There is no abstract available for this thesis.

<p>Namibia is severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with an estimated HIV prevalence of 17.8%. A comprehensive, public HIV/AIDS treatment and care programme was established in 2003 by the government of Namibia in association with its development partners. The introduction of antiretroviral therapy [ART] has dramatically decreased HIVrelated mortality and morbidity, improved quality of life, revitalized communities and transformed perceptions of HIV/AIDS from a plaque and death sentence to a manageable chronic condition. Intermediate Hospital Oshakati (IHO) in the Oshana region, is one of the six pilot hospitals where highly antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was initiated. Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a key factor in ensuring optimal clinical outcomes and is associated with improved survival among HIV and AIDS patients. Sustained high levels of adherence (taking 95% or more of medication as prescribed) are essential for treatment success. Suboptimal adherence to treatment has been associated with virologic, immunologic and clinical failure, and may increase the risk of resistance to first-line ART drugs. Studies conducted in various parts of the country including the Oshakati district, report small proportions of patients defaulting on ART. Defaulting from treatment raises questions about adherence to ART as it can be assumed that poor adherence would precede defaulting from treatment. This study explored factors that influence poor adherence to ART among patients at Intermediate Hospital Oshakati.</p>

<p>The highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) drug agent, indinavir, and the endocrine disruptor compound, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP), are directly related to two of South Africa&rsquo / s, and in fact, two of the globe&rsquo / s most fundamentally important and comprehensively researched subjects areas, which includes, HIV/AIDS and water pollution. In fact&nbsp / these two compounds share multiple significant commonality factors. Firstly, they have a profound effect on the health aspects of humans, albeit from opposite sides of the&nbsp / &lsquo / equation&rsquo / . Secondly, in the context of metabolism, they both share the same rout of biotransformation, and as such, both have a profound effect on the main first pass&nbsp / metabolising hepatic enzyme, CYP450 3A4, as well as xenobiotics sharing the same metabolic athway. Thirdly and perhaps more importantly, in direct relation to the human mortality, their levels preferentially require constant or regular monitoring, a process, at this stage, is still only officially possible with complex specialized analytically-based techniques. Moreover, these techniques are only based on centralized detection and quantification, which essentially means expensive procedures, and long waiting periods for results. This thesis firstly reports on the development and characterization of reagent-less and cobalt(III) sepulchrate [Co(Sep)3+] mediated biosensor platforms (biosensor platform 1 and biosensor platform 2), with human recombinant heme thiolate, cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme (CYP3A4), as biorecognition component. Secondly, each biosensor platform was evaluated by using an entirely different category of compound as model substrate, with the overall objective being the development of alternative analytical method for the detection and quantification of each of these substrates, by amperometric transduction method. In this regard biosensor platform 1 was evaluated for the detection of 2,4-dichlorophenol, whereas biosensor platform 2 was evaluated for the detection of protease inhibitor (PI) HAART drug, indinavir. Fourthly, this dissertation also reports on the use of genetic engineering as complimentary method during biosensor investigations, as source for continuous supply of catalytically active biological recognition component. With respect to the preparation of the biosensors in particular, biosensor platform 1 was constructed by entrapping the commercially sourced full-length, wild type CYP3A4 on a pre-formed electroactive carrier matrix, consisting of Co(Sep)3+&ndash / modified nafion membrane on a glassy carbon electrode. In this regard, the nafion-Co(Sep)3+ composite was prepared by integrating the Co(Sep)3+ species into a pre-formed nafion film through manual drop-coating and mixing methods.&nbsp / In addition to this, the so-formed biosensor was re-inforced by a thin nafion layer as outer-film. The complete biosensor may be denoted as GCE||naf|CMECo( Sep)3+|flCYP3A4|naf. Biosensor platform 2 on the&nbsp / other hand, was constructed by entrapment of the N-terminally modified human recombinant CYP3A4 (consisting only of the heme domain and the surrounding apoprotein), prepared locally through genetic engineering, as a histidine-tagged, catalytically active soluble construct, denoted nCYP3A4, in a biocompatible ionically crosslinked hydrogel-composite membrane. Enzyme immbilization in this case was also realized on a pre-formed nafion-Co(Sep)3+ carrier matrix film, however, in this case the electroactive carrier&nbsp / matrix was prepared by integrating the electroactive Co(Sep)3+ species deep within the nafion microstructure through potentiostatic electrodeposition method at a costant&nbsp / potential of +450 mV for 1200 sec. The so prepared biosensor, is denoted GCE||naf|El- Co(Sep)3+|nCYP3A4|Agrs-PEI-PVA. In this regard, biosensor for platform 2, different variables affecting the performance and stability of the biosensor were evaluated. Selected ex-situ characaterization methods, including scanning electrochemical microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and UVVis spectroscopy was used as complimentary characterization methods , morphological and structural charaterization, revealed&nbsp / the formation of a highly stable electroactive composite film for the carrier matrix in biosensor platform 2 , exhibiting a compact nature and a smooth consistancy in which the&nbsp / electroactive Co(Sep)3+ mediating species was embedded deep within the microstructure of the pre-formed nafion film. Moreover, the method of preparation was highly reproducible, while voltammetric studies also corroborated the stability of the carrier matrix film. Overall, the design path used for this method was shown to be an improvement&nbsp / as compared to the design path used for biosensor platform 1, particularly with regard to the carrier matrix. Nevertheless, the proposed substrates were successfully detected&nbsp / and quantified by the individual biosensor plaforms. In this regard, the dynamic linear range of the GCE||naf|CMECo( Sep)3+|flCYP3A4|naf biosensor, for 2,4-DCP exhibited an&nbsp / upper limit of 45&nbsp / A, with the sensitivity determined as 0.038 A M-1. In addition to this, the LOD was calculated as 0.043 g L-1, which was lesser than the USA Environmental Protection Agency&rsquo / s (EPA) drinking water equivalent level (DWEL) for 2.4-DCP. In the case of the GCE||naf|El-Co(Sep)3+|nCYP3A4|Agrs-PEI-PVA biosensor, the linear&nbsp / concentration range for indinavir was shown to be between 2.183 M 3.552 M, while the sensitivity was determined as 0.035 A M-1. Morover, the LOD value, determined as 59.72 mg L-1 was suggested to be of signifiance with regard to the maximum plasma concentration, CMax, with respect to the ritonavir-boosted regimen, which is the proposed method of administering indinavir. This can also be of value for HIV/AIDS patients who are poor metabolizers, as they will have significantly elevated concentration of the drug,&nbsp / when administered with ritonavir as booster. Above and beoynd these results, the overpotential for the reduction of dioxygen, which is a crucial step in the catalytic cycle of the&nbsp / CYP3A4 enzyme, was significantly reduced by the GCE||naf|El-Co(Sep)3+|nCYP3A4|Agrs-PEI-PVA biosesnor, as compared to the other biosensor.</p>

This descriptive study was directed toward the assessment of practical implications in the use of behavioral evaluation procedures in a particular clinical setting. The specific intent of the study was to describe the use of Precision Teaching tools and techniques in evaluating inner behavior change in a mental health setting rather than the more extensively used educational settings.The subjects for the study were volunteers from the researcher's client load at the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic. The study population consisted of seven clients and the researcher as therapist.It was revealed in a review of related literature that inner behaviors were self-monitored and reported using behavioral evaluation procedures. It was also reported that single case research designs and Precision Teaching procedures had been used in programs describing observable behavior change. Research was called for in the area of evaluating the relative effectiveness of accelerating or decelerating behaviors.During the final weeks of the Spring Quarter, 1979 clients obtaining psychological services from the researcher were asked if they would be willing to volunteer to participate in the study. Participating clients were randomly assigned to the acceleration or deceleration groups. Each client negotiated with the researcher to identify two target inner behaviors for monitoring. Clients self-monitored inner behaviors using wrist counters to count behaviors for a period of ten weeks. A multiple baseline research design across behaviors was implemented along with evaluation procedures used with Precision Teaching programs. Interventions were sequentially implemented for each behavior after stable baselines were established. Statistical analysis was conducted between baseline and treatment phases and between acceleration and deceleration groups.Conclusions drawn from this study included:1. The Standard Chart is a very practical instrument for recording inner behavior changes. In this study individuals monitored a total of fourteen different inner behaviors for ten weeks. Over 1000 data points reflecting the occurrence of these behaviors were recorded on the Standard Charts. The Standard Chart provided a concise vehicle for recording an entire behavior change program for each individual.2. Despite certain difficulties the multiple baseline design is manageable in a clinical setting. The multiple baseline design provided a mechanism for determining causality of treatment and independence of behaviors. This design appears to be very useful for the study of inner behavior change in clinical settings.3. The split-middle slopes of the baseline phases described the split-middle slopes in three of eight behaviors in the acceleration group and five of six behaviors in the deceleration group. This means that five of eight acceleration group behaviors changed significantly between baseline and treatment. However, three of the acceleration group behaviors changed in undesirable directions between baseline and treatment, while none of the deceleration group behaviors changed in undesired directions.4. The minimum 'celeration line is a practical guide for predicting the rate at which individual's behavior's must change in order to meet their outcome goals. In each case progress toward outcome goals was clearly discernible utilizing the minimum 'celeration line as a process guide. The minimum 'celeration line is useful in determining if changes need to be made in an individual's program.5. Self-monitoring of inner behaviors is a useful method for obtaining clinical data. Fourteen inner behaviors were self-monitored in this study. Information obtained from the self-monitoring was useful in understanding the process of behavior change.6. In this study outcome goals were more readily determined for deceleration group members than acceleration group members as well as being more readily achieved. Undesired inners were more readily determined than desired inners. No statistical differences between means of the acceleration and deceleration groups were noted. However, more behaviors changed significantly from baseline to treatment phases in the acceleration group than in the deceleration group.7. Inner behaviors investigated in this study were reported reliably and accurately. Examination of changes in the baseline pairs revealed, in the majority of cases, changes after treatment interventions. This result suggests that reliable data were accruing. As noted earlier, accurate reporting of inner behaviors is a prerequisite for validity in self-monitoring. In this study changes in data points recorded on the Standard Charts appeared to correlate with self-reports made by the clients. This suggests that reported results are valid.8. The successful self-monitoring of inner behaviors in this study indicates that behavioral assessment does not have to be limited to observable behaviors.Self-monitoring of inner behaviors provide legitimate and useable sources of data--albeit, private--for evaluating therapeutic process as well as outcome.

Currently there is no model of the development of reading skills currently exists for children with hearing impairments. Using the framework of a commonly excepted model of reading for children with typical hearing researchers have sought to determine how children with hearing impairments develop reading skills. The purpose of this is study was to examine a possible link between two components of reading development, speech reading and language. Participants consisted of 5 school aged children with severe to profound hearing loss with cochlear implants or hearing aids. These children were administered the CELF-4 and a department created speech reading test. Results indicated that children with poor language scores had the best speech reading scores while the child with good language scores had poor speech reading score. Performance on tasks examining syntax proved to be crucial to performance on speech reading tasks.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references.

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