Motivation: The South-African deep level gold mining industry has adapted in many ways, as the pursuit for gold has led deep into the earth core, where rock face temperatures measure around 60°C. Ventilation adapted through engineering developments like refrigeration systems, creating cooler work environments to an extent. Despite these developments the risks of high ambient temperatures coupled with strenuous work and dehydration remains, leading to alternative methods of control that have to indicate whether employees have the necessary functional capacity to perform daily work tasks. Objectives: The objectives of this study were: to measure and compare the physiological effects of the tasks performed by workers in an underground mining environment; To measure the soundness of heart rate as a gauge of work stress in real-life work conditions, taking into account the stressors that influence it; to determine the efficacy of functional and physical work capacity assessments as a method of determining work readiness. Methods: A study group (n = 16) was chosen to represent the “most exposed” work population, all of whom have previously passed the functional work capacity and physical work capacity assessments. The assessments were repeated and the maximal oxygen uptake assessment was done. The participants were divided into two groups (n = 8) according to their work areas. Measurements were taken over a period of eight consecutive shifts. Each group was later divided into three groups as per the work they performed. Dehydration was determined through urine analysis and body weight changes. Heart rate was observed continuously through a heart rate monitor and oral temperature was measured on an hourly basis. Results: The shift durations seen during this study were much longer than the customary 8-hour work day. The mean HR results of group I, which was suspected of having the most strenuous work, were very similar to the results for group II and III. This group did, however, have the highest % heart rate ≥ 120 beats per minute and mean cumulative heart beats, group III having the lowest. All of the groups were found to be mildly dehydrated at the end of their shifts, the urine specific gravity indicating that the participants were generally already considerably dehydrated at the onset of the shifts. Group I was the only group whose mean heart rate had a statistically significant correlation (r ≥ 0.5) with % weight loss. There was a statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) correlation between heart rate and mean oral temperature for all of the groups. The participants that passed the functional work capacity and physical work capacity assessments were found to have performed comparatively better during the real-time shifts than those that failed. Conclusions: Although there were several employees that had a high mean maximum heart rate, none of the mean heart rates were higher than the self-pacing rate of 110 beats per minute. This ability of self- pacing was seen in the way the participants were able to manage energy expenditure by alternating between heavy and lighter tasks. A great concern is the fact that all of the participants had a % weight loss (0.9 – 2.8% weight loss) indicative of mild dehydration after the shifts, on top of morning urine specific gravity samples (1.020 – 1.025) showing signs of considerable dehydration. Several correlations were found between the functional work capacity and physical work capacity assessments and maximum temperature, maximum heart rate and maximal oxygen uptake, suggesting a significant relationship between the real life situation and the homogenous laboratory setting. comparing the employees that passed the functional work capacity and physical work capacity assessment to those that failed, a marked difference was seen in their respective performances. The groups that passed had a lower mean heart rate and maximum heart rate and higher maximal oxygen uptake. It may, therefore, be concluded that the functional work capacity and physical work capacity assessments provide a valid evaluation of an individual’s work capacity and potential to cope with the varying demands of underground work. / Thesis (MSc (Occupational Hygiene))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The aim of this essay is to investigate how a demarcation is made between employees’ right to religious freedom next to employers’ interest in running their enterprise in an efficient way. Case law shows that the Arrowsmith-principle forum internum and forum externum could be used when a demarcation has to be made. Furthermore, case law shows that that the employee—when accepting a contract of employment—have accepted certain restrictions of his or her religious freedom. When the employee later on isn’t willing to fulfill duties stated in the contract—due to his or her religious beliefs—it has been defined as labor refusal. However, it seems as though The Court has come to develop a nuanced view on the matter, arguing in the case of Eweida v the United Kingdom for restrictions—when made on employee’s freedom of religion—to be proportionate. Case law further shows that religious beliefs are not protected when they’re challenging other fundamental rights such as protection from discrimination due to sexual orientation. Conflict has surfaced when religious employees were unable to shake hands with employers of the opposite sex, asked for time to pray during working hours and requested to wear a headscarf or a turban at work. The essay also investigates the Swedish legal case ”handskakningsfallet” where the religious manifestation was decided on the basis of direct discrimination. However, the essay finds strong reasons for such manifestations to be assessed in relation to indirect discrimination, which would enable for proportionate assessments. Furthermore, such assessments would pave way for fair and correct judgements when investigating if one has been discriminated or not.   Lastly the essay highlights the importance of making such proportionate assessment stated above when deciding if religious interests should be protected or not on the labour market to enable a fair balance between all interests. / Uppsatsen undersöker hur gränsdragningen görs när arbetstagare vill nyttja sin religionsfrihet i relation till arbetsgivares intresse att på ett effektivt sätt leda och fördela arbetet. Arrowsmith-principen vad gäller forum internum och externum kan användas vägledande vid sådana gränsdragningar. Rättspraxis visar vidare att anställningsavtalet tillmäts stor betydelse och att arbetstagaren vid ingående av avtal får anses sig ha underkastat sig de regler och krav avtalet ställer. När arbetstagaren sålunda har vägrat att utföra de arbetsuppgifter som faller inom ramen för anställningen med hänvisning till sin religiösa tro har detta bedömts vara arbetsvägran. Europadomstolen synes dock ha utvecklat en mer nyanserad syn i frågan och motiverar i fallet Eweida mot Storbritannien för vikten av en proportionalitetsbedömning när religionsfriheten begränsas i anställningsförhållandet. Vidare visar rättspraxis att religiösa åskådningar inte skyddas när de utmanar andra mänskliga rättigheter, såsom exempelvis skyddet mot diskriminering p.g.a. sexuell läggning.  Konflikt har uppstått när religiösa arbetstagare inte kunnat ta arbetsgivare av det motsatta könet i hand, velat be på arbetstid samt velat bära slöja eller turban på arbetsplatsen. Uppsatsen undersöker också ”handskakningsfallet” och övervägande skäl talar för att frågan om religiösa manifestationer torde bedömas utifrån indirekt diskriminering. Proportionalitetsbedömningar torde på ett rättvist och korrekt sätt avgöra om diskriminering ligger för handen eller inte.  Avslutningsvis betonar uppsatsen vikten av proportionalitetsbedömningar i varje enskilt fall för att avgöra om religiösa intressen ska skyddas respektive inte skyddas på arbetsmarknaden för att sålunda uppnå en balans mellan samtliga intressen.

In the pursuit of sustainable development, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) are acknowledged globally as a tool designed to assist governing authorities by providing the information required to make an informed decision regarding development proposals. South Africa has entrenched this EIA requirement in the presiding environmental legislation: the National Environmental Management Act (Act 107 of 1 998). In the effort to manage the negative impact of development on the rocky ridges of Johannesburg, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, conservation, Environment and Land Affairs (GDACEL) has introduced a buffer zone requirement in the procedure of the EIA. The Red Data Plant Policy for Environmental Impact Evaluations for GDACEL described a buffer zone as a collar of land that filters out inappropriate influences from surrounding activities. As a tool in the EIA, a buffer zone is a worthwhile concept. However, the determination of the dimension of the buffer zone on rocky ridges, is non-discriminatory between sites, and thus, presents potential contention between decision-making authorities and developers. There is a need for further research to establish a scientifically acceptable method of determining site-specific buffer zones for individual EIA applications. The key objective of this paper is to suggest the possibility of determining a buffer zone that accommodates the unique environmental aspects of each site. This is achieved by determining the distance between the edge of existing developments and the point at which the successional climax community within the adjacent natural vegetation is established. Three suitable study sites, consisting of developed residential estates on ridges adjacent to nature reserves, were identified within the greater Johannesburg metropolis. The three study sites identified for this assessment include Kloofendal (west), Morning Hill (east) and Kliprivier (south). Within each study site field surveys were conducted along transects starting 5m from the development edge and ending 75m within the nature reserve adjacent to each site. Quantitative (species density) and qualitative (Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance values) data analysis was employed to describe and evaluate the identified plant communities. The data in this study provides clear indication that a 25-35m buffer zone would suffice for these specific plant communities to maintain a climax successional status if impacted on by residential development. This paper thus makes a case for permitting the determining of variable buffers zones, based on a gradient analysis of a plant community, as a potential panacea to the problem of resistance and reluctance to accept present standard buffer zones. / Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

The UK Government has set the target of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. Energy used by buildings is presently responsible for around half of C02 emissions in the UK. There are many established methods for reducing such emissions from building operation but these opportunities are not being seized to their full potential. One of these methods is the use of Alternative Energy Technologies (AETs) integrated into the built environment. Engineering consultants have a key role in the design of buildings, their energy consumption and the consideration of AETs. The objectives of this thesis are to explore the process of delivery of AETs in building projects, the key factors that influence the viability of these technologies and the capability of engineering consultants to increase their rate of uptake. While there are many published lists of incentives and restrictions to using these technologies, there are few reports of their impact in practical contexts. Project involvement provided evidence of significant variations in the drivers and barriers to using AETs, the design team perceptions and the approaches used for assessments. These insights were investigated in detail through participative research techniques. Initial focus groups led to the development of a structured interview programme administered in 2 phases. The first phase of interviews investigated the experiences of 41 participants representing a range of building project stakeholders. The second phase of interviews looks more closely at 24 relevant projects from the perspective of the engineering consultant, investigating the decision-making approaches used and the influence of factors throughout the design process in more detail. As a result a hierarchy of the importance of specific drivers and barriers to using AETs in building projects was established. It was found that there is a large amount of variation in their importance between projects. Despite this variation the emphasis for assessment methods is on financial terms, largely ignoring more qualitative concerns. This lack of suitable assessment methodologies along with a lack of education, motivation and case study information in the building industry are restricting the use of AETs in UK building projects. It is proposed that to address this, engineering consultants need to be better informed and need to develop and embrace more holistic technology assessment methods that account for qualitative and quantitative considerations.

Human Systems Integration Capstone / Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / Current ejection seat certified aircrew weight ranges (136 to 213 lbs.), such as for the F/A-18, prohibited over one third (38%) of women and (8%) of men from accessing the naval aviation strike pipeline (carrierbased aviation) between 2008 and 2013. This is deleterious to the Naval Aviation Enterprise to restrict access of otherwise qualified and talented applicants to the strike aviation pipeline due to an outdated anthropometric survey based specification. The acceptable level of risk that was utilized by the Naval Aviation Systems Command was overly conservative and needs to be updated to align with current operational risk management principles, actual ejection seat performance mishap data and the naval aviation anthropometric population. This research is a deep exploration of all aspects of this issue and makes recommendations that can be used by Commander of Naval Air Forces in establishing an operational weight limit for all ejection seat aircraft.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of English, 2005. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-155).

Esta tese tem como objetivo analisar as ações do Estado brasileiro na educação básica no período de 1995 a 2014. Para tanto, faço uso de uma política pública educacional – o Sistema de Avaliação da Educação Básica (Saeb) – como “janela” desta pesquisa. O uso de uma política educacional como “janela” implica no entendimento de que as políticas públicas estão inseparavelmente relacionadas ao Estado (AGUDELO, 2011; OSCAR OSZLAK; GUILLERMO O'DONNELL, 1995) e que só se pode definir como política pública a ação que tem o aval estatal (OSZLAK; O'DONNELL, 1995). A escolha do Saeb, por sua vez, esteve alicerçada em uma revisão bibliográfica que aponta que, a partir das reformas estatais dos anos de 1990, as avaliações ganharam centralidade no cenário brasileiro (HYPOLITO, 2008; PERONI, 2003; FREITAS, 2004; BONAMINO; SOUSA, 2012; SOUZA; OLIVEIRA, 2003; COELHO, 2008). Esta é a justificativa para fazer uso de uma política pública educacional que inclui avaliações de larga escala, pois entendo que, olhando para tais avaliações, posso ter um acesso privilegiado para identificar como o Estado age na educação básica. A revisão bibliográfica também apontou que as reformas estatais de 1990 no Brasil foram fortemente influenciadas pelo modelo gerencial. Assim, os pressupostos gerencialistas foram aqueles, centralmente, utilizados para o entendimento das mudanças ocorridas no Estado brasileiro na década de 1990. Como forma de entender o modelo gerencial, faço uso das contribuições dos autores John Clarke e Janet Newman – que estudaram as reformas gerenciais no contexto da Inglaterra. Apresento um breve panorama histórico dos contextos internacional e brasileiro, no qual trato sobre a reestruturação do Estado e as principais mudanças que passaram a existir em relação às políticas educacionais, examinando, de forma especial, a centralidade que ganharam as avaliações de larga escala na educação. Através da realização de entrevistas realistas (PAWSON; TILLEY, 2000) com pessoas ligadas a órgãos estatais e a instituições não-estatais – que têm exercido um importante papel nas discussões educacionais –, da análise de documentos e da teoria construída para a tese, realizei uma análise que levou em conta as lentes teóricas utilizadas ao longo do estudo – análise relacional (APPLE, 2006) e a abordagem estratégico-relacional (JESSOP, 2008) – e que permitiu inferir, de forma complexa, sobre como se caracterizam as ações do Estado brasileiro na educação básica no período de 1995 a 2014. Concluí que, apesar da existência de particularidades no âmbito estatal brasileiro, sendo o Estado ainda forte e bastante centralizado e caracterizado pelo patrimonialismo, coronelismo e populismo (FAORO, 2001), as avaliações de larga escala e os pressupostos gerenciais servem como importantes orientadores das ações do Estado na educação básica, o que corrobora o alerta de Clarke e Newman (1997) de que, apesar das contradições existentes no Estado, o gerencialismo possui, atualmente, primazia sobre outros modelos. / This dissertation aims to analyze the action of the Brazilian State in the context of basic education from 1995 to 2014. Therefore, I use a public educational policy – the Basic Education Assessment System – as a “window” of this research. The use of a educational policy as a “window” implies the understanding that public policies are inseparably related to the State (HYPOLITO, 2008; PERONI, 2003; FREITAS, 2004; BONAMINO; SOUSA, 2012; SOUZA; OLIVEIRA, 2003; COELHO, 2008) and also requires the understanding that a policy can only be set as public policy when it has the State guarantee (OSZLAK; O'DONNELL, 1995). The choice of the Basic Education Assessment System was based on the literature review that points out that evaluations gained centrality in the Brazilian context since the State reforms in the 1990s (HYPOLITO, 2008; PERONI, 2003; FREITAS, 2004; BONAMINO; SOUSA, 2012; SOUZA; OLIVEIRA, 2003; COELHO, 2008). This is the justification for using an educational policy that includes large-scale assessments; I understand that, when looking for such assessments, I can have a privileged access to identify how the State acts in basic education. The literature review also pointed out that in the 1990s the State reform in Brazil was strongly influenced by managerialism. Thus, managerial assumptions were used to understand the changes in the Brazilian State in the 1990s. In order to understand managerialism, I use the contributions from John Clarke and Janet Newman – who have studied managerial reforms in England’s context. I present a brief historical overview of both international and Brazilian contexts, in which I deal with the restructuring of the State and the major changes in relation to educational policies, examining, specially, the centrality of large-scale assessments in education. By conducting realistic interviews (PAWSON; TILLEY, 2000) with people linked to State agencies and non-state institutions – which have played an important role in educational discussions –, document analysis and the theory built in this dissertation, I carried out an analysis that took into account the theoretical lens used throughout the study – relational analysis (APPLE, 2006) and the strategic-relational approach (JESSOP, 2008) – which allowed me to infer, in a complex way, how the action of the Brazilian State in basic education from 1995 to 2014 is characterized. I concluded that, despite of the existence of peculiarities in the Brazilian State level, which means that the State is still strong and quite centralized and characterized by paternalism, “coronelismo” and populism (FAORO, 2001), large-scale assessments and managerial assumptions have served as important guides of the State's actions in basic education, which confirms the Clarke and Newman’s alert (1997) that, in spite of the existence of contradictions in the State, managerialism has primacy over other models nowadays.

Preterm birth (defined as birth before 37 weeks) is a leading cause of neurocognitive impairment in childhood, including difficulties in social cognition and executive function. Microstructural divergence from typical brain development in the preterm brain can be quantified using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) tractography during the neonatal period. The relationship between dMRI tractography metrics and later cognitive difficulties remains inconclusive. A general measure of white matter microstructure (gWM) offers a neural basis for cognitive processes in adults, however it remains unclear when gWM is first detectable in the developmental trajectory. Eye-tracking is a technique which assesses eye-gaze behaviour in response to visual stimuli, which permits inference about underlying cognitive processes, such as social cognition and executive function in infancy. The primary aims of this thesis were to test the hypotheses: dMRI tractography reveals significant differences in tract-average fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) between preterm and term infants, and variance in tract-average FA and MD is shared across major tracts. Secondly, infants born preterm have altered social cognition and executive function compared to term born peers, assessed by eye-tracking and finally, neonatal MRI gWM is associated with cognitive function in infancy. Preterm (birth weight ≤ 1500g) and term infants (born ≥ 37 weeks’ post-menstrual age [PMA]) were recruited and underwent a MRI scan at term equivalent age (between 38 - 42 weeks’ PMA) and an eye-tracking assessment six to nine months later. Preterm infants were assessed at two years using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (BSID-III). dMRI tractography metrics were generated using probabilistic neighbourhood tractography (PNT) in eight pre-defined tracts-of-interest. Principal component analyses (PCA) were used to determine the correlations between the eight tracts-of-interest for four tract-averaged water diffusion parameters. dMRI metrics were compared to the eye-tracking performance and two year outcome data. Quantitative microstructural changes were identifiable within the preterm brain when compared to infants born at term. PCA revealed a single variable that accounts for nearly 50% of shared variance between tracts-of-interest, and all tracts showed positive loadings. Eye-tracking revealed group-wise differences in infant social cognition, attributable to preterm birth, but executive functions inferred from eye-tracking did not differ between groups. dMRI tractography metrics within the neonatal period did not relate to later outcome measures. This thesis shows that variance in dMRI parameters is substantially shared across white matter tracts of the developing brain and suggests that anatomical foundations of later intelligence are present by term equivalent age. Social cognition is altered by preterm birth, however social cognitive ability in infancy is independent of gWM.