Although several cases of successful Local Economic Development (LED) programmes and initiatives addressing poverty and inequity are present in South Africa, there are still a number of challenges to overcome. Firstly, the definition of LED varies, however the essence of LED is local partnerships for locality planning â based on economic growth. Consequently, the analysis in this thesis uses the âL-E-Pâ model, combining elements of âLocalityâ, âEconomicâ and âPartnershipsâ. This model could be an answer for LED policy and practice to make use of all these elements. Secondly, LED strategies need to go beyond merely compiling LED documents. Municipalities need to engage with communities and the private sector in prioritising and designing appropriate strategies that unlock local potential. However, in South Africa partnerships have not always been central to LED planning. Furthermore, the soft factors of co-operation â trust and social capital -, which are considered essential for effective collaboration between state and non-state actors, should be constructed. Consequently, LED practitioners need to pay greater attention to social relationships and networks, which fundamentally mould local economies. Thirdly, academic research is only starting to incorporate social resources into economic development practice. Furthermore, only a few authors have taken the concept of civic culture into consideration when analysing LED. Local civic culture relates to how local problems are defined, how solutions are found, how the local economic problems can be solved, who is involved and how the decisions are made. International civic culture literature has been contextualised to classify civic culture in South African terms. If an understanding of the civic culture of an area is acknowledged, planning and development of this area can be simplified. Beaufort West is used as an example of a typical Karoo town to illustrate how the type of civic culture a community has, can influence local economic growth. Fourthly, there is a lack of research related to the establishment, growth and development of mining towns. Although numerous international mining companies have identified the Karoo surrounding Beaufort West for uranium extraction, planning documents of the Western Cape Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) and also in the Integrated Development plans (IDPs) of the Central Karoo District Municipality and the Beaufort West Local Municipality do not make any suggestions for the economic âroller-coasterâ ride ahead. The sustainability of mining (non-renewable resource) towns is not as important as are the economic developments of and the proactive planning (in partnerships) in these towns. Fifthly, business confidence helps explain the sentiments that business owners or managers have towards current and future business conditions. Several ways of measuring business confidence are compared. Business confidence is mostly surveyed at national level. A methodology for business confidence surveys at the local level is provided. This approach has been piloted in the town of Beaufort West in the Karoo area of South Africa. There are plans for a new uranium mine near Beaufort West, and the researcher speculates on its impact on the broader local business confidence. The results of the 2007 and 2009 study in terms of the opinions of business confidence in Beaufort West are compared. There are very few comparative studies in terms of all the above-mentioned factors. Therefore, the researcher proposes that these methodologies and models should be tested in other towns. This will then determine whether the results differ in other Karoo towns and from the rest of South Africa.

The thesis reports a research programme designed to answer two research questions. These are concerned with improving the practice of Visual Interactive Modelling in the context of an Operational Research activity and the potential contribution of Visual Interactive Modelling towards overcoming certain long term concerns which the Operational Research community has regarding the service it provides. The literature of Visual Interactive Modelling is reviewed, as is that of wider aspects of Operational Research concerned with the paradigm used by its practitioners and researchers. Two series of experimental studies are undertaken to collect data to help answer the research questions. Action Research is used for a series of six studies of Visual Interactive Modelling cases. The second series is more laboratory based to gain a type of data which is not available from Action Research. Results are presented in three forms. A 'body of experience' is collated from the data collected during the studies. This will form a base for future researchers in the Visual Interactive Modelling field. Secondly, a series of guidelines is tentatively proposed which could be used by practitioners as a basis for good practice in Visual Interactive Modelling. Finally, in the light of the data collected and reviews of the literature, a new way of considering the contribution of Visual Interactive Modelling to the Operational Research process is proposed. Suggestions for further research are offered.

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5. Abstract for Paper 1 Provision of support for parents is recommended at an ecological level in order to be effective since many of the problems associated with poor parenting are linked to social disadvantage (Puckering 2009). Sure Start Children’s Centres have developed strength in delivering such holistic support (Barlow et al, 2007). Sure Start Local Programmes were set up in 1998 by the then Labour government as part of its policy to eliminate child poverty. In 2003 Sure Start’s initial focus on disadvantaged areas was changed to a universal Children’s Centre service accessible by families in all areas (Lewis, 2011). Children’s Centres continue to operate a universal service under the current Coalition government, with an emphasis on improving outcomes for the most disadvantaged families (DfE, 2010). Support for parents sits uneasily within a cultural context in which an intensive parenting discourse is linked to undue expectations of parents (Furedi, 2009; Wall, 2010).This study explores Children’s Centre users’ experiences of being a parent and of support for the role and uses IPA to analyse the data. Data were collected initially from a focus group discussion which is analysed and integrated into the main study following a protocol for IPA of focus groups developed by Palmer, Larkin, De Visser and Fadden (2010). Further data were collected from semi structured interviews with a purposive sample of four women with both preschool and secondary aged children. The data were analysed following a protocol for IPA outlined by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). Findings suggest that for these parents ecological support (including community facilities, employment and social support) was important for their functioning as parents. Their level of engagement with an intensive parenting discourse appeared to be linked to their identity and self-actualisation. Implications are drawn for the way in which parenting support is framed within services and the media. Page 63 15. Abstract for Paper 2 This exploratory study is set within the context of a national policy that aims to normalise parent training and increase parenting skills in order to improve children’s life chances (DfE, 2012; Field, 2010). The local context is a city in the South of England where the Incredible Years (IY) parent training programme (Webster-Stratton, 2004) has been delivered since 2009. There is robust evidence of improved parent and child outcomes from the IY (Lindsay et al, 2008). In this city the IY is offered as both a universal and targeted service with participants either self-nominating or being nominated by involved professionals. This study addresses a gap in the research for process studies to illuminate how change came about for parents on the IY (Lindsay et al, 2008). It also builds on research by Miller and Sambell (2003) into how parents perceive parenting support. A 14 week IY programme was attended by the researcher to ensure prolonged engagement with participants. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of participants during and on completion of the IY course. Semi structured interviews were also conducted following the course with the two facilitators to add another perspective and see how they reflected parents’ experiences. Data were analysed following a procedure for IPA outlined by Smith, Flowers and Larkin (2009). Findings revealed that the group setting was both a challenge to access and a source of peer support. Leader qualities emerged as essential for parental engagement. This was reflected in facilitators’ accounts and underpinned by their nonjudgmental ethos. Within this accepting group setting with approachable leaders parents’ accounts suggest that change had come about for them through experiential learning putting strategies into practice in their own contexts with opportunities to reflect in group discussion. Issues are raised regarding Social Services nominations and constructs around discipline. Implications are drawn for practice and the role of the EP. Further research directions are suggested.

Being among the most popular and efficient classification and regression methods currently available, implementations of support vector machines exist in almost every popular programming language. Currently four R packages contain SVM related software. The purpose of this paper is to present and compare these implementations. (authors' abstract)

The continuum of care framework posits that individuals move from one level to the next in seeking resources for help ranging from first using informal support to finally using formal services. Yet, the literature is mostly focused on formal services. It is well-known in the literature that existing formal services are underutilized by the Asian American population. If that is also the case in nontraditional settlement cities like Richmond, Virginia, the continuum of care framework and existing literature suggest that Asian Americans are turning to their informal support networks to meet their needs. Thus far, the literature on informal support networks is very limited and a focus on Asian American communities is nonexistent. Furthermore, there is not an adequate theory to explain and predict this phenomenon. This study uses a grounded theory design to develop a testable theory that could further the understanding of informal support networks in the Asian American community. The theory posits that the Asian culture and community influence how individuals within the community seek help in times of need and, in turn, the helping process developed within the informal support network is a reinforcement of the Asian culture and community. When individuals have needs, they look to the informal support network and the network is developed in response to those needs. However, the informal support network is not able to meet all the needs of the Asian American community. At times, though infrequent, when the informal support network cannot meet the need, individuals are referred to mainstream services. Therefore, the informal support network serves as a gatekeeper to mainstream services. In addition, needs are rarely successfully met directly by mainstream services because of inaccessibility. Consequently, mainstream services provide infrequent help in meeting the needs of the Asian American community. It is important to comprehend how these developing communities in the new South are responding to their own needs. This understanding will allow mainstream services to extend formal systems of care and better partner with existing resources to effectively serve the increasing Asian American population in the South.

This master thesis has been written to develop a new pipe support for pipe systems in the process industry. The purpose was to relieve pumps or other sensitive equipment from elevated forces or moments that may cause failure. The elevated forces or moments occur due to the weight of the piping, the weight of the medium and expansion due to elevated temperatures. The support is mainly designed to be implemented in a 90 degree bend but they can also be implemented in straight pipes with small adjustments of the attachment between the support and the pipe. Six different complete concepts were developed and put through different elimination matrices and evaluated against a requirement specification. The final design was calculated to withstand the forces and moments from a worst case scenario. The concept is in need of further development and testing before it can be implemented in projects. It is necessary to investigate if the clamps can withstand the working load in the new design. The concept should also be tested possibly by a prototype.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Health. Johannesburg, June 2017 / Introduction South Africa is grappling with the challenge of providing lifelong treatment, care and support to young people living with HIV (YPLHIV). The 2012 HIV Prevalence, Incidence and Behaviour Survey placed HIV prevalence among young people aged 15-24 at 7.1% (Shisana et al. 2014). Concerns abound around young people, and centre around low testing rates in this age group (Shisana 2014), their propensity for risky behaviours such as unprotected sex, age disparate relationships (Shisana et al. 2014) and high loss to follow up of ART-eligible youth (Cornell et al. 2010, Nglazi et al. 2012; Wang 2011). In the Western Cape province where HIV prevalence is 4.4% (Shisana et al. 2014) Clinic X provides integrated adolescent and youth-friendly health services including HIV counseling and testing, sexual and reproductive health, ART and other services for adolescents and youth aged 12-25 years. Services include facilitator-led support group meetings and private WhatsApp and Facebook groups for HIV-positive youth (van Cutsem et al. 2014). The aim of the study was to explore how social support is experienced by HIV positive young people from Clinic X who participate in support groups at the clinic, on WhatsApp and Facebook and to understand how support group membership is perceived to impact their HIV-related behaviours, if at all, during 2015 and 2016. The specific objectives were to (1) identify dimensions of social support experienced by YPLHIV, aged 18-25, in clinicbased and online support groups at Clinic X; (2) explore perceived social cohesion among YPLHIV aged 18-25 who participate in online support groups compared to those who only participate in clinic-based support groups and (3) explore perceptions of HIV positive young people at Clinic X in Khayelitsha regarding the influence of support groups on their behaviour during 2015 and 2016. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory qualitative study was conducted, namely focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs). Ethical clearance was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical) of the University of the Witwatersrand in October 2015. The researcher collected data for the study during December 2015 and November 2016 at Clinic X, which is one of two youth clinics in the Khayelitsha Health District of the Western Cape Metro Region. Participants were purposively sampled for the FGD component of the study from the population of young people aged 18-25 years old who attended support group meetings at Clinic X. The researcher purposively sampled interviewees for the IDIs from participants identified during the FGDs. Male and female individuals aged 18 to 25 years old who had been diagnosed HIV-positive, were enrolled in pre-ART or ART care at Clinic X Youth clinic and were participating in a youth club were included. Two FGDs were held, one for users of the online platforms and another for participants in face-to-face youth clubs meetings only. Twenty participants in total were included in the FGDs. Another nine in depth interviews were held with participants purposively sampled from the FGDs. Thematic analysis was used to analyze all data, which were recorded electronically, professionally transcribed and coded using MaxQDA. Key themes from data analysis included types of social support experienced, sense of belonging, desire to remain in the support groups and susceptibility to peer influence. Inductive themes included HIV-related behaviours, barriers to use of online platforms and sources of social support. Results Exploring the dimensions of social support revealed that peers within the youth clubs experienced emotional and informational support during youth club meetings as well as online. Emotional support was underpinned by the youth’s positive affect for each other based on shared experiences and the resultant feelings of being understood by their peers. The youth also received emotional and instrumental support from various other sources: health workers, family, and intimate partners as well as friends. The youth opened up about barriers to their seeking or accepting support from family or online as well as their perceptions about the consequences of the attitudes of individuals in their lives and community members about HIV. Participants’ perceptions about various indicators of social cohesion within the group showed that, while there was a sense of belonging, there were also limits in the extent to which youth felt susceptible to influence from peers in the youth clubs. Youth expressed a desire to remain in face-to-face youth clubs but were ambivalent about continued participation in the virtual clubs. Findings on the third objective revealed that the youth felt that the youth clubs had improved their knowledge and they were confident to maintain health-protecting behaviours. Seeing other youth looking healthy and overcoming challenges also motivated the youth. The behavioural intentions of YPLHIV were underpinned by gendered motivations for maintaining health, with young women being especially motivated by the desire for motherhood. Discussion To the body of evidence, this study contributes a qualitative understanding of how young people living with HIV experience social support online, showing that the dimensions of social support experienced are the same as those of participants of online health forums for other chronic conditions, namely information and emotional support (Gaysyknsky et al. 2014). Further, the study shows that for YPLHIV, online support groups may act as a barrier to the exchange of instrumental support, which research (Atukunda 2017) identifies as a salient need in this context. In seeking to understand why there may be disjuncture between the intention of pre-ART YPLHIV in the study to remain in care and the actual retention reported in numerous studies, the chapter proposes that social comparison, structural determinants and low risk perception may play a role. The major limitations of the study are the short time of engagement and exclusion of adolescents below 18 years of age who access services at the youth clinic. Conclusion and recommendations In conclusion, online peer groups foster peer support among YPLHIV, with implications on their emotional health. Still, more needs to be done to change perceptions about the use of online platforms for social support, design community-focused programmes to address gaps in support and reduce the financial burden on young people using mobile phones for health. / MT2017