This study aimed to explore the ability to capture the theoretical constructs of Adlerian crucial Cs (capable, connect, count, and courage) through creation of a self-report instrument for children. After following a four-phase process to develop the Crucial Cs Self Report (CCSR), including use of an expert panel, field reviews, preliminary testing, and final administration, the researcher utilized a series of exploratory factor analyses to explore the internal factor structure and relationships between items and resulting factors. The final EFA sample consisted of 112 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years recruited from various settings including three elementary schools, two mental health counseling clinics, and one private practice mental health agency. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with 14 items. Refined model identified three factors later named count/significance, connect/belonging, and capable/striving. This initial exploration into the constructs of the Crucial Cs provides increased understanding of the widely used concepts. Further exploration and validation of the CCSR can help support parents and teachers in their efforts to foster healthy development of children as well as allow professionals and researchers to conceptualize progress and measure effectiveness of counseling intervention more accurately.

This work deals with history, present and future of population census. There are the standpoits defined in the first chapter which the description of process of historic census is connected to. There are processes of census from ancient era to the last census in 2001 described in this work. From the beginning of Czech- Slovak Republic every census is described in more details. There are results about amount of populaced and achieved education mentioned in my assignment too. The part of the work is focused on detection of people's opinions on the last censuses and on the planned changes for census in 2011. Processed results are mentioned with absolute and relative numbers. The last chapter deals with upcoming census for year 2011.

In nature we find many instances of complex behavior for example the dynamics of stock markets, power grids, internet networks, highway traffic, social networks, heartbeat dynamics, neural dynamics, dynamics of living organisms, etc. The study of these complex systems involves the use of tools of non-linear dynamics and non-equilibrium statistical physics. This dissertation is devoted to understanding two different sources of complex behavior – non-poissonian renewal events also called crucial events and infinite memory of fractional Brownian motion. They both generate 1/f noise frequency spectrum. Thus, we studied examples of both processes and also their joint action. We also tried to establish the role of crucial events in biological and physiological processes like biophoton emission during the germination of seeds, the dynamics of heartbeat and neural dynamics. Using a statistical method of analyzing the time series of bio signals we were able to quantify the complexity associated with the underlying dynamics of these processes. Finally, we adopted a model that unifies both crucial events and memory fluctuations to study the rhythmic behavior observed in heart rate variability of people during meditation. We were able to also quantify the level of stress reduction during meditation. The work presented in this dissertation may help us understand the communication and transfer of information in complex systems.

President Chain Store Corp. (PCSC), the leading chain store company in Taiwan, utilizing the successful experience to develop their logistic business, thus has been built up the strong subsidiary logistic group of Uni-President nowadays. PCSC structure the integrated production line, which enables each of the business unit to focus on the competitive advantage and utilize the inter-group resources successfully. This integrated structure also enhances the core ability of every business unit which lifts the group from retail industry to the brand with high value-adding brand marketing all over the world. The purpose of this research, using the methodology of Smiling Curve, is to find out the connection between the acquisition of crucial re source and the build-up of crucial process, as well as the impact of benefit and efficiency brought to the group. This research try to use the concept of ¡§ the acquisition of crucial resource¡¨, ¡§ the efficiency of resource utilization¡¨ and the ¡§the build-up of crucial process¡¨ to probe the connection among the best timing for entering new market, the process of acquiring the resource and the timing of acquisition. Furthermore, this research would like to probe how to acquire the crucial resource and build up crucial process, given that under the circumstance of the positive startup of both resource and market. The major findings from this research with the methodology of Smiling Curve for the explanation of integrated strategy and effectiveness come to three points: the 1st is the vertical integration shortens the sales channels, the shorter of the channel, the higher of the value-adding will be; the 2nd is the horizontal integration enables each division to concentrate on the core business to accelerate the leading advantage; the 3rd is the well implementation of related diversification strategies to adopt the overseas brands know-how and corporate-owned trained specificity of human capital to achieve the target of lifting the operation efficiency. This synergy justify the result of aiming at higher value-adding activities, such customers-oriented marketing and service, the value chain relocation, move PCSC to the Y-axis as increasing value-added brand.

VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations™ general program theory might be a possible countermeasure addressing organizational culture and communication factors affecting quality and safety. This practice inquiry reports: a VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations™ general program logic model, a major medical center's Crucial Conversations™ historical implementation program logic model, a clinical exemplar central line associated blood stream infection program logic model; and, findings that describe the fidelity of the major medical center's Crucial Conversations™ historical implementation and clinical exemplar central line associated blood stream infection program logic model to the VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations™ general program logic model. The results demonstrated there was no fidelity between the major medical center's Crucial Conversations™ program logic model and the VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations™ general program logic model. The clinical exemplar CLABSI program logic model and VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations™ general program logic model fidelity differed in intended outcomes. The results might suggest that program adaptability along with program fidelity are factors that influence program strength, and these factors must be uniquely balanced within organizational dynamics to realize intended outcomes. The formative evaluation and program logic model might be a feasible methodology and applicable tool for exploring quality and safety within complex adaptive systems, such as organizational culture, where constraints possibly could exclude more rigorous scientific methodologies until factors are more understood.

Syfte – Studiens syfte är att bidra till kunskap om hur SCOR-modellen kan användas för att identifiera och förbättra en kritisk process i ett orderflöde med avseende att höja pålitligheten i leveranser till kund. För att uppfylla syftet har det brutits ner i tre delmål.Delmål 1: Att kartlägga det nuvarande orderflödets materialflöde och informationsflöde.Delmål 2: Att utvärdera orderflödet med hjälp av SCOR-modellen och identifiera en kritisk process med avseende att höja pålitligheten i leveranser till kund.Delmål 3: Att analysera den kritiska processen utifrån SCOR-modellen och identifiera förbättringspotential med avseende att höja pålitligheten i leveranser till kund.Metod – För att uppfylla studiens syfte genomfördes en fallstudie på Expedit AB. Litteraturstudier utfördes för att skapa ett teoretiskt ramverk. Insamlingen av empirin bestod av intervjuer, dokumentstudier och observationer. För att analysera data användes mönsterpassning samt analysverktygen flödeskartläggning och orsak-verkan-diagram. Vid beräkningar användes SCOR-modellens beräkningsmetoder.Resultat – Genom intervjuer, observationer och flödeskartläggning kunde det första delmålet uppfyllas och illustreras. Utvärderingen resulterade i att inköpsprocessen identifierades som den kritiska processen då 55% av avvikelserna kopplade till pålitlighet i leverans till kund var relaterade till inköpsprocessen. De identifierade problemområdena i den kritiska processen var bristande kommunikation, variationer, bristande standarder, felaktig orderregistrering och externa avvikelser. SCOR-modellens praxis för inköpsprocessen kunde lösa bristande kommunikation, variationer, felaktig orderregistrering samt externa avvikelser. Bristande standarder löstes genom kompletterande teori och därmed kunde syftet uppfyllas.Implikationer – Denna studie har visat hur en kritisk process i ett orderflöde kan identifieras och förbättras med avseende på att höja pålitligheten i leveranser till kund. Studien har bidragit till att stärka nuvarande teori.Begränsningar – Studien innefattar en enfallsstudie men det hade varit önskvärt att använda sig av en flerfallstudie för att höja generaliserbarheten hos studien. De flesta intervjuer bygger mestadels på följdfrågor och detta sänker reliabiliteten hos studien då dessa frågor är beroende av respondentens svar. / Purpose – The purpose of this thesis is to develop an understanding on how a crucial process can be identified and how to make it more efficient in order to increase delivery reliability to customer using the SCOR-model. To fulfil the purpose it has been broken down into three parts:Part 1: To map the current order flow with material flow and information flowPart 2: To evaluate the order flow using the SCOR-model and identify a crucial process in order to increase delivery reliability to customerPart 3: To analyze the crucial process using the SCOR-model and identify areas of improvement in order to increase delivery reliability to customerMethod – In order to meet the purpose of thesis, a case study has been conducted on Expedit AB. Literature studies were performed to create a theoretical framework. To gather empirical data, interviews, document studies and observations was conducted. To analyze the empirical findings pattern matching was used and also analyze tools such as flow mapping and cause-and-effect-diagram. The supply chain operations reference model calculations methods were used to make calculations.Findings – The first part of the purpose was accomplished through interviews, observations and was illustrated in a flow map. As a result of the evaluation of the order flow the purchasing process was identified as the crucial process. This conclusion was made since 55% of the deviations was related to the purchasing process. Five areas of improvement were identified within the crucial process was lack of communication, variations, lack of standards, incorrect order registration and external deviations. In order to handle problems related to lack of communication, variations, incorrect order registration and external deviations the SCOR-models purchasing practices were used. In order to handle problems related to lack of standards additional theories where used and by doing so the purpose could be fulfilled.Implications – This study has shown how a crucial process in an order flow can be identified and how to make it more efficient in order to increase delivery reliability to customer. The study has contributed to strengthening existing theories.Limitations – This case study only consist one case instead of several which would have increased the generalizability of the study. A majority of the conducted interviews are mostly based on supplementaries, this lower the reliability of the study since these questions are based on the respondents answers.

This diploma thesis presents the perspective of a future teacher on mathematical contests and their impact on the development of crucial competencies, with special focus on the contest Mathematical kangaroo. The thesis deals with test questions from categories Benjamin and Kadet from 2015. Furthermore, a set of worksheets expounding similar examples that can be found in this contest, is included in the thesis. These exercises are established to serve pupils with inferior results as a preparation for the contest, or for the enlivening of math classes. Solution is illustrated via pictures, sketches, geometrical constructions, tables and verbal comments that should help pupils to better understand the topics.

Originality is the most basic requirement for the copyrighting of a work and may be viewed as the mirror image of copyright infringement. In terms of section 2(3) of the Copyright Act, a work remains eligible for copyright even if the making thereof involved an infringement of copyright in some other work. However, a certain aspect or a feature of a work (relating to the “substantial part” requirement for copyright infringement; “substantial part” being understood from a hypertext rather than a linear point of view) cannot be infringing and original. In this thesis, the South African legal understanding of the originality concept is determined from case law. Specific attention is given to the meaning of “skill” and “labour”; the protection afforded to mere labour in South Africa and certain selected other jurisdictions; how the subjective nature of the originality test is affected by the “meritorious distinctiveness” requirement; and the degree of own skill and/or labour required for a work to be original and consequently protected. The present literary concept of originality is derived from literary discussions that appeared in newspapers and other publications in the wake of six “plagiarism scandals” which each caused a furore in Afrikaans literary circles. Even though the terminology used by littérateurs differs from that used in legal circles, originality essentially means the same for littérateurs and lawyers. Skill and/or labour as required by law is reflected in the literary “crucial distance” concept. The fact that a sufficient degree of skill and/or labour is required is reflected in the fact that the literary standard of a work is determined on the basis of how “tightly woven” a work is. Although a general protection of original ideas would negatively influence the free flow of information, measures for the protection of ideas are developing, particularly in the United States of America, where ideas (especially in the film industry) are a very valuable commodity. As Swarth proposes, applying the “novelty” and “concreteness” criteria in inverse ratio to each other could help to create an environment where idea purveyors and prospective buyers felt more free to negotiate and enter into agreements over original ideas. Postmodernism, a contemporary interpretative strategy that reaches into nearly every aspect of modern society, is discussed with specific reference to its interaction with originality. The influences of two phenomena of postmodernism on the originality concept, namely hypertext and Chaos theory, are investigated. Recommendations are made regarding measures aimed at the retention of talented authors and the original content of works in the wake of plagiarism scandals, while still holding the wrongdoer responsible for his actions. Certain suggestions are also made regarding the accessibility of courts and the supplementation of the few available precedents regarding originality in creative literary works. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Private Law / unrestricted

M. Tech. (Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Vaal University of Technology. / Over time, the quality standard of stormwater in the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has deteriorated due to industrial, commercial, residential and farming activities. Stormwater quality directly impacts the treatment chain of potable water, and therefore, it should be kept in check at all stages. Innovations in the biofiltration process can provide useful, practical solutions to overcome crucial stormwater pollution problems. In 2013, the CoE developed stormwater design guidelines and standards to be implemented for the design of stormwater management, which include the principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) in particular. The CoE stormwater design guidelines and standards do not provide details on how the city plans to implement SuDS treatment trains to reduce stormwater pollution experienced by the city. This study aimed to verify the efficiency and effectiveness of vegetated biofilters on the stormwater treatment using CoE – Olifantsfontain's natural stormwater and to determine the most suitable vegetation to be used in the region. The CoE experimental case study was conducted to assess the efficiency of selected vegetated biofilters in lowering the concentration of orthophosphate (PO4-3), ammonium (NH4+), and nitrate (NO3-) from Tembisa/Olifantsfontain stormwater. In the experimental setup, six selected plant species were planted into 30 vegetated biofilter columns, namely: Agapanthus praecox (Dryland plant), Carpobrotus edulis (Dryland plant), Stenotaphrum secundatum (Dryland plant), Zantedeschia aethiopica (Wetland plant), Typha capensis (Wetland plant) and Phragmites australis (Wetland plant). The six species were grouped according to general habitats, i.e. three wetland and three dryland plants. Wetland plants were planted into fifteen vegetated biofilters, and dryland plants were also planted on another fifteen vegetated biofilters. The biofilters contained layers of sandy loam soil, coarse and and gravel sand. Each biofilter had a designated inlet and outlet section fitted with a gate valve to control retention time. The raw stormwater consisting of natural nutrient pollutants was applied to each vegetated biofilter through the inlet section. The samples were collected from the inlet and outlet of the six grouped vegetated biofilters during the month of June. All six plant species reduced outflow concentrations of PO4-3 and NH4+ by an average of 99% and 98%, respectively. The results also show that all plant species excluding Phragmites australis were able to reduce NO3- with outflow concentrations being reduced by an average of 58%. From the results obtained, it may be concluded that all the six plant species may be suitable variants to be applied as biofilter material for the purposes of treating urban stormwater in the CoE. The reason is that the determined removal efficiencies for bio-retention fall within 50% – 60% for PO4-3, and 40% - 50% for NH4+ and NO3- respectively. The results also show that if the plant species were applied for SuDs in the CoE, there could be a great improvement in the urban stormwater quality with the consequent improvement in both surface and groundwater quality of the receiving water bodies in the area. Regardless of the nutrient removal by selected plant species, the inclusion of vegetation in a field setting would slow flow rates and thus encourage infiltration into the soil, improve water quality, and support urban biodiversity. In the CoE, all the selected species could be used in the SuDS treatment trains targeting PO4-3, NH4+ and/or NO3-. The case study results provide a informed records for the CoE in the future/intended application SuDs in the upgrade/rehabilitation of its stormwater system.

<p> The liver X receptors (LXRs) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor (NHR) superfamily of transcription factors and are activated by oxysterols. As such, LXRs act as "cholesterol sensors" and play an integral role in cholesterol homeostasis by modulating the expression of genes involved in lipid transport and metabolism as well as inflammation. </p> <p> This thesis begins by describing the modulation of LXR transactivation by PKC. Specifically, transactivation by LXRα is decreased upon activation of PKC signalling pathways as assessed by LXR reporter gene analysis and endogenous target gene expression. These findings reveal a mode of regulation of LXRα that may be relevant to disease conditions where aberrant PKC signalling is observed. </p> <p> The second and third part of the thesis turns the attention to the role of LXR in human airway smooth muscle (hASM), a crucial effector cell in asthma progression. For the first time, research described here indicates that primary human ASM cells express functional LXRs. Moreover, LXR target genes ABCA 1 and ABCG I were highly induced upon the addition of LXR agonists leading to enhanced cholesterol efflux to apoAI and HDL, a process dependant entirely on ABCA I. Furthermore, activation of LXR inhibited the expression of multiple cytokines in response to inflammatory mediators and inhibited the proliferation and migration of hASM cells, two important processes that contribute to the airway remodelling observed in the asthmatic lung. </p> <p> This body of work suggests that modulation of LXR offers prospects for new therapeutic approaches in the treatment of asthma. Furthermore, it establishes a critical role for ABCA 1 in lipid transport in ASM cells and suggests that dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis in these cells may be important. These findings have broad implications in the association of hypercholesterolemia and AHR and places LXR at the forefront of novel therapeutic avenues to treat inflammatory lung disease. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)