Background: Despite proven efficacy, Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) use for incomplete abortions is low in the Swaziland setting, including Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital. Uncertainty in the costs implications of introducing MVA to replace Dilatation and Curettage (D&C) is the major hindrance to change. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of introducing MVA as an evacuation method for first trimester incomplete miscarriages as well as assess the implications of the introduction of MVA to the entire post-abortion care budget at RFM Hospital. Methods: The methods comprised cost-effectiveness and budget impact analyses from a healthcare perspective based on a theoretical cohort. Clinical outcomes data for procedures were obtained from relevant literature. Costs were collated from prospective suppliers and then compared for the two treatment modalities. Future numbers of annual evacuations were extrapolated from previous annual figures. First trimester miscarriages were in turn extrapolated from proportions found in previous studies. Total budgets were calculated under the current scenario, as well as if MVA had to be introduced. Results: With initial capital costs of ZAR11 093.00, introduction of MVA for first trimester incomplete abortions will cut post-abortion care costs by 34.7%. MVA would cost ZAR819.86 per procedure while D&C costs ZAR1 255.40 per procedure. An estimated 26 MVA procedures done instead of D&C will compensate for the initial capital investment. Introduction of MVA into the post-abortion care programme will save the hospital about ZAR516 115.30 annually, with at least similar clinical outcomes compared to D&C. Conclusions: MVA should be considered as the first option in first trimester post abortion care. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Clinical Epidemiology / unrestricted

Magister Artium - MA / Much language planning and policy in recent years in South Africa tends to overlook linguistic situations and practices, and focuses on notions of top-down language policy and implementation. This does not fit easily with the current multilingualism dynamics of late post-modern societies, which are increasingly characterized by a culture of consumerism and politics of aspiration. Taking its point of departure from a critical analysis of linguistic practices, in the form of visual literacies (billboards) in a township in South Africa, this thesis aims to draw forth alternative approaches that focus on the notion of sociolinguistic consumption, politics of aspiration and stylization of self, as a means of addressing the linguistic situation, and highlighting implications for language planning and multilingualism. / South Africa

In an effort to help understand the mechanical properties of human platelets, their deformations were measured using micropipette experiments over an aspiration pressure range of 1-5 cmH2O, in steps of 1 cmH2O. The experiments confirmed the previously reported linear relationship between deformation and pressure. The experimental results were used to determine the material constants of a thin-axisymmetric shell model based on a strain-energy constitutive relation to describe the platelet deformations under aspiration. The model was successful in capturing the experimental deformations. It also suggested that the mechanical properties of human platelets are not significantly influenced by their volumes, but do vary depending on the platelets’ undeformed shape ratios. In addition, the model suggested that platelet membrane ruptures due to micropipette aspiration may be strain-related. The limitations of the experimental methods arising from direct contact with reactive cells such as platelets are highlighted, prompting the need for developing new methods which will not require the use of inhibition agents that alter the platelets’ mechanical properties. Afin d’approfondir les connaissances des propriétés mécaniques des plaquettes humaines, leurs déformations ont été mesurées lors d’expériences avec des micropipettes pour des pressions d’aspiration de 1-5 cmH2O, par intervalles de 1 cmH2O. Les expériences ont confirmé la relation linéaire entre les déformations et la pression d’aspiration telle que précédemment publié. Les données expérimentales ont été utilisées pour déterminer les constantes matérielles d’un modèle de membrane mince axisymétrique basé sur une loi de comportement caractérisant l’énergie de déformation. Le modèle simule bien les déformations des plaquettes sous aspiration; il suggère également que les propriétés mécaniques des plaquettes humaines ne sont pas influencées significativement leur volume, mais varient en fonction de leurs formes avant déformation. De plus, le modèle suggère que les ruptures de la membrane des plaquettes sous aspiration seraient reliées aux déformations. Les limites des méthodes expérimentales utilisées, du fait du contact direct avec des cellules aussi réactives que les plaquettes sont soulignées, et mettent l’emphase sur le besoin de mettre au point de nouvelles méthodes ne requérant pas d’agents d’inhibitions qui altèrent les propriétés mécaniques des plaquettes.

This study examines occupational aspiration and choice of traditional first-time college students utilizing longitudinal data from the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP). Focus is given to beliefs about the importance of family and money in relation to selection of an occupation that is classified as sex-typed. Change from one occupational category to another is also considered. The dissonance between students' beliefs about the importance of family and money as associated with their sex-typed occupational choice is explored. Understanding students' occupational plans that subsequently determine future prestige, wealth, and status is vital to higher educational professionals who facilitate students in their career selection and major. Therefore, environmental factors of satisfaction with career counseling and academic advising are examined. The U.S. Census Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) data is applied in the classification of sex-typed occupations. Race and ethnicity is investigated to determine if the same gender patterns exist among cultural groups with regards to their occupational selection. The results indicate that students' occupational aspirations were influenced by their belief regarding the importance of family or money. In addition, their beliefs regarding family and money changed after four years of college with family increasing in importance. Strong beliefs that were, either concordant or discordant with relation to students' gender and occupational choice predicted change after four years of college. Also, race and ethnicity showed some relation to sex-typed occupational aspirations of students. Being Hispanic predicted female sex-typed occupations, while being Asian predicted male sex-typed occupations. However, the results of this study may have been compromised by the extremely skewed representation of an elitist student sample. Thus, future research that includes a more diverse student sample (race/ethnicity, social class, and geographical location) was recommended for validation of this study's findings.

The objective of this work is to develop a novel 3-D biological particulate dynamics framework to simulate blood flow in the micro circulation. This entails the amalgamation of concepts from various fields namely blood flow dynamics, solid mechanics, fluid-structure interaction and computational data structures. It is envisioned that this project will serve as a harbinger for implementing a multi-scale simulation model with applications in a vast array of situations from blood flows in heart valves to studying cancer metastasis. The primary motivation for this work stems from the need for establishing a simple, effective and holistic framework for performing blood flow simulations, taking into account the extremely 3-D nature of flow, the particle interactions and fluid structure interaction between blood and its constituent elements. Many current models to simulate blood cells rely on finite element methods which render large scale simulations extremely computationally intensive. The development of a framework for simulating blood flow is tied together with achieving a framework for performing an investigation of cancer metastasis. Cancer initially develops at a primary site and spreads through the body to secondary sites using the circulatory systems of the body - the blood circulatory system and the lymphatic system. It is known that all the cancer cells that enter into the circulation do not survive the harsh environment, though the exact cause of this is still undetermined. Moreover, the mechanical properties of cancer cells are not well documented and appropriate computational models require that experiments be conducted to determine the same. Thus the end goal of this work is to establish a system to analyze and simulate 3-D blood particulate dynamics, including cancer cells, from a holistic standpoint in order to understand more about the phenomenon of blood flow as a whole, and cancer metastasis in particular.

The aim of this research is to gain an in-depth understanding of involuntary immobility as it applies to American parents that aspire to migrate to Global North countries. It explores their reasons for desiring to emigrate, the obstacles rendering them involuntarily immobile, and examines how current research methods, models, and theories can be applied to these families. This qualitative study is based on six semi-structured interviews with American parents that have expressed aspirations to migrate but have not yet found a viable path to migration. It uses aspiration-ability/capability models to explore each family’s (im)mobility and the obstacles that render them immobile. The results of the research demonstrate the challenge of assessing (im)mobility at a single moment in time, and determine that the immobility of adult dependents can render an individual immobile.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo / The objectives of this study were: 1) To determine the effect of oocyte retrieval techniques (slicing and aspiration) on the quality and quantity of cattle oocytes, 2) To evaluate the effect of different concentrations of hormones on the maturational rate of cattle oocytes selected by brilliant cresyl blue staining, 3) To evaluate fertilization rate and cleavage/embryonic development of oocytes with or without cumulus cells, and 4) To compare the effect of fresh and frozen thawed semen on the fertilization rate of cattle oocytes. In Experiment 1: oocytes were recovered from abattoir derived ovaries using slicing and aspiration. The recovered oocytes were exposed for 90 minutes to 26μM of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) stain and classified according to the colour of their cytoplasm: BCB+ (oocytes with blue cytoplasm) and BCB- (unstained oocytes). There was no difference (P>0.05) in the quality of oocytes recovered using slicing (60.7 %) or aspiration (53.7 %) techniques. In experiment 2: The BCB selected and the non-selected immature oocytes were randomly allocated into medium 199 + 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS) maturation media. The media was supplemented with three different concentrations of hormones as treatments (T). The T1 (0.5 μg/ml of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), 5mg/ml of luteinizing hormone (LH) and 2 μg/ml of estradiol (E2) as the control group. Then, T2 (1 μg/ml of FSH, 6 mg/ml of LH and 2.5 μg/ml of E2) and T3 (1.5 μg/ml of FSH, 7 mg/ml of LH and 4.5 μg/ml of E2). Maturation rate of oocytes was determined by the protrusion of the first polar bodies 24 hours following in vitro maturation. Treatment 2 yielded higher (P<0.05) maturation rate for both BCB+ (65.6 %) and without BCB (60.3 %) oocytes with T1 giving lower (P<0.05) maturation rate for BCB+ (22 %) and without BCB (16 %) oocytes. However, BCB- oocytes had lower (P<0.05) polar body extrusion (3.03 %, 8.1 % and 2.2 %) for T1, T2 and T3, respectively. In Experiment 3: one group of the presumptive zygotes was denuded of cumulus cells and the other group was cultured with cumulus cells. The presumptive zygotes were in vitro cultured in SOF-BSA and changed to SOF-FBS after 48 hours. High fertilization/cleavage rate was observed in oocytes cultured with cumulus cells (29.0 %) compared to the denuded oocytes (20.0 %) for 2-4 cells stage. Day 7 blastocysts were more (P<0.05) on oocytes cultured with cumulus cells (32 %) compared to denuded oocytes (13 %). In experiment 4: The matured oocytes were fertilized using fresh and frozen thawed semen. The oocytes fertilized with frozen thawed semen obtained a better number of 2-4 cell cleavage (23 %) when compared to fresh semen (19 %). Oocytes that were fertilized with frozen thawed semen also obtained higher morula (13 %) and blastocyst (8 %) compared to fresh semen with morula (3.4 %) and blastocyst (2 %). In conclusion, immature oocytes that were exposed to BCB+ and cultured in M199 supplemented with 10 % FBS, 0.5 μg/ml of FSH, 5 mg/ml of LH and 2 μg/ml of E2 had a higher (P<0.05) number of matured oocytes (extrusion of first polar body) compared to those that were not exposed to BCB (no BCB). Oocytes that were cultured with cumulus cells yielded a higher (P<0.05) number of cleaved embryos compared to the denuded oocytes. Slicing yielded a higher (P<0.05) number of oocytes, however the quality of oocytes recovered was similar compared to those recovered by the aspiration technique (P>0.05). Oocytes fertilized with frozen thawed semen yielded higher (P<0.05) number of 2-4 cell, morula and blastocyst when compared with oocytes that were fertilized using fresh semen. Keywords: ovaries, oocytes, slicing, aspiration, COCs, BCB, polar body and cattle

Thesis (M. Sc. (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2015 / The objectives of this study were: 1) To determine the effect of oocyte retrieval techniques (slicing and aspiration) on the quality and quantity of cattle oocytes, 2) To evaluate the effect of different concentrations of hormones on the maturational rate of cattle oocytes selected by brilliant cresyl blue staining, 3) To evaluate fertilization rate and cleavage/embryonic development of oocytes with or without cumulus cells, and 4) To compare the effect of fresh and frozen thawed semen on the fertilization rate of cattle oocytes. In Experiment 1: oocytes were recovered from abattoir derived ovaries using slicing and aspiration. The recovered oocytes were exposed for 90 minutes to 26μM of brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) stain and classified according to the colour of their cytoplasm: BCB+ (oocytes with blue cytoplasm) and BCB- (unstained oocytes). There was no difference (P>0.05) in the quality of oocytes recovered using slicing (60.7 %) or aspiration (53.7 %) techniques. In experiment 2: The BCB selected and the non-selected immature oocytes were randomly allocated into medium 199 + 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS) maturation media. The media was supplemented with three different concentrations of hormones as treatments (T). The T1 (0.5 μg/ml of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), 5mg/ml of luteinizing hormone (LH) and 2 μg/ml of estradiol (E2) as the control group. Then, T2 (1 μg/ml of FSH, 6 mg/ml of LH and 2.5 μg/ml of E2) and T3 (1.5 μg/ml of FSH, 7 mg/ml of LH and 4.5 μg/ml of E2). Maturation rate of oocytes was determined by the protrusion of the first polar bodies 24 hours following in vitro maturation. Treatment 2 yielded higher (P<0.05) maturation rate for both BCB+ (65.6 %) and without BCB (60.3 %) oocytes with T1 giving lower (P<0.05) maturation rate for BCB+ (22 %) and without BCB (16 %) oocytes. However, BCB- oocytes had lower (P<0.05) polar body extrusion (3.03 %, 8.1 % and 2.2 %) for T1, T2 and T3, respectively. In Experiment 3: one group of the presumptive zygotes was denuded of cumulus cells and the other group was cultured with cumulus cells. The presumptive zygotes were in vitro cultured in SOF-BSA and changed to SOF-FBS after 48 hours. High fertilization/cleavage rate was observed in oocytes cultured with cumulus cells (29.0 %) compared to the denuded oocytes (20.0 %) for 2-4 cells stage. Day 7 blastocysts were more (P<0.05) on oocytes cultured with cumulus cells (32 %) compared to denuded oocytes (13 %). In experiment 4: The matured oocytes were fertilized using fresh and frozen thawed semen. The oocytes fertilized with frozen thawed semen obtained a better number of 2-4 cell cleavage (23 %) when compared to fresh semen (19 %). Oocytes that were fertilized with frozen thawed semen also obtained higher morula (13 %) and blastocyst (8 %) compared to fresh semen with morula (3.4 %) and blastocyst (2 %). In conclusion, immature oocytes that were exposed to BCB+ and cultured in M199 supplemented with 10 % FBS, 0.5 μg/ml of FSH, 5 mg/ml of LH and 2 μg/ml of E2 had a higher (P<0.05) number of matured oocytes (extrusion of first polar body) compared to those that were not exposed to BCB (no BCB). Oocytes that were cultured with cumulus cells yielded a higher (P<0.05) number of cleaved embryos compared to the denuded oocytes. Slicing yielded a higher (P<0.05) number of oocytes, however the quality of oocytes recovered was similar compared to those recovered by the aspiration technique (P>0.05). Oocytes fertilized with frozen thawed semen yielded higher (P<0.05) number of 2-4 cell, morula and blastocyst when compared with oocytes that were fertilized using fresh semen. Keywords: ovaries, oocytes, slicing, aspiration, COCs, BCB, polar body and cattle

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I en bransch där krav från olika håll ställs på de anställda är det viktigt att som arbetsgivare veta hur de ska göra för att främja motivationen på arbetsplatsen. Bankanställda ska idag bl.a. bygga upp ett förtroende i samhället, vara ansiktet utåt för bankens varumärke och bygga långvariga relationer med kunder, helst i flera generationsled och samtidigt hålla en hög kompetensnivå och leverera en bra produkt till sina kunder. Deci och Ryans Self-determination theory (SDT) delar in motivationen i två huvudkategorier, inreoch yttre motivation. Kasser och Ryan har sedan skapat Aspiration index, som fungerar som instrument för att mäta motivation. Indexet kategoriserar olika typer av livsmål och skapar inre- och yttre motivationsfaktorer utifrån dessa. Studiens syfte är att undersöka vilka motivationsfaktorer från Kasser och Ryans index som värdesätts högst hos de bankanställda och om denna prioritering skiljer sig mellan bankerna. Med hjälp av insamlade data, via enkäter, från 3 olika bankkontor drar vi slutsatsen att samtliga medarbetarna anser att inre motivationsfaktorer är viktigare än yttre motivationsfaktorer. Vi har även kunnat visa att det bland vissa av dessa faktorer även finns skillnader i värdesättning mellan de olika bankkontoren, där slumpen kunnat uteslutas.