This thesis investigates the role of national identity in economic development in the context of post-apartheid South Africa. It draws on research carried out during 1997-1998 on a supply-side project in the plastics industry - the Workplace Challenge. The key empirical sections of the thesis are formed by in-depth case-studies of two factories which implemented the Workplace Challenge. This is linked to industry-level pressures and analysis of national-level discourses to illustrate how macro-level processes are reflected in micro contexts. After an introductory chapter, the research question is framed, in Chapter Two, by means of an interdisciplinary review of theories of nationalism, identity (particularly social identity theory), and economic development. It is suggested that the existence of a superordinate-level identity - such as that held by citizens of a 'new' South Africa - provides a potential resource, in the form of unity and motivation, that can be brought to bear in the process of economic development. Chapter Three examines the methodology used to investigate this research question. Chapter Four considers the national context of post-apartheid South Africa. Particular attention is paid to the national-building project undertaken since the democratic elections of 1994, the government's economic development strategy, and the main institutions of labour and capital. The Workplace Challenge project, which aims to raise productivity by improving shopfloor relations, is introduced in Chapter Five along with a description of the plastics industry where the project was implemented. Chapters Six and Seven present detailed case studies on the progress of the Workplace Challenge in two East Rand plastics factories. Background on the factories, the initial views of management and workers, and key developments during the year of implementation are outlined. An analysis of these developments is then undertaken. Chapter Eight provides a conclusion. Drawing from the research undertaken, it is argued that the new national identity in South Africa has provided resources for processes of economic change in micro-level institutions. However, given the constructed nature of this new identity, this resource can only be mobilised on a sustainable basis if change is aligned with shared symbolic understandings and an acceptance that resources are equitably distributed by all those subscribing to the new identity.

Background: Requirements prioritization and its technique is still an important research topic. However, industry adoption of its techniques is still lack of research and has many challenges. As well, this topic involves the technology transfer. Objectives: The objective of this study is to find what challenges for practitioner to adopt requirement prioritization techniques in practice. Methods: We use a literature review and twice interview-based surveys. The literature review studies requirement prioritization techniques in literature. The 1st interview studies the status of practitioner’s used techniques and 2nd interview studies the practitioner’s idea towards recommended techniques in literature as well as adoption challenges. The data of interview is mainly analyzed by thematic analysis. Results: The literature review presents the procedure of 49 requirement prioritization techniques in literatures. The 1st time interview presents the technique procedures and other conditions of 11 practitioners. With above 2 results, we find the technique recommended to these 11 interviewees and then conduct the 2nd time interview to discover more interviewees’ ideas and the challenges of technique adoption, which are also compared with related works. Conclusions: Overall, there are many challenges for practitioner to adopt the requirement prioritization technique. As an independent subject, the practitioner’s adoption of prioritization technique still needs to be studied further: 1. Studying this subject needs to involve the scope of technology transfer; 2. Some challenges in requirement prioritization can also hamper the practitioner’s technique adoption and should be alleviated separately.

Através dos procedimentos da moderna história oral, formulados e discutidos no Núcleo de Estudos em História Oral da Universidade de São Paulo (Neho-USP), foi estabelecido um corpus documental sobre a cantoria de viola nordestina. São narrativas de repentistas e amantes (apologistas, pesquisadores, promoventes) da tradição do desafio poético oral, constituídas a partir de entrevistas individuais e gravações de alguns encontros coletivos. A pesquisa atentou sobre os efeitos das migrações de repentistas sertanejos para a cidade de Fortaleza: seu processo de adaptação e as negociações de identidades no curso de entrada na modernidade. As narrativas serão destinadas a uma posterior análise para decomposição do tema e resolução das questões levantadas. / Using the procedure of modern oral history, developed and discussed on the Oral History Research Office at the History Department of the University of São Paulo (NEHO), was made a documental work about the cantoria de viola from the northeast of Brasil. They are narratives from repentistas and lovers (researchers, apologists, promoters) of the traditional poetic oral challenge, built based on personal interviews and recordings of some collective meetings. The research looked into the effects of migration of repentistas from the sertão to the city of Fortaleza: their adaptation process and negotiations of identities in the course of entry into modernity. The narratives will be used for subsequent analysis for decomposition of the issue and also to respond the problems raised.

As enfermidades virais sÃo as que causam maiores prejuÃzos registrados na carcinicultura. O surgimento do IMNV no Nordeste do Brasil em 2002 colocou os produtores de camarÃo frente a uma enfermidade desconhecida que causou perdas significativas para o setor, tornando imperativo buscar um maior conhecimento sobre a doenÃa e de como podem se comportar outras espÃcies de camarÃo ao vÃrus do IMN. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a susceptibilidade do camarÃo rosa Farfantepenaeus subtilis, nativo da costa brasileira, atravÃs de teste de desafio frente ao IMNV. Para realizaÃÃo do bioensaio foram utilizados 200 camarÃes jovens saudÃveis mantidos em tanques individuais de 4L durante 30 dias. No experimento os camarÃes foram separados em dois grupos: controle e desafiado; o grupo desafiado foi alimentado com mÃsculo de L. vannamei contaminado com IMNV e o controle alimentado com mÃsculo de L. vannamei livre do vÃrus em estudo, durante 3 dias via âper osâ. ApÃs o desafio foram realizadas coletas aleatÃrias de 40 animais, 20 camarÃes controle e 20 camarÃes desafiados, a cada cinco dias (5Â; 10Â; 15Â; 20 e 30Â) onde durante cada coleta, foram extraÃdas hemolinfa para contagem total de hemÃcitos (CTH), brÃnquias para anÃlise de RT/PCR e em seguida cada camarÃo foi fixado com soluÃÃo de Davidson para anÃlise histolÃgica. As anÃlises moleculares, utilizando a metodologia do Kit IQ2000, mostraram que dos 100 animais desafiados apenas dez (10 %) se mostraram positivos à infecÃÃo. Nas anÃlises histolÃgicas foi observado uma baixa infiltraÃÃo hemocÃtica nos mÃsculos; uma leve coagulaÃÃo e presenÃa de hemolinfa entre as fibras musculares caracterizando uma infecÃÃo leve. De acordo com o teste t de Student para dados independentes, houve diferenÃa estatisticamente significativa (p≥ 0,05) entre a contagem total de hemÃcitos do grupo desafiado e grupo controle na amostragem do 30 dia. O estudo demonstrou que a espÃcie nativa Farfantepenaeus subtilis à susceptÃvel ao vÃrus IMN. / Viral diseases are causing great damage in shrimp farming. With the IMN virus emergence in Northeastern Brazil in 2002, the shrimp producers faced an unknown disease that caused significant losses for the industry. Thus, a better knowledge about this disease and the investigation of how other species of shrimp are affected by the IMN virus will be an important contribution for the aquaculture industry. The objective of this study is to evaluate the susceptibility of Farfantepenaeus subtilis from the Brazilian coast, to the IMN virus. To conduct the bioassay it was used 200 healthy young shrimps kept in individual tanks of 4L for 30 days. The experimental design was composed by two separated groups: a control group and a challenged one which was exposed to the IMN virus. The challenged group was fed on L. vannamei muscle contaminated with IMNV and the control group was fed on muscle of L. vannamei free of the virus, for 3 days per os. After the challenge procedures, random samples of 40 animals, 20 control and 20 challenged were taken, every five days (5Â, 10Â, 15Â, 20 and 30Â). On each sampling hemolymph was drawn for the total count of hemocytes (THC), gills were taken for analysis by RT / PCR and then each animal was fixed with Davidson solution for histological analysis. The molecular analysis, using the methodology of Kit IQ2000, showed that among 100 animals challenged only ten (10%) were positive for infection. In histological analysis a low hemocyte infiltration was observed in muscles and a slight presence of hemolymph coagulation was detected between muscle fibers characterizing a mild infection. According to the Student t test for independent data, there was a statistically significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) between the THC of challenged group and the control group sample of 30 days. The study showed wild specimens of F. subtilis to be susceptible to infection with IMNV.

O experimento associando probióticos no aleitamento e creche utilizou 144 leitões do nascimento até aos 62 dias de idade no Laboratório de Pesquisa em Suínos (FMVZ USP). No aleitamento, o delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com dois tratamentos e na creche em blocos casualizados formando o esquema fatorial 2x3 com seis tratamentos. A unidade experimental no aleitamento foi a baia maternidade constituída de grade de parição e na creche gaiola suspensa com 3 animais cada, constituindo, 8 repetições por tratamento. Aos 35 dias de idade os animais da creche foram inoculados com cepa de Salmonella Typhimurium via oral. Na maternidade os tratamentos foram: Placebo (PLA), 1mL de água destilada e Probiótico A (ProbA), 5g em 15mL de água destilada. O ProbA foi aplicado em duas ocasiões, ao nascimento e 12 horas antes do desafio e os animais que não receberam ProbA, receberam PLA. Os tratamentos na creche foram: Probiótico A Probiótico B (ProbA ProbB) 30g/tonelada de ProbB na ração; Controle Probiótico B (CTL ProbB): 30g/tonelada de ProbB na ração; Probiótico A Probiótico A(ProbA ProbA); Controle Controle (CTL CTL); Probiótico A Desafio (ProbA DES); Controle Desafio (CTL DES). As variáveis; peso, consumo, ganho de peso e conversão alimentar, foram analisadas em medidas repetidas no tempo com contrastes e o escore de fezes submetido à análise de variância pelo teste de Tukey. Foi utilizado o programa computacional Statistical Analysis System SAS. Na maternidade o peso médio do ProbA foi superior ao PLA, não observando-se diferenças no ganho de peso. Na creche o ProbA mostrou-se significativamente melhor em comparação aos demais tratamentos na conversão alimentar. No escore fezes, os animais desafiados apresentaram mais diarréia, e mais eliminação de S. Typhimurium, evidenciando o efeito positivo do desafio programado. A avaliação histológica aos 63 dias revelou aspecto similar nos diferentes grupos com e sem desafio. A eficiência econômica destacou o CTL ProbB.. O estudo indicou ação positiva dos probióticos quando aplicado logo ao nascimento, por influenciar diretamente na formação da microbiota intestinal, em fases mais adiantadas como na creche os efeitos são menos diretos. / The experiment involving probiotics in lactation and nursery were used one hundred and forty four piglets were used from birth to 62 days of age at Swine Research Laboratory (USP FMVZ). In the lactation, the experimental design was randomized with two treatments and in the nursery were randomized blocks forming a 2x3 factorial, consisting of six treatments. The experimental unit considered was the pen with 3 animals, with 8 repetitions per treatment. At 35 days of age the nursery animals were inoculated with a Salmonella Typhimurium strain orally. The treatments in the maternity were: Placebo (PLA): 1mL of distilled water and Probiotic A (ProbA): 5g in 15ml of distilled water. The ProbA was applied twice, at birth and 12 hours before the challenge and the animals that received no ProbA, received PLA. At the nursery twelve hours before the challenge, the same group of piglets that received ProbA and PLA in the maternity, received reinforcement for ProbA and PLA. In the nursery: Probiotic A Probiotic B (ProbA ProbB): 30g/ton of diet; Control Probiotic B (ProbB CTL): 30g/ton of diet; Probiotic A probiotic A (ProbA probA) Control Control (CTL CTL) Probiotic Challenge (DES ProbA) Control Challenge (CTL DES).The variables analyzed were weight, consumption, weight gain and feed conversion. The variables were analyzed with repeated measures contrasts and fecal score variable was subjected to analysis of variance by Tukey test. We used the computer program Statistical Analysis System SAS. In maternity, ProbA was superior to PLA treatment and did not observe differences in weight gain. At nursery the ProbA ProbA was significantly better compared to the other treatments in feed conversion. In the feces score, challenged animals showed high scores and greater elimination of S. Typhimurium, showing the effects of the programmed challenge. Histological evaluation at 63 days showed similar appearance within different groups (challenged or not). Economic evaluation shows CTL ProbB. The study indicated positive action of probiotics applied shortly after birth, by directly influencing the formation of the intestinal tract and in nursery as the effects are less direct.

Imediatismo, tecnologia, conectividade, transformações econômicas e a complexidade do mundo do trabalho influenciam a construção das trajetórias profissionais na contemporaneidade, estabelecendo novas configurações de carreira que modificam e ampliam as relações de trabalho. Partindo da premissa que os trabalhadores buscam um sentido no trabalho, o desenvolvimento da carreira é priorizado nesta tese, sob a perspectiva da pessoa, acreditando que o trabalhador tem consciência da sua responsabilidade no desenvolvimento da carreira e anseia através de um trabalho significativo, construir a sua trajetória no mundo do trabalho. Não obstante os modelos tradicionais das carreiras ainda se façam presentes é surpreendente a velocidade com que as novas configurações, representadas principalmente pelas carreiras proteanas e sem fronteiras, se estabelecem. Não é suficiente ter consciência dos desafios na construção da carreira, é preciso entender e coordenar ações para enfrentá-los. É neste contexto de incertezas que surge a indagação desta pesquisa: a compreensão e a aceitação da responsabilidade pessoal impulsionam o desenvolvimento da carreira na contemporaneidade? Considerando, no desenvolvimento profissional, o propósito de realizar um trabalho significativo, o objetivo geral desta pesquisa é compreender o desenvolvimento da carreira na contemporaneidade e a aceitação da responsabilidade pessoal, a partir dos desafios enfrentados e dos modelos construídos pelos trabalhadores pesquisados. No intuito de estudar o processo de construção de carreira realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa com a técnica da entrevista semiestruturada, com 21 trabalhadores brasileiros, com idade entre 26 e 38 anos. Para investigar as narrativas destes trabalhadores, utilizou-se o método de análise de conteúdo, que envolveu a definição e compreensão de 7 categorias de análise para a construção das carreiras: concepções de trabalho, definição de carreira, objetivos profissionais, desafios enfrentados no desenvolvimento da carreira, responsabilidade e ação pessoal em prol do desenvolvimento da carreira, significação de sucesso profissional e importância da rede de relacionamentos para o desenvolvimento da carreira. Os principais resultados da pesquisa demonstram unanimidade na valorização da rede de relacionamento e que independentemente do modelo de carreira construído, tradicional, multidirecional, proteana ou sem fronteiras, os trabalhadores pesquisados têm consciência, assumem a responsabilidade e desenvolvem ações em prol do desenvolvimento de suas carreiras, construindo, na maioria, suas trajetórias profissionais dentro dos modelos das carreiras contemporâneas, destacando-se as carreiras proteanas e as carreiras sem fronteiras. Apesar da constatação de que a compreensão e aceitação da responsabilidade pessoal impulsionam o desenvolvimento da carreira, são muitos os desafios a serem enfrentados pelo trabalhador na busca de um trabalho significativo que harmonize realização pessoal e profissional / Immediacy, technology, connectivity, economic transformation and the complexity of the world of work influence the building of the professional careers in the contemporaneity, settling new configurations of career which modify and expand the working relationship. Assuming that the workers search a meaning in the work, the career development is prioritized in this thesis, under the perspective of an individual, believing that the worker is aware of his/ her responsibility in the career development and yearns through a meaningful work to build his/ her career in the world of work. Notwithstanding the traditional models of careers is still present, it is amazing the speedy at which the new configurations, represented especially for the protean career and boundaryless career, get settled. Be aware about the challenges in the career building is not enough; you need to understand and coordinate actions to face the challenges ahead. It is in this context of uncertainties that arises the question of this research: do the understanding and the acceptance of the personal responsibility drive the career development in the contemporaneity? Considering in the professional development the purpose of executing a meaningful work, the general objective of this research is to understand the career development in the contemporaneity and the acceptance of the personal responsibility from the challenges faced and the models built by the workers surveyed. Aiming to study the process of career building, a qualitative research was done with the technique of semi-structured interview, with 21 Brazilian workers aged between 26 and 38 years old. To investigate the narratives of these workers, it was used the method of content analyses which involved the definition and the understanding of 7 categories of analysis to the careers building: conceptions of work, definition of career, professional objectives, challenges faced in the career development, responsibility and personal action for the career development, significance of professional success and the importance of the relationship network for the career development. The main results of the research show unanimity in the enhancing of the relationship network and that independent of the built career model, traditional, multidirectional, protean or boundaryless, the surveyed workers are conscious, they take responsibility and develop actions for the development of their careers, building in the majority, their professional careers within the contemporary career models, highlighting the protean careers and the boundaryless careers. Despite the finding that the understanding and acceptance of the personal responsibility drive the career development, many are the challenges to be faced by the worker in the search of a meaningful work which harmonizes professional and personal accomplishment

One useful strategy to support students with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) to promote appropriate behaviors across environments and gain the social skills is using social stories. In addition, experts have recognized iPads and apps were associated with less challenging behavior and more academic engagement over traditional materials (Lee, Lang, Davenport, Moore, Rispoli, Meer, & Chung, 2013). The focus this study was to examine the effectiveness of an intervention package featuring social stories delivered via an iPad and simultaneous prompting on frequency of targeted challenging behavior and comprehension of the social story of a student with IDD. A single-subject multiple probe across behaviors (Kennedy, 2005) design was used to investigate the effectiveness of this intervention on the student's ability to correctly match pictures to steps in social stories as well as the targeted challenging behaviors. The results, future research, and the limitations of the study are discussed.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the long-term effects of feeding increasing supplemental levels (20, 120, or 220 mg/kg) of dietary copper (Cu) as tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) or copper sulfate (CuSO4) on performance, antioxidant status, nutrient digestibility, and trace mineral deposition of sows and piglets; as well as to assess nursery dietary Cu levels on growth performance and response to immunological challenge in nursery pigs from sows fed either high or low Cu diets. In the long-term sow experiment, sows fed TBCC diets had greater adjusted weaning weight for litter and piglet (P < 0.10), as well as adjusted litter and piglet weight gain (P < 0.10) when compared to sows that received CuSO4 diets. Increasing dietary Cu level linearly increased live born piglet weight (P = 0.06). Sows fed TBCC diets had lower apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of ether extract (P = 0.01) during late gestation, but greater ATTD of dry matter, nitrogen, and phosphorous during lactation (P < 0.05). Increasing Cu levels linearly increased dry matter digestibility in lactating sows (P = 0.02). Milk from sows fed TBCC diets had a greater concentration of protein (P = 0.02) than that from sows fed CuSO4 diets. Increasing Cu levels increased levels of milk fat and Cu (linear, P < 0.05); but linearly decreased lactose and Zn levels (P < 0.05). Lactating sows fed TBCC diets had a greater activity of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ceruloplasmin in serum than those fed CuSO4 diets (P < 0.05). Increasing dietary Cu levels increased total and Cu/Zn SOD activity for lactating sows (linear, P < 0.05). Sows fed TBCC diets had lower concentrations of Cu (P = 0.04), but higher concentrations of iron and manganese (P < 0.05) in the liver, when compared to those fed with CuSO4 diets. In addition, liver Cu concentrations increased with increasing dietary Cu levels (linear and quadratic, P < 0.05). Increasing dietary Cu levels resulted in the elevation of concentrations and contents of Cu in the liver of weanling piglets (linear, P < 0.0001). In the nursery pig experiment, pigs from sows fed 120 mg/kg Cu diets had greater ADG from d 0 to 14 (P < 0.05), and tended to have greater ADG in the overall period (P < 0.08), when compared to pigs from sows fed 20 mg/kg Cu diets. During the lipopolysaccharide challenge period, the challenged pigs from sows fed 120 mg/kg Cu had a greater overall rectal temperature than those from sows fed 20 mg/kg Cu (P = 0.01). Also, the challenged pigs fed with 220 mg/kg Cu diets had greater serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentration over time as compared to those fed 20 mg/kg Cu diets (P = 0.03). In summary, the TBCC may be a superior Cu source compared to CuSO4 regarding reproductive performance, and higher dietary Cu levels result in greater birth weight of piglets; furthermore, high Cu levels in sow and nursery diets promote growth performance of nursery pigs and affects their responses to immunological challenge.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Kerstin Forslund (2007): Challenges in prehospital emergency care – patient, spouse and personnel perspectives. Örebro Studies in Caring Sciences 16. 75 pp.</p><p>Prehospital emergency care (PEC) with the emergency call to the Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) centre is an essential part of the health-care system. It is important to obtain knowledge about the links in the PEC chain from the perspectives of those providing the service and those receiving it. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe the challenges surrounding PEC based on the experiences of patients, spouses and personnel. A qualitative descriptive design was used in the five papers included. The data analysis methods were phenomenological-hermeneutics (I–III), qualitative content analysis (IV–V) and descriptive statistics (V).</p><p>Interviews with thirteen patients who had called the EMD-centre due to acute chest pain (I) revealed a general satisfaction with PEC. They were aware of the number to call in an emergency but were uncertain when to call. The potentially life threatening emergency situation was marked by vulnerability and dependency and was fraught with pain, fear and a sense of aloneness.</p><p>An overall theme of aloneness emerged from the interviews with nineteen spouses who had placed an emergency call for their husband or wife that was experiencing acute chest pain (II). The challenges in being a spouse to a person in need of PEC were associated with: “Being responsible and trying to preserve life” and “Being able to manage the uneasiness and feel trust in an uncertain situation”. The spouses were in an escalating spiral of aloneness, worry, uncertainty, stress, fear of loss and desperation.</p><p>Interviews with sixteen emergency operators dealt with situations they considered difficult to deal with and their reflections on how they managed such situations (III). Uncertainty, communication difficulties and insufficient resources characterized those situations. Skills, knowledge, experience, as well as personal qualities such as sensitivity, self-insight, empathy and intuition were regarded as important when handling them.</p><p>Interviews with four nurses and fifteen emergency operators related to their experiences of working together for two years at an EMD-centre were conducted after the nurses were added to the EMD-centre to increase medical and nursing competence (IV). Initial frustration and scepticism changed to positive experiences with improved cooperation and service. The nurses voiced difficulties dealing with the more medically urgent calls and the emergency operators with the more complicated and diffuse medical cases.</p><p>A total of 336 questionnaires related to alarms involving acute chest pain and given the highest priority by the emergency operator were collected in a study aimed at describing the ambulance personnel’s perceptions of the quality of the information received from the EMD-centre (V). The ambulance personnel perceived most of the information such as patient assessment, condition, history, preparedness and in particular pain status to be of high quality.</p><p>In summary: In PEC there is many interdependent complexities that present demands and challenges to the actors involved (I–V). In general those who received emergency assistance from PEC were satisfied, but the margins between success and failure are small. Risks for errors exist throughout the PEC chain and time poses a challenge. Understanding is crucial for all involved, and the same situation can be experienced differently. Challenges inherent in PEC are the communication problems, unpredictability and uniqueness along with daring to be in the acute situation and dealing with a sense of aloneness, uncertainty and dependency. The personnel that do not have the ability to see the person they are helping are even more challenged. Important attributes for PEC personnel are caring attitudes, personal skills, experiences and professional knowledge. PEC personnel have the authority and power to act and make decisions, in which responsibility, sensitivity, and human dignity must be addressed. Lives are saved with PEC despite all the challenges and possibilities for error, such as those that exist between the different actors. It is vital that the PEC chain is as strong as possible.</p><p>Keywords: challenge, prehospital, emergency, care, patient, spouse, personnel,</p><p>chain, acute chest pain.</p>