Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / In the United States, accurately predicting the agricultural industry’s future demand for new farm machinery is a complicated, challenging and ever-changing issue. To compound the matter; as the size of large farm machinery continues to increase, the annualized sales volume is decreasing over time. This thesis also finds that recent mandates applicable to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) diesel engine emission compliance and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Section 179 tax code may help with forecasting the demand for farm machinery on an annual basis. This thesis evaluates factors that affect the annual unit demand of combines in the United States. Due to the lack of published literature on this specific topic, a survey of John Deere dealership sales professionals who have had recent experience selling new combines to farmers was used. This perspective brings to light factors that impact industry demand for new combines. This study results in an empirical regression model with independent variables based on the survey results. A thorough understanding of the independent variables can aid in predicting the future demand for combines. This work indicates that forty years of historical data proves to provide enough variability such that statistically significant variables are identified to accurately predict future sales. Statistically significant factors that affect the annual unit sales volume of combines in the United States include: Interest Rate, Net Cash Income, IRS Section 179 Tax Code, Planted Acres and Combine Capacity. Future industry demand is predicted by applying forecasted estimates to the model’s applicable independent variables.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Terry Griffin / Large acreage farms and even moderate sized farms employing custom applicators and harvesters have multiple machines in the same field at the same time conducting the same field operation. As a method to control input costs and minimize application overlap, these machines have been equipped with automatic section control (ASC). For nearly all these multiple-vehicle operations, over application is a concern especially for more irregularly shaped fields; however modern technology including automated guidance combined with automatic section control allow reduced doubling of input application including seeds, fertilizer, and spray. Automatic section control depends on coverage maps stored locally on each vehicle to determine whether or not to apply input products and up to now, there has not been a clear method to share these maps between vehicles in the same field. Without sharing coverage maps, an individual ASC planting unit only has location data where it has applied individually and no location data for where other planting units have applied seed in that same field. Automatic section control relies upon shared coverage maps to be continually updated between each planting unit and utilizes existing machine telematics infrastructure for map data sharing. Telematics utilizes a cloud computing platform and cellular connectivity which in rural areas is known to have limited service levels. Planting operations were simulated for two 16-row planters, each using two John Deere GreenStar3 2630 monitors, simulated GPS location data stream, electronic rate control units, and individual row unit clutches to have control at the finest granularity. Each simulated planting unit is equipped with automatic section control and telematics gateways to share coverage map data from the first planting unit to JDLink cloud infrastructure then out to the second. This study evaluates the impact that field size and shape have on using multiple ASC planters and coverage map sharing, and estimates seed cost savings from reducing over application because coverage maps are shared between planting units. The impact of sharing coverage maps with both planting units using field boundaries with automatic section control and without using field boundaries were evaluated. Guidance line headings were determined using AgLeader SMS’s mission planning feature to minimize the number of passes across each field based on the field boundary and implement width. Each field was run twice using parallel tracking, once each with and without coverage map sharing to observe the extent of over application. The field level data were then taken to examine a fictious 3,000 acre farming operation where the field level data was used as a partial composition of the farm operation. An embedded Microsoft Excel macro was used to create 8,008 different composition scenarios to determine farm level savings. The average farm savings was $58,909 per year. Additionally, using the 8,008 scenarios, time value of money was examined to determine the the minimum area required annually for five years for this technology to pay back. The average was 133 acres each year for five years. Equipment manufacturers and farmers have interest in these results. In general, equipment manufacturers desire to create a service-based product to be sold such that continual revenue path provides value added services after the precision agriculture hardware is sold. In this study, the existing telematics product offerings are tied to shared coverage maps to provide a value-add to an existing service. Farmers want to ensure this is a sound equipment investment with payback in a relatively short time period. As farm input costs continue to rise especially relative to crop prices, reducing over application will be critical to limit waste.

Division 8 is a prototype single player adventure game that challenges players to solve a story in a sci-fi fantasy world. Based on an Afrofuturist framework, Division 8 is designed to educate, engage and inform players on the affordable housing crisis. The concept of Division 8 is to parallel the section 8 housing vouchers system. In the United States, housing choice vouchers (popularly known as “Section 8”), subsidizes families’ rental payments so they can lease housing that they would otherwise not be able to afford.[1] Unlike games like the Redistricting game and the Westchester game that attempt to capture the housing crisis and housing history of the United States, Division 8 utilizes an interactive narrative to integrate players traveling through the reality of the public housing system. The objective of the game is to explore the convoluted paths and unravel the incentives of characters in the affordable housing crisis. Players will click through different character interactions and dialogue boxes to investigate, analyze and garner information. In making moves, players must consider not only the stories that will assist in solving the puzzle of surviving the housing system, but also the inherent knowledge and subtle clues that are embedded within the game’s framework. The end-state is reached once the player discovers the incentives of characters and ultimately, what decisions lead to the unsuccessful policies of the public housing system.

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic channels, fabricated using low cost and simple soft lithography methods, conventionally have rectangular cross-sections. Despite being often used for organs-on-a-chip and cardiovascular research, these devices do not mimic the circular cross-sections of blood vessels in the human body, creating potential inaccuracies in observed flow conditions and cell behaviours. The purpose of this thesis is to (i) compare and optimize fabrication techniques for microchannels with circular cross-sections, (ii) assess biocompatibility of different surface functionalization approaches for Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) adhesion and growth, (iii) culture HUVECs within circular microchannels to mimic blood vessel features, and (iv) compare gene expression of HUVECs cultured in 3D circular microchannels to those cultured on 2D surfaces. We show that wire molding is superior to the gas stream technique for producing circular cross-section microchannels with high aspect ratios, circularity, and channel geometry precision. Fibronectin (FN) and polydopamine (PD) surface coatings on PDMS, as well as alternative collagen substrates, were tested for biocompatibility with HUVECs in 2D cultures; fibronectin coated PDMS (PDMS-FN) substrates facilitated cell attachment, spreading and growth. We demonstrate the capability of growing HUVECs on the inner surface of circular PDMS microchannels created using the wire-mold method and treated with fibronectin. A syringe pump was used to induce shear stress on the HUVECs grown in circular microchannels. Relative to static growth conditions, longer cell culture growth periods were more feasible under flow and altered cell morphology was observed. Finally, Microarray analysis revealed significantly different gene expression profiles for HUVECs cultured within PDMS-FN circular cross-section microchannels as compared to HUVECs cultured on PDMS-FN in a 2D environment, thereby highlighting the critical importance of in vitro conditions for mimicking the in vivo reality.

Orientador: Eliana Martorano Amaral / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T15:29:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira_CristianeMenabo_M.pdf: 2436149 bytes, checksum: d5b0e854b0557df822a87c69461aaeee (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Objetivo: Avaliar a efetividade e segurança do uso do eletrocautério para coagulação na da ferida operatória da cesárea. Métodos: Foi realizado um ensaio clínico piloto duplo cego controlado aleatorizado. Mulheres com indicação de cesárea, com até uma cesárea prévia, que fizeram pré-natal foram aleatorizadas na hora da cirurgia para uso ou não de eletrocautério para coagulação. As 224 voluntárias que participaram foram examinadas na alta hospitalar (3o dia) e pós-alta, no 7°.ao 10° dia e 30° ao 40° dia. Foram avaliados sinais infecciosos, hematoma, seroma e deiscência. A amostra foi calculada baseada em uma prevalência de infecção pós-alta de 14,4%, estimando-se um risco adicional de 15% para o grupo com uso de eletrocautério, totalizando 224 voluntárias. Os dados foram analizados por intenção de tratamento e a razão de risco foi calculada. Resultados: Os grupos foram similares quanto à demografia, paridade, consultas de pré-natal, índice de massa corporal e cesárea prévia. Durante a internação, apenas 2,8% das mulheres com uso de eletrocautério apresentaram complicações na ferida operatória. As taxas de complicações alcançaram 15,4% no grupo sem cautério, chegando a 23% no outro grupo, 7-10 dias pós-alta (RR=1,50 0,84-2,60). Foram observadas poucas complicações no 30° ao 40°dia e no grupo sem cautério (RR=1,15, 95% IC=0,61-2,16). A cesárea durou 105 e 100 minutos sem e com cautério, respectivamente (p=0,54). Não foi observada nenhuma arritmia cardíaca neonatal. Conclusão: O uso de cautério não se mostrou de maior risco para complicações na ferida operatória de cesárea, sendo necessários mais estudos que deem continuidade e ampliem os conhecimentos em procedimentos realizados em gestantes / Abstract: Purpose: To estimate the risk for wound complications when electrocautery is available for coagulation during cesarean section. Methods: A randomized controlled trial of using electrocautery for coagulation was performed among 224 women with none or one previous cesarean who had their pregnancy terminated with an abdominal delivery. Volunteers who accepted to participate were examined before discharge (3rd day), when the skin suture was removed (7-10 days), and 30-40 days after surgery. Infection signs, haematoma, seroma, and scar dehiscence were searched during visits. Sample size was calculated based on 14.4% prevalence of infection after discharge, estimating 15% added risk for the group using electrocautery, totalizing 224 volunteers. Unadjusted and adjusted prevalence risk (age, schooling, obesity, previous cesarean) were calculated. Results: Both groups were similar regarding demographics, parity, antenatal care, body mass index, and previous cesarean. During hospital stay, none among 96 women without electrocautery, and 2.8% of 97 women using electrocautery showed wound complications. The figures reached 15.4% and 23% respectively after 7-10 days (unadjusted RR = 1.50, 0.84-2.60). Few other complications were observed later, only among the non-intervention group (RR=1.15, 95% CI = 0.61-2.16). The lack of effect was maintained after adjusting for age, schooling, obesity, and previous cesarean (RR=1.47, 0.77-2.81). Surgical procedure lasted 105 and 100 minutes for both groups (p=0.54). No neonatal arrhythmia was observed. Conclusion: There is no evidence to recommend the use of electrocautery for coagulation during cesarean delivery. Wound complications were concentrated on post-discharge period for both groups / Mestrado / Tocoginecologia / Mestre em Tocoginecologia

This dissertation examines three health and development issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. It analyzes the impact of policy changes and interventions on child mortality, household food consumption and cesarean section births. The study is motivated by the Millennium Development Goals and policies which could affect their achievement. In the first essay, I investigate the impact of debt relief on under-five mortality rate. A dynamic panel data estimator is employed in the analysis. The result shows that debt relief is associated with a statistically significant reduction in under-five mortality rate. I conclude that conditionality of debt relief or development aid can yield positive outcomes. The second essay examines the impact of private hospitals on the likelihood of cesarean section births in Uganda. The study is motivated by the increase in cesarean section births following the proliferation of private hospitals. The main method of estimation is a bivariate probit model. The results show that delivery at private hospitals increases the probability of cesarean section births, thus there is need to monitor private hospitals so that expectant mothers are protected from physician induced demand for avoidable cesarean section births. The final essay studies the impact of agricultural extension services on household food consumption in Uganda. The study exploits the variation in participation in the NAADS to estimate the impact of the program on household food consumption. I find that NAADS membership and training are associated with an increase in household food consumption, hence agricultural extension services can be used to reduce food insecurity. Policy recommendations and future studies are explored.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Methods to improve women’s health have become an urgent global priority. Development of clinical guidelines is viewed as a way of improving the quality of health care in South Africa. At present there are no physiotherapy guidelines for women post-caesarean section delivery (CSD) and post-hysterectomy, which are the most common procedures performed by obstetricians and gynaecologists. South African women have the highest HIV-prevalence rates in the world, but there is a global dearth of literature on common postoperative complications for this cohort of women. The aim of this study was to provide evidence supporting the development of physiotherapy clinical guidelines relevant for HIV-infected and HIV non-infected women following caesarean section delivery and hysterectomy. The overall design of the study was prospective, descriptive and explanatory, with longitudinal, comparative and cross-sectional components incorporated at the different phases of the study. An amalgamated four-phase conceptual framework with specific objectives per phase was used to achieve the study aim. Phases 1 and 2 were conducted at four public hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. Phase 1 identified the long-term complications and quality of life for HIV-infected and non-infected women post-CSD (N=310) and hysterectomy (N=101) over a six- month period; phase 2, which was cross-sectional in nature, identified treatment strategies and complications described by physiotherapists (N=31) for this cohort of women. Purposive probability sampling and purposive convenient sampling was used to select potential participants for phases 1 and 2. A self-administrated questionnaire with close and open-ended questions was used in the first two phases of the study. During phase 3, a systematic review and Delphi method (N=12) were used to investigate current management strategies of representative physiotherapists. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants who are considered as experts in the field of women’s health, for the Delphi study. The information from phases 1 to 3 was collated in phase 4 to provide the evidence to inform the development of the clinical guidelines. Phase 1 revealed that physical health complications commonly persisted for at least six months and negatively affected the quality of life of women post-CSD or post-hysterectomy. Phase 2 showed that very few patients post-CSD and hysterectomy were being referred for physiotherapy, and of those referred, the main problem being treated was respiratory complications. A systematic review of the literature yielded only one article relevant to the outcome of management of patients post- hysterectomy, thus illustrating the dearth of literature in this area. The experts who were consulted for the Delphi study suggested treatment techniques for the postoperative complications identified in phase 1, and consensus was reached on the techniques in the second Delphi round. The results were then collated in the final phase and presented in tables containing the identified problem, treatment and best available evidence to move towards the development of the guidelines. The common postoperative morbidities that were identified in this study can be prevented or treated with physiotherapy, but information is needed in this area to guide treatment practices. The prevention of postoperative complications can result in a decrease in demand for services, thereby reducing the current strain on the health system. The current study contributed to 18 of the 23 criteria in the appraisal of guidelines for research and an evaluation tool. The conceptual framework used to generate the evidence can also be employed in other facets of health care. In order to improve the quality of health care rendered to women, health care professionals require a complete picture of their patient. This research adds to the body of knowledge in an area where there is a dearth of literature and provides a platform to develop clinical guidelines. No national research exists that compares the postoperative complications of HIV-infected and non-infected women, which is essential to enable comprehensive care of HIV-infected women. The guidelines that will be developed can improve the quality of health care rendered to women, and establish the role of physiotherapists in this area.

Magister Legum - LLM / The aim of this research paper has been to answer the question whether the actions of the National Treasury in invoking section 216(2) of the Constitution in respect of the 59 municipalities for debt owed in arrears to the creditors Eskom and the water boards, has been legal. Did its decision meet the substantive requirements as well as the procedural requirements as set under the legal framework of the Constitution and the MFMA? The second question was to assess the value in using the intervention against defaulting municipalities, by looking at whether the intervention was effective and what impact did it have on the defaulting municipalities.

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The B.C.-CCF was formed in late 1932 shortly after the formation of the national CCF party. In November of the following year the B.C. party ran in its first election and secured sufficient support to become the official opposition. The party's executive, spurred by the prospects and hopes of its eventual election as government and in response to its need for a moderate image, selected a retired Anglican minister as House leader. The choice of Robert Connell as House leader was not, however, unanimous. Die hard socialists with different interpretations of society and the role the party should play in achieving social change, fought Connell*s leadership and received sufficient support to mount an intensive intraparty campaign of harassment and criticism. Connell's critics were successful, as a result, in making his leadership intolerable and the subsequent weight of circumstances led him to imprudently reject party convention decisions because they favoured his left wing opponents. This action both isolated him from the rank and file and gave his critics, then in control of the party's executive, an excuse to expel him for his treachery and apostasy. His leadership ended less than three years after it had begun and he became one of three B.C. party leaders dethroned during this period by his party. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate