluations should be available to potential users.

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Testing on laboratory-housed primates has long been the standard for research in cognitive psychology and other areas. As an alternative to this, a group of socially housed chacma baboons (Papio hamadrayas ursinus) at the Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education near Phalaborwa in Limpopo Province, South Africa, were the subjects for a set of basic cognitive tests. The purpose of the tests was to explore the importance of analogical reasoning by means of testing perceptual and conceptual skills in baboons. The main aim of this research is to investigate the degree to which captive but socially housed baboons are useful as experimental subjects, and to develop an apparatus and protocol to perform these tests in situ in the baboons' home cages. Five baboons were chosen as the subjects for experimentation. All subjects completed three groups of tasks to a criterion of at least 80% success over four successive experiments. The tasks tested baboons' discrimination ability between two coloured tiles, a reversal of that same discrimination task, and a simple match to- sample task. As a result of time constraints, further tasks testing conceptual ability had to be abandoned. A record was kept of environmental and social factors that may have influenced the motivation of the subjects. The time taken to complete each experiment correlated in many cases with the number of distractions experienced by the subjects. There appeared to be no significant correlation between the score attained by a subject and the number of distractions experienced by that subject. The greater number of distractions experienced by the subjects was a result of the more engaged social world in which these baboons exist. Consequently, their motivation to perform repetitive cognitive tests was decreased, and needed to be countered in novel ways. An apparatus and a protocol for testing under these conditions were developed. Testing baboons' cognitive skills in these circumstances is both possible and desirable for ethical reasons, though the process takes longer than under laboratory conditions. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004

abstract: Driven by concern over environmental, economic and social problems, small, place based communities are engaging in processes of transition to become more sustainable. These communities may be viewed as innovative front runners of a transition to a more sustainable society in general, each one, an experiment in social transformation. These experiments present learning opportunities to build robust theories of community transition and to create specific, actionable knowledge to improve, replicate, and accelerate transitions in real communities. Yet to date, there is very little empirical research into the community transition phenomenon. This thesis empirically develops an analytical framework and method for the purpose of researching community transition processes, the ultimate goal of which is to arrive at a practice of evidence based transitions. A multiple case study approach was used to investigate three community transitions while simultaneously developing the framework and method in an iterative fashion. The case studies selected were Ashton Hayes, a small English village, BedZED, an urban housing complex in London, and Forres, a small Scottish town. Each community was visited and data collected by interview and document analysis. The research design brings together elements of process tracing, transformative planning and governance, sustainability assessment, transition path analysis and transition management within a multiple case study envelope. While some preliminary insights are gained into community transitions based on the three cases the main contribution of this thesis is in the creation of the research framework and method. The general framework and method developed has potential for standardizing and synthesizing research of community transition processes leading to both theoretical and practical knowledge that allows sustainability transition to be approached with confidence and not just hope. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Sustainability 2011