A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the existing evidence on marijuana use and its association, or the absence of an association, with an increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and/or chronic respiratory symptoms. We hypothesize that a systematic review will not demonstrate sufficient evidence to determine that marijuana use increases the risk of developing COPD, lung cancer, and/or chronic respiratory symptoms. The term “chronic respiratory symptoms” encompasses the following: cough, sputum production, wheeze, shortness of breath, acute bronchitis, and chest tightness. The following databases were searched for the topics of marijuana smoking, COPD, lung cancer, and chronic respiratory symptoms: MEDLINE (PubMed/OvidSP), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycINFO, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and Google Scholar. The search ended September 7th, 2016. Studies were initially limited only by the requirement that they were based upon human research and published in English. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), prospective or retrospective cohort studies, case control studies, or cross‐sectional studies. A total of 739 articles were screened for eligibility, 17 unique studies met the inclusion criteria and underwent qualitative analysis1‐17. The quality of systematic reviews was evaluated using the AMSTAR criteria18; cohort, case‐control, and cross sectional studies were evaluated based upon the Newcastle‐Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS) 19. No RCTs were identified. The overall quality of the evidence for each outcome was determined by utilizing the GRADE methodology20‐21. Studies were primarily assessed by a single reviewer, with random validation of assessments on a limited number of studies by a second reviewer. Overall, there is very low quality evidence that assesses for an association between marijuana smoking and an increased risk of developing lung cancer, COPD, and/or chronic respiratory symptoms. There was no conclusive finding for lung cancer and COPD. However, seven of eight studies concluded that there was an association between marijuana use and chronic respiratory symptoms. The totality of evidence describing any associations between marijuana smoking and the risk of developing lung cancer, COPD, and/or chronic respiratory symptoms is not strong enough to confidently state that marijuana use is associated with any of these chronic pulmonary conditions. Of all the evidence examined in this systematic review, the most convincing appears to be that relating to a potential positive association between marijuana smoking and the risk of developing chronic respiratory symptoms. Unfortunately, the overall quality of evidence was very low due to significant methodological weaknesses within the studies. Thus, there is insufficient evidence in the current literature to make a definitive statement regarding this possible association.

In the present work we study behaviour of tools intended for code review and how they aim at eliminating security vulnerabilities. There is a lot of such tools, but a smaller set of them suffice to effectively improve the security of software. We provide results of empirical testing of these tools on artificial data in order to map vulnerability classes they are able to identify and also on real data in order to test their scalability.

Thesis (M.Sc.(O.T.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Studies of patients presenting with brain abscess (BA) and Empyema are not routinely focused on occupational therapy (OT). There is a paucity of literature on deficits other than hemiplegia. Aims of this study were to determine the relationship between BA, Empyema, motor and other deficits and whether an OT intervention protocol is needed. Record review was used to establish clinical presentation trends. Hemiplegia was the most common motor deficit and the majority scored below the norm on the Beery- Buktenika Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (VMI). Patients with Brain Abscess generally had more significant deficits than those with Empyema for both motor and process deficits. Part B followed up a small sample (n=8) which indicated clinical improvement on the VMI test with the score on the supplemental test of motor coordination remaining a concern. Occupational Therapy is recommended to address these issues based on the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework-II.

Research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witswatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health in the field of Hospital Management / Background: Use of drugs in maternity unit plays a major role in maternal health service delivery. Therefore, drug use during pregnancy requires close monitoring which includes prescription of appropriate medication to their diagnosis, correct doses, and adequate period of time. Drugs are also one of the major cost drivers in health facilities. Although maternal health services are receiving increasing attention in South Africa, very few systematic studies have been done to analyze this important component (prescribing patterns and costs of drugs) of maternal health care services in a district hospital setting. Aims: The overall aim of the study is to assess the drugs utilized in a maternity ward at Pretoria West District Hospital (A district hospital in the Tshwane District in the Gauteng Province) and the factors that might influence its use and their cost over a period of one year. Methodology: Cross-section study design was used. Retrospective review of hospital records was undertaken for 2087 maternal patient deliveries during one year study period (01 January to December 2009) and no primary data was collected. Data was extracted for variables used in the study (quantity and cost of drug used, profile of patients). The study commenced after obtaining necessary approval from the Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development and University of the 2 Witwatersrand “Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical)’. Results: The study found that all the patients were prescribed iron supplements. The second most commonly prescribed drugs are uterotonics. Besides these two items other prescription drugs were prescribed to 7% of patients. Postnatal contraceptives were seldom used. The most commonly used antibiotic was Ceftriaxone. Bezylpenicillin was prescribed only for one RPR positive patient during one month. Only 13% HIV positive received antiretrovirals which is too low as compared to number of mothers delivered. The study found underprescription of anti-hypertensive drugs. Low use of parenteral analgesics signifies that probably patients were not given adequate pain relief during labour and this policy should be reviewed. The quantity of biological vaccines (BCG and oral polio) was prescribed routinely for all the newborn babies. However, the antiretrovirals (Zidovudine and Nevirapine syrups) were prescribed for fewer newborn babies (n= 51), in comparison to total number of babies born to a HIV positive mothers (n=266) and of concern. Total cost for the drugs used during one year study period was R 113,664.56. The average costs per mother and newborn babies were R 39.40 and R 15.08 respectively. Routine availability of affordable and effective drugs is one of the key indicators of quality health. The study showed that affordable and effective drugs were readily available in the Unit. Conclusion: This is probably the first study that documented the use of drugs in the maternity unit in a district hospital. Further prospective study would be able to provide more information in this important subject.

MSc, Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / The characterisation of oral and maxillofacial histopathology found in children has been reported from developed countries of the west and in some developing countries in Africa but as yet not from South Africa. A retrospective study was designed to evaluate the epidemiological features of paediatric oral and maxillofacial histopathology seen at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Division of Oral Pathology from January 1987 to December 2007. A total of 1,258 children ≤ 16 years of age with histologically confirmed disease in the oral and/or maxillofacial region were recorded, with a male to female ratio of 1:1,05. A progressive increase in the frequency of oral and maxillofacial lesions was seen with increase in the age of the patient. Most lesions were concentrated in the 13-16 year age group (41,5%). Pathology involving the jaw bones formed the largest category of all oral and maxillofacial pathologies (40% of the total number of cases) and was predominated by odontogenic cysts and tumours (61,8%). Odontogenic tumours showed a significantly higher frequency in children over 12-years of age (P=0,006). A higher frequency of unicystic ameloblastoma than in the literature was noted. The remaining pathology, in decreasing order of frequency, involved the oral and perioral soft tissues (31,6%), the salivary glands (18%), oral mucosa (8,9%) and dental hard tissues (1,7%). Most lesions of soft tissue and salivary gland were reactive / inflammatory in nature and were outweighed by fibro-epithelial polyps and extravasation mucoceles respectively. Nearly two-thirds of the oral mucosal lesions were benign Human Papilloma Virus-induced lesions. Malignant neoplasms comprised 4,1% of the total number of cases with Burkitt’s lymphoma emerging as the most common malignancy. Although the smallest number of biopsy specimens was obtained from children younger than 5-years of age, the likelihood of a malignant diagnosis in the latter age group was substantially higher than in older children.

This paper sought to accomplish three goals. First, it provided a systematic, comparative review of several intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Second, it summarized problems and solutions presented and solved by developers of ITS by consolidating the knowledge of the field into a single review. Third, it provided a unified language from which ITS can be reviewed and understood in the same context. The findings of this review centered on the 5-Component Framework. The first component, the domain model, showed that most ITS are focused on science, technology, and mathematics. Within these fields, ITS generally have mastery learning as the desired level of understanding. The second component, the tutor model, showed that constructivism is the theoretical strategy that informs most ITS. The tutoring tactics employed in the ITS stem from this paradigm. The third component, the student model, describes the several ways ITS infer what a student knows. It described the variety of data that is collected by an ITS and how it is used to build the student model. The fourth component, the interface, revealed that most ITS are now web-based, but vary in their capacity to interact with students. It also showed that user experience is underreported and ought to be included more in the research. Finally, the fifth component, learning gains, demonstrated that ITS are capable of producing learning gains equivalent to a human tutor. However, reporting learning gains does not seem to be a focus of the literature.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-139). / by Kelsey Allyn Jordahl. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 1999 [February 1999] / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson. / Ph.D.

The purpose of this study was to consider how the rooting of cuttings may be affected by such methods and factors as: type of cutting, time of year when cuttings are best taken, differences between individual species, use of chemicals for the treatment of cuttings, rooting media, and the care of cuttings in the propagation beds. In the past 35 years scientists have done considerable experimenting with the application of organic chemicals on the roots, stems and leaves of various plants. These organic chemicals have come to be known as "plant hormones" or "plant regulators." They have proved to be extremely useful and have affected the plants in rather unusual ways. Growth regulating chemicals are no longer on trial. They now are being used with several kinds of farm crops and ornamental plants. Hormones or growth regulators are chemical substances, made in one part of an organism and transported to other parts where they produce their effects, and they are effective in very minute amounts. This paper will give the present status of knowledge on the use and effectiveness of growth regulators in plant propagation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wyoming, 2006. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 18, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-238).