M.Sc.(Med.), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Background: Sub Saharan Africa hosts 90% of the world s Human Immunodeficiency Virus infected children, and in 2007 an estimated 150,000 of these were Kenyan (UNAIDS, 2007). Baseline neuropsychological performance is a strong predictor of their disease s progression (Van Rie et al, 2006). There is no data on the baseline neurodevelopment (ND) status of Human Immunodeficiency Virus infected children in Kenya. Interventions to minimise morbidity and improve quality of life are routinely not instituted in Kenya. Aim: The aim was to determine the prevalence, spectrum and severity of ND delay among a cohort of HIV infected Kenyan eligible for HAART initiation but had not received HAART previously children at Kenyatta National Hospital Comprehensive Care Center. Methods: This was a prospective observational cohort study carried out at the Kenyatta National Hospital, comprehensive care center, in Nairobi, Kenya. Bayley Scales of Infant Development third edition (BSID III) was carried out on 36 highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) naïve HIV infected children aged between two weeks and 36 months, about to start HAART. These had met all eligibility criteria for HAART according to the KNH CCC protocols and were due to start the therapy. Study subjects were scheduled to have monthly bailey scales assessments to a maximum of at least six months post HAART. This was to enhance follow up as only the initial and sixth month assessment was crucial for data analysis. The children vi underwent laboratory tests and other clinical services in accordance to the hospital s standard of care for HIV children. Results: Thirty two - out of thirty - six children with HIV had neurodevelopment delay in at least one of the five constructs assessed by the BSID III at baseline. In descending order of frequency ND was most common in motor, language, cognitive and adaptive BSID III constructs respectively. The child aged 18 months and older demonstrated more frequent ND delay in all constructs measured except motor while secondary and above maternal education level was associated with worse cognitive performance of this cohort. Cognitive, language and social emotional scores improved in the 12 children who completed follow up for at least six months of HAART. The clinical significance of this data is the fact that even after 6 months of HAART patients still fell in the ND delayed category. This shows HAART alone is not sufficient to address ND problems. This data is of clinical significance but further research needs to be done to validate its statistical significance. HAART had no effect in improving motor delay in these twelve children. Conclusion: Neurodevelopment delay in this cohort of Kenyan children with HIV is prevalent; 83.3% motor delay, 66.6% language delay, 61.2% cognitive delay, 60.6% adaptive delay and 36.4% socio-emotional delay. All facets of ND delay as measured by the BSID III are affected. The magnitude of delay falls in the range that would benefit from early interventional rehabilitation. Data of the effect of highly active antiretroviral provision in this cohort is minimal but it shows that these drugs alone are not enough to manage the delay. Further research needs to be done to validate this point.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept of Computer Science, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91).

No description available.

No description available.

<p>This thesis covers the four topics discussed in each of the following paragraphs. It is unified by the dual ability of ambient ionization mass spectrometry as a useful analytical tool allowing for monitoring of chemical reactions, in addition to its capability to accelerate reaction rates using the same equipment under accelerating or non-accelerating conditions. The ability to manipulate reactions and monitor the subsequent effects to the rate of the reactions can provide vital information for many industrial arenas. Current process analytical technology (PAT) is extremely time-consuming, and typically costly due to dependence on analysis conducted at the end stage of production. Additionally, many chemical reactions found to be useful in pharmaceutical or manufacturing industries are labor intensive and require harsh conditions such as heat or expensive catalysts. Several methods have been developed to overcome these current limitations, while providing vital information on short-lived intermediates, degradation products, and accelerated reaction rates. A sampling device was developed and coupled with nESI allowing for monitoring of heterogeneous chemical reactions by mass spectrometry without the additional requirement of separation (filters, chromatography, etc.) In addition, this technique maintains the high sensitivity, specificity, speed and structural elucidation provided by mass spectrometry analysis. The analysis provided kinetic profiles of all reactants, intermediates, products and coproducts throughout the course of the reaction.</p><p> The ability to effectively control chemical reactions and their rates is a priority across several fields of study. Several factors affecting reaction rates, such as heat and catalysts selected, have been well studied. However, there has been recent interest in exploring the capabilities for reaction acceleration in charged microdroplets. It is known that reaction rates on the surface of a droplet greatly differ from reactions occurring in the droplet. The Katritzky transamination reaction was used as a model to identify the effects of the air-solution interface on reaction acceleration by varying the air-liquid surface to volume ratio. The significant increase in reaction rate constants was further enhanced by solid–solution interfacial effects observed after addition of glass nanoparticles.</p><p> The effective degradation of non-polar hydrocarbons is an environmental concern as they are the main composition of waste generated from petroleum processing. Saturated alkanes are relatively stable molecules which present a challenge for analysis by mass spectrometry without the use of extreme experimental conditions. A rapid analysis method by paper spray ionization was developed that allows for the oxidation products of saturated alkanes to be monitored by MS in under two minutes. This method relies on the generation of a hydroxyl radical by reacting iron (III) chloride with aqueous hydrogen peroxide on the principle of Fenton’s chemistry. The presence of this radical in direct contact with an alkane produces several oxidation products which can be easily monitored by MS. The reagents are added to a paper triangle sequentially, creating a thin film which allows reaction acceleration in relatively small volumes analyzed directly from paper at atmospheric pressure.</p><p> The dimerization of 4-ethynylaniline derivatives in acetonitrile was monitored by nano electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Dimer products formed by electrocyclization and radical processes were observed that are not detected as a corresponding bulk reaction. This gas-phase reaction has been interrogated in a solution phase analog with radical initiators and characterized by ¹H NMR. This work demonstrates that compounds can be synthesized by the electrospray process. Future studies may reveal how this observation affects the interpretation of the MS results involving electrospray.</p>

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-10-04T15:57:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Nilso Francio_.pdf: 1317998 bytes, checksum: 9a2bef8dc662eb2e4cc7dd19b5ebb2cb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-04T15:57:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nilso Francio_.pdf: 1317998 bytes, checksum: 9a2bef8dc662eb2e4cc7dd19b5ebb2cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-28 / Nenhuma / A pesquisa teve o objetivo da compreensão dos efeitos da economia relacional sobre o desenvolvimento da cultura do algodão no estado de Mato Grosso. A abordagem teórica do desenvolvimento econômico regional e a economia relacional foram a principal fonte da pesquisa. Para Scott e Storper (2003), o processo de desenvolvimento econômico regional envolve a mobilização política focada em instituições, para aperfeiçoamento do capital social contido nas relações de cooperação. Para Bathelt e Glückler (2003; 2011), a economia relacional possibilita a aprendizagem institucional, a comunicação interorganizacional e as relações sociais contidas nas atividades econômicas. Gueddes (2008) relacionou parcerias locais e regionais para desenvolvimento econômico, estimulando relações de cooperação e interorganizacionais entre as entidades, organizações e empresas. Assim, a ideia em comum observada na literatura é a de que essas relações estimulam o capital social envolvido por meio de laços de confiança entre as instituições. Ametodologia de pesquisa foi exploratória/descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa, em que examinamos o contexto e refletimos sobre suas percepções, no entendimento das atividades sociais e humanas. Como técnica de pesquisa, foi utilizada a entrevista semiestruturada, com perguntas que estimulavam a descrição sobre o desenvolvimento da cultura do algodão de Mato Grosso. No procedimento de análise de dados, foi utilizada a Técnica de Incidentes Críticos (TIC), que relacionou dados e fatos sobre o desenvolvimento dessa cultura no período compreendido entre 1991 e 2016. A técnica estimulou os entrevistados a contarem acontecimentos no período estudado. Como resultado elaborou-se uma síntese da evolução histórica da produção de algodão no Mato Grosso, com cinco fases dessa evolução e com os incidentes críticos em cada período. Na análise dos dados, foram entrevistadas duas entidades e seis organizações cooperativas do setor algodoeiro do Mato Grosso. Os principais resultados da pesquisa empírica foram a contribuição abordagem da economia relacional nas relações de cooperação, interorganizacionais e capital social existentes na cultura de algodão no Mato Grosso. Bem como, as relações entre as instituições da cultura do algodão que estimularam ao longo de duas décadas as parcerias existentes até 2016. Isso também, se deve ao capital social envolvido nas relações que reforçam a confiança do produtor nas entidades e organizações existentes no estado. Os resultados trouxeram contribuições para a abordagem teórica da economia relacional e para o campo empírico da cultura do algodão no Mato Grosso. / This research aimed to indrstand the effects of the relational economy on the development of the cotton culture in Mato Grosso state. The theoretical approach of the regional economic development and the relational economy were the main source of research. For Scott and Storper (2003), the process of regional economic development involves the political mobilization focused on institutions to enhance the social capital of the cooperation relationships. For Bathelt and Glückler (2003; 2011), the relational economy allows the institutional learning, the interorganizational communication and the social relations which are part of the economic activities. Gueddes (2008) connected local and regional partnerships for economic development, encouraging cooperation and interorganizational relationships among entities, organizations and enterprises. The research methodology was the descriptive exploration with a qualitative approach, through which we examine the context and reflect upon its perceptions, for the understanding of the social and human activities. The research technique chosen was the semi-structured interview, with questions which boosted the description of the development of cotton culture in Mato Grosso. For the data analysis, the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was used. It related data and facts about the development of such culture from 1991 to 2016. The technique encouraged the interviewed companies to talk about events during the period studied. As a result, a synthesis of the historic evolution of cotton production in Mato Grosso was developed — with five phases of this evolution and their critical incidents. During the data analysis, two entities and six cooperative of Mato Grosso cotton industry were interviewed. The main results of the empiric research were the contribution of the relational economy approach to the cooperation, interorganizational and social capital relations existing in Mato grosso cotton industry. Also, the relationship among the cotton culture institutions encouraged, during two decades, the partnerships existing up to 2016. This also happens due to the social capital present in the relationships, which strengthens the trust the producer has in relation to the entities and organizations of the state. The results contributed to the theoretical approach of the relational economy and for the empiric field of the cotton culture of Mato Grosso.

Midline convergence of organ primordia is an important mechanism for shaping the vertebrate body-plan at various stages of development, such as the morphogenesis of the heart and endoderm. Down regulation of wnt or noncanonical wnt signalling components, such as dishelleved (Dvl) or RhoA GTPase (RhoA), impairs midline convergence of the heart primordia and endoderm in zebrafish. This suggests that wnt signaling plays an important role in regulating midline convergence. At the early patterning stage of the zebrafish kidney, the two pronephric-glomerular primodia (PGP), which derive from intermediate mesoderm, converge towards the midline and fuse to form a functional pronephros. In contrast, during development of the mammalian kidney, the pronephros degenerates as the mesonephros develops without midline convergence. The hypothesis is thus that there is/are mechanisms underlying midline convergence of PGP in zebrafish, which is/are in addition to the control of the non-canonical wnt/Dvl/RhoA pathway and specific to kidney morphogenesis. In this study, the aim was to identify genetic factors that are specifically involved in the mechanism of PGP midline convergence by establishing a cell lineage tracing transgenic system with Cre-loxP, followed by the analysis of selected mutant embryos using the cell lineage tracing system, whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) and immunostaining. The cell lineage tracing system was generated, and tested. Constructs, in which β-actin promoter drives the transcription of the reporter genes, were microinjected into zebrafish embryos at 1- to 4-cell stages. The mRNAs in microinjected embryos (5 dpf) were analyzed by RT-PCR. The results show that the constructs induced indiscriminate alternative splicing. RNA splicing mechanisms were not affected by transcription termination when the polyA signal was located in introns. To provide an alternative approach, three mutants were selected after screening of available ENU zebrafish mutants. These mutants were chosen not only because of their genetic importance in cell adhesion and motility but also because of their respective developmental defects in tissues surrounding the PGP, such as the notochord (no tail, ntl), somite (spadetail, spt), and endodermal tissues (zygotic oneeyed pinhead, Zoep). Spt and ntl are key targets of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling in the trunk and tail respectively. EGP-CFC gene oep is a Nodal signalling cofactor. Firstly, a rapid genotyping technique was developed, which was applied in identifying the mutant alleles. Since the tools for tracing PGP using transgenes were unavailable, the three mutants were analyzed by WISH and immunostaining. Zygotic mutation of Zoep causes a PGP midline convergence phenotype of variable severity due to maternal Oep effects. In more than 90% of Zoep-/- embryos, PGP midline convergence was impaired. Even though the abnormality could be observed as early as 15 hpf, the differentiation of the PGP was not affected. Heart primordial phenotypes were also observed but they did not correlate with that of the PGP phenotypes. Embryos homozygous for mutations in T-box transcription factors, ntl or spt had normal heart midline convergence phenotypes. PGP midline convergence abnormality was observed in spt-/- but not in ntl-/- prior to 36 hpf. In addition the extracellular matrix (ECM) might play a key role in the mechanisms of PGP midline convergence. Furthermore, PGP midline convergence proceeds from 10 hpf (the specification of intermediate mesoderm) to 48 hpf (fused pronephric glomerulus) in wild type zebrafish embryos. The process was quantified by 2D image analysis of the PGP distance. Prior to 18 hpf, PGP midline convergence is closely correlated with the midline convergence of mesoderm but not at later stages in Zoep-/-. Spt is essential for PGP but not for cardiac primordium midline convergence. Data from this research suggests that there is not one universal mechanism, which controls all the midline convergence of organ primordia. Indeed, specific factors, which depend on tissues and development stages, are also required.

Maternal psychological well-being is one of many factors that shape the interactions a woman has with her infant. According to Belsky's (1984) Determinants of Parenting Process Model, he suggests that maternal personality and psychological well-being play a significant role in the observation of parenting behaviors. This model was utilized as the overarching framework for this dissertation. The dissertation, in the form of three manuscripts, outlines important factors within the marital relationship that impact postpartum depression, then exploring the moderation of depression by knowledge of infant development in four behavioral scales observed during a mother-infant interaction. Finally, two maternal behaviors that impact child outcomes were utilized as predictors of infant social-emotional and cognitive outcome, while testing for moderation by infant age.Results. In study one, women were more likely to report postpartum depression when they experienced more arguments with family and lower relationship depth. The second study found that knowledge of infant development moderated maternal reports of postpartum depression, thus allowing women with higher knowledge to maintain positive behaviors compared to women with low or average knowledge. The third study indicated that verbal stimulation resulted in higher scores for infant social-emotional and cognitive development, whereas maternal sensitivity was the only variable impacting social-emotional development. The test of moderation by infant age found mothers of older infants did speak more to their older infants, but the differences were minimal.Conclusion. Marital relationships play a significant role in promoting healthy maternal psychological well-being during motherhood. When psychological well-being is compromised via postpartum depression, decreases in maternal behaviors result in lower scores during maternal-child interactions. Maternal sensitivity and verbal stimulation uniquely contributed to infant outcomes. In addition, infant age may impact the observance of these two maternal behaviors resulting in increased or decreased observances based on the infant's age.Thus, use of Belsky's Determinants of Parenting Process Model within this dissertation confirmed the importance of maternal personality and psychological well-being in parenting behaviors. Mothers impacted by postpartum depression suffered a reduction in parenting behaviors, though higher knowledge appeared to buffer these negative effects. Implications for interventions and future work are discussed within each study.

This is an ethnographic study of the creation of a particular type of standard enterprise software package: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, which support wide-ranging organisational functions within large and medium sized enterprises. Drawing upon the Social Shaping of Technology perspective and recent related attempts to theorise the Biography of Artefacts, this thesis addresses the under-researched area of ERP system development and ERP system support. In providing a system vendor’s viewpoint, it seeks to overcome current shortcomings in social research, notably from Information Systems and Organisational Studies, which focus almost exclusively on a user organisation perspective. Mostly concentrating on the moment of implementation, existing studies do not help us to better understand the software producer’s viewpoint or to find explanations as to how ERP systems are produced and supported in such a way that they can meet the specific requirements of their highly diverse users (the current market leader SAP had over 12 million users (2008)). Overall, we have very limited understanding of what happens within software package laboratories and how such organisations organise their relationship with their wide and diverse user base throughout the different phases of the product life cycle. Addressing this gap in the social study of software packages, this research offers an ethnographical insider’s perspective of the day-to-day working practices within one of the world’s leading ERP system providers, encompassing both its development and support functions. Based on rich ethnographic data, the study demonstrates first, how a supplier manages its relationship with its diverse user base during the moment when the system re-enters the vendor’s circle of responsibility through the software packages support channel. The sophisticated and mature mechanisms and policies are highlighted, which allow the vendor - not without challenges – to accommodate competing exigencies of its user base at this moment of product life cycle. Second, this research highlights how the software development phase is organised, by empirically describing and analysing from a social viewpoint, the software development process during a period of organisational change, in which the vendor reorganises itself in search for a new way to respond to the expectations of the market. Third, the account reveals unexpected communitarian behaviour amongst software developers at all levels, demonstrating the social character of programming, a feature which has not been adequately recognised by current studies in this area. Fourth, overall, this study highlights the need for a change of the current research agenda in social software package research towards a vendor organisation’s perspective, if we aim for a more complete understanding of the social aspects such type of technology.

The purpose of this survey is to find out how the field of sustainable development is understood in the pre-school activities and how children are involved in that work. The study has a phenomenographical approach and I have therefore used qualitative interviews. During the course of my work, I have learned from four educators different perceptions of the concept of sustainable development, their interpretation of the goals in the pre-school curriculum and their views on children's participation. Four description categories were crystallized during the analysis of the material, it was environment, society / future, knowledge and participation. The result shows that the educators had difficulty defining the concept of sustainable development. They also had difficulty explaining how they worked with sustainable development based on the curriculum. When it comes to children's participation, the children participated primarily in adult-oriented activities. Sustainable development is a concept that you need to problematize more precisely in preschool.