The general objectives of this study were to determine the work-home interaction of South African working females, to investigate the prevalence of work-home interaction and to determine if differences concerning work-home interaction exist between different demographical groups. An availability sample (n = 500) was taken from working females within six provinces of South Africa. The SWING and a demographical questionnaire were administered. Structural equation modelling (SEM) showed that a four-factor model, that measures both the direction (work-home interaction and home-work interaction) and the quality (positive or negative) of interaction, fitted the data best. All four factors were reliable, according to the Cronbach alpha coefficients. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to establish differences between work-home interaction and different demographic characteristics. Statistically significant differences exist between demographic groups based on race, language, occupation, parental status, household situation and freedom to arrange circumstances. Recommendations were made for further research / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Understanding the underlying genetic causes of adaptation to local conditions is one of the main goals of population genetics. A strong latitudinal cline in the phenotypic trait of bud set is observed in present day populations of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst). The first step towards determining how this strong selection on adaptive traits translates at the loci underlying the trait was to use multilocus sequence data to gain information on the fundamental population genetic properties of Norway spruce. We determined that the level of LD was low and genetic diversity was in the low range. Coalescent simulations revealed a demographic scenario of a fairly old and severe bottleneck as consistent with the observed data. To examine the role of selection at genes putatively involved in the control of bud set we, again, used a multilocus data set to test for deviations from neutrality and demographic scenarios inferred from background loci. Different candidate genes were identified by using different approaches, highlighting the difficulty in predicting how local adaptation will manifest itself on different time scales and in rangewide samples. When examining properties important in the design of association studies, the inevitable next step in identifying genes involved in local adaptation, we found that previous estimates of a low level of LD were highly influenced by the joint analysis of several loci over a large distribution range and that estimates of LD was in fact heterogeneous across loci and increased within populations. In addition, we found that within species tests for deviations from neutral expectations were highly sensitive to sample size. Additional genomic sequence characterization in Norway spruce is necessary to provide more comprehensive sets of markers for association studies, also including gene promoters and non-genic regions of the genome. In the final paper we show that the HMPR method is effective in constructing libraries enriched for the single copy fraction of the genome when applied to the large and dominantly repetitive genome of Norway spruce. In summary, the studies presented in this thesis together constitute a foundation for future studies on adaptive evolution in Norway spruce.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Public Health, 1999. / Errata pasted onto front end papers. Bibliography: leaves 116-122.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2010. / "Graduate Program in Sociology." Includes bibliographical references (p. 522-533).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiteit Utrecht, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-136).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-133).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 264-275). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Economics. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Disturbance due to habitat restoration and urbanization can threaten populations of sensitive wildlife species. I examined 2 aspects of the ecology of Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum), a Species of Special Concern in Oklahoma. I studied the effects of native prairie restoration and urban development on a population of P. cornutum on an urban wildlife reserve at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. I also studied population vital rate variation in 2 populations of P. cornutum using deterministic elasticity and life-stage simulation analyses. My research on the effects of habitat disturbance on urban P. cornutum focused on Wildlife Reserve 3 (WR3) at Tinker Air Force Base, which has a population of P. cornutum that has persisted for many years. I quantified daily movement rates, home-range size, changes in spatial distribution, survival rates, and population size and density over 9 years (2003-2011). Movement rates of P. cornutum were affected by a 3-way interaction of sex, period (reproductive vs. non-reproductive), and study stage (2004-2005, 2007-2008, and 2009-2011). Stages represented variation in the type and level of anthropogenic disturbance on the site. Home-range size did not vary by sex, but was smaller during the non-reproductive period than the reproductive period. Spatial analyses indicated that disturbances due to restoration activities had little effect on the spatial distribution of P. cornutum on WR3. Survival was affected by season (inactive-season survival was higher), stage (declining survival in later stages with more disturbance), an interaction of season and stage, and disturbance (covariate of proportion of an individual's home range in disturbed areas for a given year; small negative effect), with little evidence for variation in survival by sex. Major causes of mortality included depredation and anthropogenic causes. I estimated a population size of 32.9 ± 4.7 (95% CI of 28.1-49.0) individuals (excluding hatchlings) with a corresponding density of 2.68 lizards/ha. Spatial analyses did not support the hypothesis that disturbance associated with restoration activities affected the spatial ecology of P. cornutum on WR3. However, these results were not entirely conclusive, due to the logistical constraints of working on a single site with an uncommon species. Size and density of the P. cornutum population has apparently declined since 2005. This decline is likely a consequence of 2 factors: the 2008 translocation of 17 adult lizards from an area adjacent to WR3 impacted by housing development coupled with a decrease in the annual survival rate of adults over time. I compared the vital rates of the population of P. cornutum on WR3 to a site in south Texas, the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area (CWMA). The Chaparral WMA population had lower adult survival and higher fecundity than WR3. I predicted a trade-off between the effect of adult survival and fecundity on population growth rate (&lambda). I found that recruitment in P. cornutum most affected &lambda at both sites. Stochastic life-stage simulation analysis indicated that hatchling survival most affected &lambda in both populations. There was a trade-off in effect on &lambda between juvenile survival and fecundity between the two sites; fecundity affected &lambda more at the CWMA. Adult survival had minimal effects on &lambda in both populations. My study suggests that managers can address P. cornutum declines in similar ways across the species' range.

Cultural differences in disability attitudes significantly impact perceptions of and interactions with persons with disabilities. This study explored the multidimensional disability attitudes of the international college student’s towards persons with disabilities and their attitudes toward educational accommodations. The researcher also examined the relationship between these variables and the following demographic factors: sex, age, country of origin, religion, college major, and level of college study. The study is a cross-sectional survey design. The effective sample of the study was 211 enrolled undergraduate and graduate international students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. These scales were used for data collection: (a) Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS), (b) General Attitudes toward College Educational Accommodation; (c) Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale; and (d) a demographic questionnaire. In this study, descriptive analyses and a multiple regression analysis computed to analyze all test measures and demographic variables. The results of this study provide information about the international student’s general attitude towards disability as well as the extent in which demographic variables may shape attitudes. In the first hypothesis only contact with person with disability was a significant predictor of the attitudes F1, 174 = 22.324, p < .001, R2 = .114. In the second hypothesis contact with person with disability and attitudes predicted general attitudes towards accommodation; F2, 173 = 7.101, p = .006, R2 = .076. All demographic factors dropped out of the models. A series of exploratory analyses was computed uncovered some potential demographic predictors of attitudes towards accommodation. This information may assist faculty and administrators to provide disability education interventions that may increase positive attitudes toward disability and people with disabilities. This may consequently enhance positive interactions of international students with persons with disabilities within and outside the university environment.