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This thesis aims to conduct an in-depth study of the activism surrounding the #DeleteFacebook hashtag by applying Critical Discourse Analysis. By theorizing framing, digital colonialism, power relations, and antagonism, this thesis examines the qualitative analysis of 1.987 Tweets posted on Twitter between 20 February and 4 March 2021. This study identifies the key thematic content of these Tweets and then conducts an in-depth critical analysis. These questions will be addressed in the research: “What are the principle discourse typologies and their intertextual interpretation of hashtag activism #DeleteFacebook?”, “What were the key themes that emerged during the #DeleteFacebook hashtag movement?” and “How can we interpret the online engagement with #DeleteFacebook as hashtag activism?”. This thesis presents an analysis of #DeleteFacebook related Tweets through coding and then reveals an intertextual analysis of it, including the social context. Also, this study provides a thorough review of the related literature concerning the costs of connection, social movements, hashtag activism, and collective identity. Finally, it concludes with a discussion reflecting on the role of digital colonialism and the power of Facebook.

For rational theories of organisational change, organisational dysfunctionalities are nothing more than the inadequacy of organisations to maximise on their goals or lack of co-ordination of different types of inputs and processes. Usually, such observations are made in exclusion of the analysis of organisational realities and the experiences that are part of their daily realities. This thesis explores the experiences of organisational change in a single case of the provincial department of education, namely the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDE). Using the qualitative and exploratory methods of interviews and document analysis, it asks how and why the department was perceived to be in a state of crisis in terms of service delivery, eight years after its initial transformation. To explore these questions, the thesis looked at the interplay between context, organisational design and internal skills and capacities, as the triad of processes that influenced the patterns for organisational change in this context. Broadly, the findings revealed that issues of organisational efficiency and service delivery cannot be debated and analysed outside of the political processes that influence them. The ECDE revealed that it was caught in endless politics of networks of coalition which influenced the pattern of service delivery. As a result this thesis concluded that organisational change and service delivery debates have to extend beyond the rational inputs and outputs paradigms to look at the complexities of networks that were a coincidence of transitional politics. It therefore proposes a focus on relational and network analysis of organisations to unravel their politics and pattern of influence on service delivery.

Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine barnyardgrass control as affected by glufosinate and graminicide tank-mixtures, application timing of tank-mixtures of graminicides plus glufosinate and application time of day of tank-mixtures of glufosinate and clethodim. When increased rates of graminicide were tank-mixed with glufosinate, barnyardgrass control was unaffected by quizalofop-P plus glufosinate; however, clethodim plus glufosinate control in the field indicated the potential for reduced barnyardgrass control. When evaluating increasing glufosinate rates tank-mixed with graminicides, barnyardgrass control was not negatively affected by the combination of glufosinate and graminicides. The difference in soybean yield among the graminicides may indicate that the cyclohexanedione herbicides had a slight yield advantage over the aryloxyphenoxypropionate herbicides due to potential increased levels of barnyardgrass control. Applications of glufosinate alone provide variable control throughout the growing season in both field and greenhouse experiments. Although barnyardgrass control in the field was not affected by glufosinate application timing, data from the greenhouse indicates potential exists for reduced control if glufosinate is applied 1 or 3 d before graminicides. Clethodim was unaffected by application time of day; however, glufosinate applications at midnight reduced barnyardgrass control compared to applications made at noon and 6 P.M. Applications at 6 A.M. also reduced barnyardgrass efficacy compared to applications at 6 P.M. Environmental factors such as temperature and light at the time of application are likely responsible for the time of day effects observed in these studies. For maximum benefit from incorporating graminicides into a glufosinate weed control system, fluazifop-P, quizalofop-P, clethodim and sethoxydim should be applied with glufosinate at 594 or 890 g ai ha-1. Sequential treatments of glufosinate should be applied 7 d prior to a graminicide application or 1, 3 or 7 d after a graminicide application. To optimize barnyardgrass efficacy with tank mixtures of glufosinate and clethodim, applications should be made at noon or early evening to avoid potential time of day effects.

Yeast probiotics and paraprobiotics, live and inactivated yeast cells, respectively, improve health and performance of livestock by stabilizing the intestinal microbial community. They have also been used for infection prevention and treatment. Despite much research already conducted, the mechanism of direct antagonism, or adhesion of bacteria to the probiotic/paraprobiotic, is under characterized. Additionally, it is unknown which probiotic/paraprobiotic is optimal to use for specific infections. The interactions between the yeast and certain pathogens were analyzed qualitatively with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitatively with membrane filtration assays. Gram-positive bacteria were found to exhibit specificity under SEM. Through membrane filtration, Listeria monocytogenes exhibited binding to all samples (P<0.05), while Salmonella Typhimurium exhibited binding (P<0.001) with all samples except with 2338. Escherichia coli O157:H7 only bound to the probiotics (P<0.001). With a better understanding of how specific yeast probiotics and paraprobiotics interact with bacteria, specific therapies can be administered to combat infections.

This bachelor's thesis means to understand and identify the new ways librarians need to work, to ensure libraries as true democratic institutions under recent turbulent and antagonistic political times. Consequently, study if this challenges the neutrality norm that librarians may feel the need to attain. Through qualitative textual analysis of articles published in Biblioteksbladet and Magasin K and Chantal Mouffe’s Theory of Agonistic Pluralism as basis for this study, results show an agonistic struggle in a neutral liberal consensus. This entails for instance, the need for preparedness, argumentative skills, courage and an enthusiasm for questioning political pressure in an open debate.

Within the past several years, a great deal of attention has been focused on the phenomena of drug-drug interactions and their importance in the therapeutic regimen of patients for whom multiple therapeutic agents might be indicated. The rather sudden concern for this aspect of medical and pharmaceutical practice is evidenced by the proliferation of literature devoted to the topic for both professions. While iatrogenic disease has long been recognized as one of the hazards inherent in prescribing practices, only isolated reports of specific interactions were found until recently. Although it cannot be said with certainty when the first interaction of two drugs was noticed, such possibilities began to come to light with the observation that concomitant administration of an antacid with a tetracycline would impair the absorption or the anti- biotic (1). A concerted effort to bring order to our recognising and understanding of such interactions has taken place only within the past ten years

The hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) system is associated with compulsive stimulant drug use, involving both HCRT-receptor 1 (-R1) and HCRT-receptor 2 (-R2). Few studies, however, have examined the role of HCRT-R2 or combined HCRT-R1/2 on compulsive methamphetamine (METH) taking behavior. In this study, we examined the effects of HCRT-R1, -R2, and -R1/2 antagonists on compulsive METH self-administration, as modeled by escalated intake in adult male Wistar rats allowed extended access to METH. Three cohorts of rats were allowed either short (1h; ShA; n=7-10/cohort) or long (6h; LgA; n=7-9/cohort) access to METH intravenous self-administration for 14 sessions (fixed ratio 1 schedule). Each cohort was then systemically administered a single- or dual-HCRT-R antagonist 30 min prior to METH self-administration testing: cohort 1, selective HCRT-R1 antagonist (RTIOX-276; RTI-R1; 0, 10, and 20 mg/kg); cohort 2, selective HCRT-R2 antagonist (JNJ-10397049; JNJ-R2; 0, 10, and 20 mg/kg); and cohort 3, dual HCRT-R1/2 antagonist (Suvorexant; SUV-R1/2; 0, 30, and 60 mg/kg). RTI-R1 elicited a dose-dependent reduction in METH intake in LgA, but not ShA, in the first hour. Administration of JNJ-R2 had no effect on METH intake in the first hour in neither ShA nor LgA rats, but reduced METH intake during the full 6 h session at the lowest dose. SUV-R1/2 administration had no effect on METH intake in ShA rats, but showed significant attenuation of METH-taking at the highest dose in both the first hour and full 6h session for LgA rats. Locomotor activity was significantly reduced following RTI-R1 and SUV-R1/2 in ShA rats only. To further explore the role that HCRT plays in METH dependence after a period of abstinence, we used a shRNA-encoding adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) to silence Hcrt in a separate cohort of previously-escalated METH-dependent rats. Following an initial escalation phase, and prior to a 3-week period of drug abstinence, rats were injected with either a control scramble-RNA AAV (AAV-Scram; n= 4) or a Hcrt-knockdown AAV (AAV-HCRT-KD; n= 5). AAV-Scram rats showed a significant decrease in METH self-administration post-abstinence, and a subsequent increase in METH-taking following a re-escalation period. In contrast, AAV-HCRT-KD rats showed a significant attenuation of METH self-administration following the re-escalation period. Combined, these results suggest HCRT neurotransmission at both HCRT-R1 and -R2 may contribute to compulsive METH-taking behavior.

Då antagonismen mellan öst och väst forstätter att eskalera i vårt postindustriella samhälle är det viktigt att ta reda på de bidragande faktorer som leder till en fortsatt motsättning. Det är min uppfattning att Hollywood är en bidragande faktor till denna antagonism. Det är även min åsikt att Hollywood blir påverkade av USA:s Mellanösternpolitik i utformandet av de filmer där människor från Mellanöstern och islam porträtteras.Syftet med studien är att utifrån teorier såsom orientalism, stereotypering, representation och common-sense antaganden analysera nio utvalda Hollywoodfilmer. Tre från 1960-talet, tre från 1990-talet och tre från 2000-talet för att klarlägga hur människor från Mellanöstern framställs och hur islam representeras.Syftet är även att med hjälp av Faircloughs kritiska diskursanalys belysa hur samhället påverkar Hollywoods produktioner och hur dessa i sin tur påverkar samhället. Mot bakgrund av detta är Faircloughs trestegsmodell lämplig för att tydligöra det dialektiska samspel som existerar mellan samhälle och produktionen av film.Utifrån de teorier och metod som har presenterats har jag funnit att de nio utvalda filmerna framställer människor från Mellanöstern och islam på ett negativt sätt. Det har även varit möjligt att med hjälp av Faircloughs trestegsmodell tydligöra ett dialektiskt samspel mellan USA:s Mellanösternpolitik och Hollywood. / In a time when antagonistic feelings continue to escalate in our postindustrial society, it tends to be vital to look for the contributing factors to why opposition seems to continue. It is my understanding that Hollywood is one of several factors to the ongoing animosity. It is also my belief that the ongoing US Middle Eastern policy has an influence on Hollywood, which has a direct impact on the production of movies that represent people of the Middle East and Islam.The purpose if this paper is to analyze nine selected Hollywood movies using theories such as Orentalism, stereotypes, representation and common-sense assumptions. The films will be taken from three separate decades, from the 1960s, 1990s and the 2000s. The function of the investigation is to determine how people of the Middle East and Islam are being represented.Another purpose is also to establish an understanding on how society affects Hollywood productions but also how these productions in turn affect society; this will be done by using Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis. Fairclough’s framework for CDA is ideal in determenating the ongoing dialectical relationship between society and the production of movies.By using the theories and method formerly presented, I have concluded that when analyzing the nine selected movies, people of the Middle East and Islam are being represented in a negative manner. It has also been possible to establish that there exists a dialectical relationship between US Middle Eastern policy and Hollywood by using Fairclough’s framework for CDA.

There is considerable evidence to suggest that dopamine (DA), in addition to its role as a precursor of norepinephrine (NE) and ephinephrine, has important physiological actions in its own right. One physiological action of DA seems to be that of a neurotransmitter in the mammalian brain (Hornykiewicz, 1966). In addition, there is evidence that abnormalities of dopaminergic transmission in the central nervous system (CNS) may be of clinical importance. For example, dopaminergic over activity in the mesolimbic forebrain may be a primary feature in the etiology of schizophrenia (Meltzer and Stahl, 1976). The drugs used to treat schizophrenia act as DA antagonists in the brain (Snyder et al., 1974; Robinson et al., 1979). Drugs such as phenothiazines and butyrophenones have been shown in clinical studies to be effective in treating the fundamental symptoms of psychosis (Snyder et al., 1974). The results of animal experiments indicate that their principal mode of action is blockade of DA receptor sites in the CNS (VanRossum, 1966). However, these neuroleptics are generally nonspecific in their effects upon DA neurons and thus, cause major undesireable side effects. If new drugs could be discovered that were more structurally selective for different DA systems, then, perhaps these undesireable side effects could be eliminated. In order to develop such drugs, a closer look would have to be made at different DA systems in an attempt to demonstrate DA receptors which are topographically distinct and can thus be selectively regulated by both agonistic and antagonistic agents. The demonstration of more than one DA receptor in mammalian CNS is the subject of the research presented in this thesis.