Approaches to projects and development have undergone considerable change in the last decade with significant policy shifts on governance, gender, poverty eradication, and environmental issues. Most recently this has led to the adoption and promotion of the sustainable livelihood (SL) approach. The adoption of the SL approach presents challenges to development interventions including: the future of projects and programmes, and sector wide approaches (SWAPs) and direct budgetary support. This paper `An Appraisal of the use of livelihoods approaches in South Africa¿ is the second in the series of project working papers. This is the output of a literature review and series of interviews on sustainable livelihood approaches, projects, programmes and sector wide approaches in South Africa. / Department for International Development

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:31:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre David Medeiros-1.pdf: 2241104 bytes, checksum: 2474b0cdd4a080e937967b0552c2b175 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-23 / The telecommunications services quality, as well as several other products in the telecommunications area, is strongly linked to the suppliers services levels quality. These services levels can, however, be measured andevaluated by objective criteria and from a service level agreement between service supplier and customer, this agreement is called SLA. In this study a methodology is proposed for the elaboration of the SLA documentation model, that takes care the business model necessity.This methodology is structuralized in the politics and processes of service quality described by the international norms and standards like Management Forum, ITU, IETF and ITIL. The modeling of the SLA documentation was applied in a practical case of multi-service networks, based in IP networks, resulting in the system specification of the quality service level to be contracted with services supplier. The application of this methodology resulted in improvements for both sides, regarding the reduction in operational costs, the correction of processes and procedures, and a high reliability and transparency in the commercial relation. / A qualidade dos servi?os de telecomunica??es, assim como a de v?rios outros produtos da ?rea de telecomunica??es, est? fortemente ligada aos n?veis de qualidade de servi?os prestados pelos fornecedores. Esses n?veis de servi?os podem, no entanto, ser medidos e avaliados por meio de fatores e crit?rios objetivos, a partir de um N?vel de Servi?o acordado entre o provedor do servi?o e o cliente, chamado de SLA. Neste estudo ? proposta uma metodologia para elabora??o de modelo de documenta??o SLA. Essa metodologia est? estruturada na pol?tica e nos processos de qualidade de servi?o descritos nas normas e padr?es internacionais do TeleManagement Forum, ITU ,IETF e ITIL. A modelagem da documenta??o SLA foi aplicada em um caso pr?tico de rede de multiservi?os, baseada em redes IP, resultando na especifica??o do sistema de n?vel de qualidade de servi?o a ser contratado do provedor de servi?os. Na aplica??o dessa metodologia obteve-se ganhos para ambos os lados, com refer?ncia a redu??o de custo operacional, na corre??o de processos e procedimentos e uma alta confiabilidade e transpar?ncia na rela??o comercial.

Coreografias de serviços Web representam uma forma mais escalável e flexível de compor serviços do que uma abordagem centralizada como a orquestração, e seu papel na integração e comunicação de sistemas de larga escala é vital para os objetivos da SOC (Computação Orientada a Serviços) e da Internet do Futuro. Atualmente coreografias de serviços Web possuem vários desafios de pesquisa, dos quais a qualidade de serviço (QoS) e o monitoramento de coreografias de serviçosWeb são linhas importantes. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor e implementar um mecanismo de monitoramento não intrusivo de coreografias de serviços Web baseado em SLAs (Acordos de Nível de Serviço) que especificam as restrições de atributos de QoS de maneira probabilística. Esta dissertação propõe um mecanismo para coreografias de serviços Web que: (1) define requisitos de QoS; (2) especifica contratos probabilísticos sobre parâmetros de QoS usando SLA; e (3) realiza um monitoramento não intrusivo de coreografias de serviços Web para detectar violações de SLA. / Web services choreographies are a more scalable and flexible way to compose services than a centralized approach like orchestrations, and its role in the integration and communication of large-scale systems is vital for the goals of SoC (Service Oriented Computing) and Future Internet. Currently,Web services choreographies have several research challenges. From all challenges, quality of service (QoS) and monitoring of Web services choreography are important research lines. The goal of this work is to propose and implement a mechanism for non-intrusive monitoring of Web services choreography based on SLAs (Service Level Agreements) that define constraints of QoS attributes in a probabilistic way. This thesis proposes a mechanism for Web services choreographies that:(1) defines QoS requirements; (2) specifies probabilistic contracts on QoS parameters using SLAs; and (3) monitors, non-intrusively, the enactment of Web services choreographies to detect SLA violations.

One of the key processes of IS/IT service provider is Service Level Management. IT service provider faces a problem how the services should be defined, how a balanced service portfolio should be set up and how the processes covering the service management should be designed to meet strategic goals of the organization. The thesis focuses on IS/IT service portfolio design and management with a particular focus on infrastructure services. General goal of the thesis is to support IS/IT service provider's activities directly linked with service level management, IT financial management and IT service portfolio design. The thesis puts together theoretical sources in the area of IT Governance, generally accepted methodologies and best practices, actual market trends and author's experience. The theoretical part maps current development in the field of IS/IT service management, summarizes relevant theoretical inputs, categorizes IS/IT services, gives an overview of the most commonly used pricing models and presents actual IS/IT market trends, such as SaaS or Utility Computing. The application part, which follows the theoretical part of the thesis, is built upon fundaments of key findings and conclusions of the theoretical part. Application section introduces a method of service level management transformation and a business model suitable for IS/IT service provider. Furthermore a process of IS/IT service portfolio design is introduced. The process is supported by an analytical tool, which enables analysis of provider's financial and infrastructure data. The output of the analysis is a set of scenarios of IS/IT service portfolio including revenue, costs and utilization of resources and technologies. Academic benefit is seen not only in the consolidation of relevant theoretical sources dealing with IT service design and management. The thesis also introduces frameworks for optimization of service level management process and a concept of a IT service provider's business model. A practical contribution of the thesis is seen in a process of IT service portfolio design supported by an analytical tool for provider's real data processing, covering demand, capacity, utilization and financials.

Coreografias de serviços Web representam uma forma mais escalável e flexível de compor serviços do que uma abordagem centralizada como a orquestração, e seu papel na integração e comunicação de sistemas de larga escala é vital para os objetivos da SOC (Computação Orientada a Serviços) e da Internet do Futuro. Atualmente coreografias de serviços Web possuem vários desafios de pesquisa, dos quais a qualidade de serviço (QoS) e o monitoramento de coreografias de serviçosWeb são linhas importantes. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor e implementar um mecanismo de monitoramento não intrusivo de coreografias de serviços Web baseado em SLAs (Acordos de Nível de Serviço) que especificam as restrições de atributos de QoS de maneira probabilística. Esta dissertação propõe um mecanismo para coreografias de serviços Web que: (1) define requisitos de QoS; (2) especifica contratos probabilísticos sobre parâmetros de QoS usando SLA; e (3) realiza um monitoramento não intrusivo de coreografias de serviços Web para detectar violações de SLA. / Web services choreographies are a more scalable and flexible way to compose services than a centralized approach like orchestrations, and its role in the integration and communication of large-scale systems is vital for the goals of SoC (Service Oriented Computing) and Future Internet. Currently,Web services choreographies have several research challenges. From all challenges, quality of service (QoS) and monitoring of Web services choreography are important research lines. The goal of this work is to propose and implement a mechanism for non-intrusive monitoring of Web services choreography based on SLAs (Service Level Agreements) that define constraints of QoS attributes in a probabilistic way. This thesis proposes a mechanism for Web services choreographies that:(1) defines QoS requirements; (2) specifies probabilistic contracts on QoS parameters using SLAs; and (3) monitors, non-intrusively, the enactment of Web services choreographies to detect SLA violations.

The impact of the first language on the second language has long been a vibrant and controversial issue in terms of second language acquisition. The impact or influence happens when learners learn a new language and transfer features from their native language to the new language. This paper investigates to what extent Bengali learners’ native language influences their use of articles in English as a second language and whether there is a difference depending on the language of instruction (Bengali and English, respectively). To do so 20 essays from two schools, one teaching through Bengali and one through English, a total of 40 learner essays were collected and examined. The results show that Bangladeshi English learners are influenced by the noun forms in Bengali and their ability to use English articles hardly differs according to the type of school they attend. / Förstaspråkets inverkan på andraspråket har länge varit en levande och kontroversiell fråga när det gäller språkinlärning. Påverkan eller inflytandet sker när inlärare lär ett nytt språk och överför karaktärsdrag från sitt förstaspråk till det nya språket. Den här uppsatsen undersöker i vilken mån bengaliska elevers modersmål påverkar deras användning av artiklar i engelska som andraspråk och om det är någon skillnad beroende på undervisningsspråk (bengali resp. engelska). Materialet är 20 elevuppsatser vardera från två skolor, skola A (undervisning på bengali) och skola B (undervisning på engelska), dvs totalt 40 uppsatser samlades in och analyserades. Resultaten visar att bengaliska elevers engelska texter visar drag av substantivformerna som används i bengali, och deras förmåga att använda engelska artiklar skiljer sig inte åt i någon större utsträckning beroende på undervisningsspråk.

In Second Language Acquisition (SLA)literature there has been a considerable theoretical debate over the issue of teachers’ use of the students’ first language, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as ‘code-switching’. Yet to date there has been little study of the effect of teachers’ use of code-switching (CS) on the second language learning itself. Therefore the aim of this research was to study the effect of teachers’ CS on the learning of English word meanings by two age groups – 19- and 12-year–old EFL students in Korea. To this end, this study implemented a quasi-experimental design but conducive to ecological validity, drawing on intact EFL classrooms of two kinds: one with monolingual English teachers (English-only condition) and the other with bilingual teachers who speak mainly English but occasionally switch to Korean to explain unknown English words (CS condition). Under these two different instructional types, the participants – 286 adult and 443 young learners – were encouraged to learn previously unknown English words, drawn from reading texts, through their teachers’ explanations. The study also employed a participant questionnaire and follow-up interviews, so as to shed light on the issue of teacher CS from the learners’ perspective. The results reveal that, for both age groups, the teachers’ CS by and large yielded better learning results, in terms of vocabulary gains, than English-only instruction. However, an inspection of the effect sizes further shows that young learners, compared with adult ones, might benefit from the CS environment to an even greater degree in the learning of vocabulary. The findings from the questionnaire and interviews further suggest that this differential effect of teachers’ CS might be due to the young learners’ overwhelming preference for teachers’ CS in learning English. These differences both in results and learner perceptions are explained as resulting from proficiency levels on the one hand and levels of learning experience on the other. Having discovered these differential effects of teachers’ CS on the two age groups, the findings of the present thesis call for a reconsideration of pedagogical decisions regarding L2-only instruction, in particular for young L2 learners.

La SLA est une maladie neurodégénérative fatale se déclenchant tardivement. Elle est caractérisée par la perte des neurones moteurs supérieurs et inférieurs. Jusqu’à présent, aucun traitement ne permet de ralentir ou de guérir la maladie de façon robuste. De récentes découvertes portant sur TDP-43 et hnRNP A1 y ont identifié des mutations reliées à des cas de SLA. Comme les deux possèdent de multiples fonctions dans le métabolisme de l’ARN, l’impact de ces mutations devient difficile à définir. Notre hypothèse est que TDP-43 régule hnRNP A1 et que les mutations causant la SLA dérégulent ce mécanisme, aboutissant ainsi à un impact majeur sur la vulnérabilité des neurones moteurs. Nos résultats démontrent que TDP-43 lie l’ARNm de hnRNP A1, mais n’affecte pas sa stabilité. En revanche, TDP-43 réprime l’expression de hnRNP A1. Ce mécanisme pourrait être appliqué in vivo où le ratio protéique hnRNP A1B/A1 augmente chez les souris âgées et davantage chez les TDP-43A315T dans la région cervicale et lombaire de la moelle épinière. Cette différence n’est pas causée par un défaut de l’épissage alternatif. Aussi, la mutation TDP-43A315T serait davantage responsable de cette différence que la surexpression de TDP-43 (résultats obtenus en culture). L’impact d’une telle augmentation sur la cellule pourrait être la formation d’agrégats puisque la forme hnRNP A1B possède quatre domaines de fibrillation de plus que hnRNP A1. Nos résultats pourraient donc fournir un mécanisme potentiel de la formation d’inclusions cytoplasmiques reconnues comme étant une des caractéristiques pathologiques principales de la SLA. / ALS is a fatal and late onset disease characterized by the selective loss of lower and upper motor neurons. Yet, there is no way to robustly slow or cure the disease. Recent discoveries concern TDP-43 and hnRNP A1 where mutations have been identified in ALS cases. Both have multiple functions in RNA metabolism, making the impact of mutations difficult to define. Our hypothesis is that TDP-43 regulates hnRNP A1 and that the ALS causative mutations deregulate this mechanism, having a major impact on the vulnerability of motor neurons. Our results demonstrate that TDP-43 binds hnRNP A1 mRNA, but does not affect its stability. In contrast, TDP-43 represses the expression of hnRNP A1. This mechanism could be applied in vivo where hnRNP A1B/A1 protein ratio increases in aged mice and even more in TDP-43A315T mice in the cervical and lumbar region of the spinal cord. This difference is not caused by a defect in alternative splicing. Also, the TDP-43A315T mutation would be more responsible for this difference than the overexpression of TDP-43 (result from cell culture). The impact of that increased on the cell could be the formation of aggregates since the shape of hnRNP A1B has four more areas of fibrillation than hnRNP A1. Our findings could thus provide a potential mechanism for the formation of cytoplasmic inclusions recognized as one of the main pathological features of ALS.

La sclérose latérale amyothrophique (SLA) est une maladie neurodégénérative charactérisée par la perte des neurones moteurs menant à la paralysie et à la mort. Environ 20% des cas familiaux de la SLA sont causés par des mutations de la superoxyde dismutase 1 (SOD1), conduisant vers un mauvais repliement de la protéine SOD1, ce qui a comme conséquence un gain de fonction toxique. Plusieurs anticorps spécifiques pour la forme mal repliée de la protéine ont été générés et utilisés comme agent thérapeutique dans des modèles précliniques. Comment le mauvais repliement de SOD1 provoque la perte sélective des neurones moteurs demeure non résolu. La morphologie, le bilan énergétique et le transport mitochondrial sont tous documentés dans les modèles de la SLA basés sur SOD1, la détérioration des mitochondries joue un rôle clé dans la dégénération des neurones moteurs. De plus, la protéine SOD1 mal repliée s’associe sélectivement sur la surface des mitochondries de la moelle épinière chez les modèles de rongeurs de la SLA. Notre hypothèse est que l’accumulation de la protéine SOD1 mal repliée sur les mitochondries pourrait nuire aux fonctions mitochondriales. À cette fin, nous avons développé un nouvel essai par cytométrie de flux afin d’isoler les mitochondries immunomarquées avec des anticorps spécifiques à la forme malrepliée de SOD1 tout en évaluant des aspects de la fonction mitochondriale. Cette méthode permettra de comparer les mitochondries portant la protéine SOD1 mal repliée à celles qui ne la portent pas. Nous avons utilisé un anticorps à conformation spécifique de SOD1, B8H10, pour démontrer que la protéine mal repliée SOD1 s’associe avec les mitochondries de la moelle épinière des rat SOD1G93A d’une manière dépendante du temps. Les mitochondries avec la protéine mal repliée SOD1 B8H10 associée à leur surface (B8H10+) ont un volume et une production excessive de superoxyde significativement plus grand, mais possèdent un potentiel transmembranaire comparable aux mitochondries B8H10-. En outre, la présence de la protéine mal repliée SOD1 reconnue par B8H10 coïncide avec des niveaux plus élevés de la forme pro-apoptotique de Bcl-2. L’immunofluorescence de sections de moelle épinière du niveau lombaire avec l’anticorps spécifique à la conformation B8H10 et AMF7-63, un autre anticorps conformationnel spécifique de SOD1, démontre des motifs de localisations distincts. B8H10 a été trouvé principalement dans les neurones moteurs et dans plusieurs points lacrymaux dans tout le neuropile. Inversement, AMF7-63 a marqué les neurones moteurs ainsi qu’un réseau fibrillaire distinctif concentré dans la corne antérieure. Au niveau subcellulaire, SOD1 possèdant la conformation reconnu par AMF7-63 est aussi localisée sur la surface des mitochondries de la moelle épinière d’une manière dépendante du temps. Les mitochondries AMF7-63+ ont une augmentation du volume comparé aux mitochondries B8H10+ et à la sous-population non marquée. Cependant, elles produisent une quantité similaire de superoxyde. Ensemble, ces données suggèrent qu’il y a plusieurs types de protéines SOD1 mal repliées qui convergent vers les mitochondries et causent des dommages. De plus, différentes conformations de SOD1 apportent une toxicité variable vers les mitochondries. Les protéines SOD1 mal repliées réagissant à B8H10 et AMF7-63 sont présentes en agrégats dans les fractions mitochondriales, nous ne pouvons donc pas prendre en compte leurs différents effets sur le volume mitochondrial. Les anticorps conformationnels sont des outils précieux pour identifier et caractériser le continuum du mauvais repliement de SOD1 en ce qui concerne les caractéristiques biochimiques et la toxicité. Les informations présentes dans cette thèse seront utilisées pour déterminer le potentiel thérapeutique de ces anticorps. / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of motor neurons resulting in paralysis and death. Approximately 20% of familial ALS cases are caused by mutations in superoxide dismutase (SOD1), which leads to misfolding of the SOD1 protein, resulting in a toxic gain of function. Several antibodies have been generated that are specific for the misfolded form of the protein, and have been used as therapeutics in pre-clinical models. How misfolded SOD1 provokes a selective loss of motor neurons remains unresolved. Mitochondrial morphology, bioenergetics and transport are all documented is SOD1-mediated ALS models, thus mitochondrial impairment plays a key role in motor neuron degeneration. Moreover, misfolded SOD1 selectively associates with the surface of spinal cord mitochondria in ALS rodent models. We hypothesize that the accumulation of misfolded SOD1 on mitochondria could impair mitochondrial function. To this end, we developed a novel flow cytometric assay to immunolabel isolated mitochondria with misfolded SOD1 antibodies while also evaluating aspects of mitochondrial function. This method will allow for a comparison of mitochondria bearing misfolded SOD1 to those without. We utilized the B8H10 conformation specific SOD1 antibody to demonstrate that misfolded SOD1 associates with SOD1G93A rat spinal cord mitochondria in a in a time dependent manner. Mitochondria with B8H10-reactive misfolded SOD1 associated with their surface (B8H10+) have a significantly larger volume and produce excessive amounts of superoxide, but have a similar transmembrane potential compared to B8H10- mitochondria. In addition, the presence of B8H10-reactive misfolded SOD1 coincides with higher levels of the pro-apoptotic form of Bcl-2. Staining of lumbar spinal cord sections with both B8H10 and another conformation specific SOD1 antibody, AMF7-63, yielded distinct localization patterns. B8H10 was found predominantly in motor neurons and numerous puncta throughout the neuropil. Conversely, AMF7-63 marked motor neurons as well as a distinctive fibrillar network that was concentrated in the anterior horn. At the subcellular level, AMF7-63-reactive misfolded SOD1 also localized to the mitochondrial surface of spinal cord mitochondria in a time-dependent manner. AMF7-63+ mitochondria have an increased volume compared to B8H10+ mitochondria and the unlabelled subpopulation. However, they produce similar amounts of superoxide. Together, these data suggest that there are multiple species of misfolded SOD1 that converge at the mitochondria to cause damage. Moreover, different SOD1 conformations may ellicit varying toxicities towards mitochondria. Both B8H10 and AMF7-63-reactive misfolded SOD1 are present in aggregates in mitochondrial fractions and can therefore not account for any different effects produced in terms of mitochondrial volume. Conformational antibodies are invaluable tools to identify and characterize the continuum of misfolded SOD1 species with regards to biochemical characteristics and toxicity. The information presented in this thesis will be used in determining the future therapeutic potential of these antibodies.

The rapid development of new technologies and how these are affecting school age children is in this day and age an area of growing importance. In the context of second language (L2) acquisition, it has been noted that spare time activities of a digital nature impact those pupils who spend more time on activities such as online gaming in the target language than average (Sundqvist 2019, 95-103). The aim of the current study was to investigate the possible effect three different digital spare time activities (computer and video games, movies and music) have on listening comprehension. This when English is the dominant language in the activities, and the focus is on 6th grade children. The method used was a comparison made between a language diary homework, consisting of the participants’ estimated number of hours spent on digital spare time activities, and the results of a listening exercise. The results show that there is a positive correlation between the results of the listening comprehension test and the number of hours spent on digital spare time activities. Also, repeated exposure to the target language in a digital spare time context does, therefore, affect second language acquisition to a limited extent. The conclusion was that in order to come to a more conclusive answer regarding the correlation between digital spare time activities and English listening comprehension, more research is needed. / I samband med andraspråksinlärning har det noterats att digitala fritidsaktiviteter påverkar de elever som spenderar mer tid på denna sorts aktiviteter (Sundqvist 2019, 95–103). Syftet med den aktuella undersökningen blev således att undersöka den möjliga effekt digitala fritidsaktiviteter, på engelska, har på just engelsk hörförståelse. De tre utvalda aktiviteterna är här digitala spel, film och musik. Engelska är alltså målspråket och fokusgruppen är sjätteklassare. Metoden som användes var en jämförelse mellan resultaten av en språkdagbok, bestående av det antal timmar som deltagarna angett att de spenderar på digitala fritidsaktiviteter under en genomsnittlig vecka, samt resultat inhämtade från en hörövning. Resultatet visar att det finns en positiv korrelation mellan resultaten på hörförståelsetestet och antalet timmar som spenderas på digitala fritidsaktiviteter. Vidare visade det sig att upprepad exponering för målspråket i ett digitalt sammanhang påverkar andraspråksinlärning i en begränsad utsträckning. Slutsatsen blev därmed att det krävs mer forskning för att komma fram till ett definitivt svar angående sambandet mellan digitala fritidsaktiviteter och engelsk hörförståelse.