published_or_final_version / Statistics / Master / Master of Social Sciences

The most common form of nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency, which is associated with sup optimal early brain development. Literature indicates that children with a poor nutritional status during early development of the brain showed poorer cognitive functioning, deficient growth and muscle function. The first purpose of this study was to determine if iron status plays a role in motor competency. A second purpose was to determine if iron status shows an association with motor competency, behavioural characteristics and scholastic success, while a third purpose was to determine if the consumption of different teas will improve iron intake positively and consequently will improve motor development and behaviour. A test- retest research design was used in a randomised parallel study, with one group of children drinking tea and a control group drinking 'rooibos' tea. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used to determine the DCD (Developmental co-ordination disorder) status in the group (N = 76). In this group, 45 children were classified as children with DCD. Blood samples were taken to determine the haemoglobin, ferritin and transferrin saturation levels while a 24hr recall dietary questionnaire was used to determine nutritional intakes. Descriptive statistics, t-testing, effect sizes and analysis of co-variance were used to analyse the data. With regards to the first aim of the study, the results which were analysed by means of t-testing, effect sizes and co-variance of analysis indicated that iron deficiency showed significant relationships with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). When corrected for influences other than haemoglobin on gross motor competency manual dexterity, and especially ball skills, showed significant relationships with iron deficiency. These results demonstrate the importance of proper nutrition on motor and cognitive development. With reference to the second aim of the study the assessment of children with DCD by the teachers with regard to their manual dexterity and behavioural characteristics, indicated poorer manual dexterity and more behavioural problems compared to children without DCD. The children in the DCD group was also divided into a group where the MABC-total showed improvement and their haemoglobin levels increased (n=19). This group was then compared with a group of DCD children of which the MABC total decreased and a decrease in haemoglobin was found (n=6). Although the groups were small, the results indicate that manual dexterity skills and mathematics, reading and writing was poorer in the DCD-children whose iron status decreased. No definite association between the different teas and improvement of motor development and behaviour were indicated by the results. Overall, the conclusion can be made that a relationship between iron status and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) among 9-12 year old children exist. However, it is recommended that more studies of this nature should be done on school age children to substantiate the findings of this study. Intervention studies should also be implemented where the children with depleted iron anaemia status should receive iron supplementation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Targeted Energy Transfer is a resonance phenomenon in coupled anharmonic oscillators. In this thesis we investigate if the concept of Targeted Energy Transfer is applicable to Bose-Einsteain condensates in optical lattices. The model used to describe Bose-Einstein condensates in optical lattices is based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Targeted Energy Transfer in these systems would correspond to energy being transferred from one lattice site to another. We also try to expand the concept of Targeted Energy Transfer to a system consisting of three sites, where one of the sites are considered a perturbation to the system. We have concluded that it is possible to achieve Targeted Energy Transfer in a three-site system. The set-up of the system will in some of the cases studied lead to interesting properties, such as more energy being transferred to the acceptor site than what was initially localized on the donor site.

Object: children with cerebral palsy. Problem: Cerebral palsy (CP) is frequent cause of children’s motor disorder. It affects person’s relationship with environment and limits his participation. Motor disorder and motor development in cerebral palsy depends on form and level of impairment and is very individual. Persons with cerebral palsy achieve different level of mobility. It is very important to choose properly responsible Gross Motor Function Measure scale. It should be clinically informative and be able to reflect changes in gross motor development. Besides, it should show effect of applied treatment method and help to formulate concrete goals of physical therapy. Physical therapy is an important part of any treatment plan for cerebral palsy patients. Treatment plan should be organized considering functional level and abilities of the children. There should be formulated goals and indicated means for reaching these goals in the treatment plan. Motor development will improve if treatment plan is purposeful. It should protect from developing contractures and deformations. In general treatment plan should increase cognitive skills and social integration. Purpose: to evaluate characteristics of application of Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) Scale for children with cerebral palsy. Tasks: to compare results of children with cerebral palsy evaluated according Gross Motor Function Measure Scale in both (88 and 66) versions; to determine aims of physiotherapy for 6 month... [to full text]

Lietuvos ekonomikos raidos tendencijos neatskiriamos nuo pasaulio ekonomikos raidos tendencijų. 2004 metų gegužės 1 dieną Lietuvos istorijoje atsivėrė naujas puslapis – šalis tapo Europos Sąjungos nare. Po ilgų okupacijos metų, audringo pereinamojo į demokratinę visuomenę laikotarpio, prasidėjusio 1990 metų kovo 11-ąją atkūrus valstybingumą, Lietuva įsijungia į demokratinių Europos šalių bendruomenę. Lietuvos įstojimo į ES tikslas pagrįstas politiniais ir ekonominiais interesais. Dviejų didžiausių pasaulio ekonomikų – ES ir JAV – konkurencija ir bendradarbiavimas Lietuvos ekonomikai atveria ne tik galimybių. ES rinka šiandien yra ne tik viena didžiausių pasaulio rinkų pagal dydį, bet ir didžiausia pagal ekonominę galią ir augimo perspektyvas. 2004 metų gegužės mėnesį Europos Sąjunga (ES) iš penkiolikos šalių grupės (ES-15) tapo dvidešimt penkių šalių grupe (ES-25). Daugelis naujų ES šalių turi panašias vystymosi tendencijas. Pagrindinis naujų ES šalių tikslas yra sumažinti atotrūkį nuo ES- 15 pasiekto lygio pagal svarbiausius makroekonominius rodiklius. Magistro baigiamojo darbo tikslas bei keliami uždaviniai yra ištirti Lietuvos ekonomikos augimo teigiamus ir neigiamus pokyčius, atsiradusias galimybes ir problemas, ištirti Lietuvos ekonomiką Europos Sąjungos kontekste, jos integracinius procesus, išanalizuoti ekonomikos augimo perspektyvas. / Lithuanian economy development trends are inseparable from the trends of world economy development. On the 1st of May in 2004 there was a new page turned in the history of Lithuania – a country became a member of European Union. After long years of occupation and rough transition period, leading to democratic society, witch started on 11th of March in 1990 after the statehood reinstatement, Lithuania joins the society of democratic European countries. Joining the EU was based on political and economical interests. Competition and cooperation of the two biggest economics in the world – EU and USA – gives not only opportunities to Lithuania. Today the European Union market is not only one of the biggest markets in the world according to its size, but also the biggest market according to economical power and growth prospects. In May of 2004 European Union (EU) from the group of fifteen countries (EU-15) became a group of twenty five countries (EU-25). Most of new EU countries have similar development trends. The main purpose of new EU members is to bridge the gap between EU-15 levels according to the main macroeconomic rates. The object and goals of a magistracy work are to examine positive and negative changes of Lithuanian economic growth, opportunities and problems that arise, also to examine Lithuanian economy in the context of European Union, the integration processes, to analyze the prospects of economical growth. In this work these methods are used: analysis and... [to full text]

Recently, the use of biomass to produce energy has resulted in evaluating each potential biomass species individually, and primarily in terms of yield potentials. However, discrepancies between species yield caused by varying site conditions and varying fertilization regimes between studies do exist. Therefore, this study attempts to address some of these discrepancies by growing multiple species simultaneously on marginal land with zero fertilization. The yield and fuel characteristics of the four most commonly used biomass feedstocks (Miscanthus, switchgrass, willow and poplar) in southern Ontario, along with one herbaceous polyculture, were investigated. Species' influence on microclimatic modifications was quantified during the 2010 and 2011 growing seasons in order to understand its impact on biomass yields. Yield data was gathered for each species treatment for both growing seasons. Few significant differences were found between species during establishment. Fuel characteristics analyses including, gross calorific value, ash (%), and an elemental ash analysis were completed during 2010 and 2011. The differences between the combustion properties of the grass species and the woody species were obvious, but neither could be conclusively determined as universally better than the other. Yield and fuel characteristics change as plants mature, therefore research should be continued in future years once plots are fully established to determine which species are best suited for bioenergy production in Southern Ontario. This will help growers and energy producers focus on crops that have the most potential in achieving environmental sustainability and economic viability. / OMAFRA

<p>The study draws on secondary data from the Bureau of Statistics in Lesotho. Simple and multiple linear regression models techniques are used to analyze the relationship between the GDP of Lesotho and the GDP of manufacturing. The secondary data is analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Excel. The major finding is that there exists a strong positive linear relationship ( r = 0.986) between the GDP of Lesotho and the GDP of manufacturing. This means that every time the GDP of manufacturing increases the GDP of Lesotho does the same. Based on this finding, the study recommends that in order to improve, sustain and maintain the economic growth and to avoid further deterioration in the manufacturing industry, the manufacturing capacity must be strengthened for it to effectively deal with growing competition and rapid economic changes.</p>

Alkoholinio vaisiaus sindromo sąvoka yra labai plati, ja apibūdinamas kūdikio ar vaiko negrįžtamų anomalijų rinkinys (Lombard et al., 2007). Sindromas pasireiškia motorinio, socialinio, pažintinio ir kalbos vystymosi sutrikimais (Steinhausen et al., 2003), todėl AVS sergantiems asmenims taikomas kompleksinis gydymas (Burd et al., 2003). Tyrimo objektas – alkoholiniu vaisiaus sindromu sergančių vaikų stambioji ir smulkioji motorika. Tyrimo problema – nėra aišku, kokia kineziterapijos ar fizinio aktyvumo forma tinkamiausia alkoholinį vaisiaus sindromą turintiems vaikams, kad gerėtų stambioji ir smulkioji motorika. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti kineziterapijos poveikį vaikų stambiajai ir smulkiajai motorikai esant alkoholiniam vaisiaus sindromui. Šiam tikslui pasiekti iškelti uždaviniai: 1) Įvertinti stambiosios motorikos rodiklius vaikams, turintiems alkoholinį vaisiaus sindromą, taikant bendralavinančius pratimus (kontrolinė grupė) ir judriuosius žaidimus (tiriamoji grupė) prieš ir po kineziterapijos. 2) Įvertinti smulkiosios motorikos rodiklius vaikams, turintiems alkoholinį vaisiaus sindromą, taikant bendralavinančius pratimus (kontrolinė grupė) ir judriuosius žaidimus (tiriamoji grupė) prieš ir po kineziterapijos; 3) palyginti stambiosios ir smulkiosios motorikos rezultatus tarp vaikų, kuriems taikyti bendralavinantys pratimai ir judrieji žaidimai; 4) palyginti bendrą standartinį motorikos rodiklį tarp vaikų, kuriems taikyti bendralavinantys pratimai ir vaikų, kuriems taikyti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Fetal alcohol syndrome is an umbrella term used to describe the irreversible array of anomalies associated with in utero alcohol exposure (Lombard et al, 2007). Fetal alcohol syndrome manifestes by developmental perturbation in motor, social, cognitive and language domain (Steinhaussen et al, 2003). Appropriate management nearly always involves a multidisciplinary team effort with ongoing programming (Burd et al, 2003). Subject: gross and fine motor in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Problem: there is no clear evidence about the most proper form of physiotherapy or physical activity on purpose to improve gross and fine motor functions in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Objective: to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy on gross and fine motor in children with fetal alcohol syndrome. There are four tasks to reach an objective: 1) to determine gross motor indexes for children with fetal alcohol syndrome in casual physiotherapy group (control) and active playing group (investigative) before and after physiotherapy; 2) to determine fine motor indexes for children with fetal alcohol syndrome in casual physiotherapy group (control) and active playing group (investigative) before and after physiotherapy; 3) to compare fine and gross motor indexes between the casual physiotherapy group and active playing group; 4) to compare standard motor score between the casual physiotherapy group (control) and active playing group (investigative); The fine and gross motor... [to full text]

The most common form of nutritional deficiency worldwide is iron deficiency, which is associated with sup optimal early brain development. Literature indicates that children with a poor nutritional status during early development of the brain showed poorer cognitive functioning, deficient growth and muscle function. The first purpose of this study was to determine if iron status plays a role in motor competency. A second purpose was to determine if iron status shows an association with motor competency, behavioural characteristics and scholastic success, while a third purpose was to determine if the consumption of different teas will improve iron intake positively and consequently will improve motor development and behaviour. A test- retest research design was used in a randomised parallel study, with one group of children drinking tea and a control group drinking 'rooibos' tea. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) was used to determine the DCD (Developmental co-ordination disorder) status in the group (N = 76). In this group, 45 children were classified as children with DCD. Blood samples were taken to determine the haemoglobin, ferritin and transferrin saturation levels while a 24hr recall dietary questionnaire was used to determine nutritional intakes. Descriptive statistics, t-testing, effect sizes and analysis of co-variance were used to analyse the data. With regards to the first aim of the study, the results which were analysed by means of t-testing, effect sizes and co-variance of analysis indicated that iron deficiency showed significant relationships with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). When corrected for influences other than haemoglobin on gross motor competency manual dexterity, and especially ball skills, showed significant relationships with iron deficiency. These results demonstrate the importance of proper nutrition on motor and cognitive development. With reference to the second aim of the study the assessment of children with DCD by the teachers with regard to their manual dexterity and behavioural characteristics, indicated poorer manual dexterity and more behavioural problems compared to children without DCD. The children in the DCD group was also divided into a group where the MABC-total showed improvement and their haemoglobin levels increased (n=19). This group was then compared with a group of DCD children of which the MABC total decreased and a decrease in haemoglobin was found (n=6). Although the groups were small, the results indicate that manual dexterity skills and mathematics, reading and writing was poorer in the DCD-children whose iron status decreased. No definite association between the different teas and improvement of motor development and behaviour were indicated by the results. Overall, the conclusion can be made that a relationship between iron status and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) among 9-12 year old children exist. However, it is recommended that more studies of this nature should be done on school age children to substantiate the findings of this study. Intervention studies should also be implemented where the children with depleted iron anaemia status should receive iron supplementation. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Movement Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Literature shows that HIV/AIDS greatly affects the self-esteem of HIV/AIDS directly affected learners (these affected learners are either directly infected, or one or both parents are or had been infected). Studies also show that appropriate motor activities can have a positive influence on a child's self-esteem. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an appropriate motor development programme on the large muscle skills and the self-esteem of 4 to 6 year old HIV/AIDS directly-affected learners. Eight gross motor and perceptual motor skills, as well as self-esteem was evaluated among 28 directly-affected HIV/AIDS (HIV/AIDS-infected as well as - affected) learners in a pre-primary school for terminally sick children in Promosa, a township of Potchefstroom, South Africa. Evaluation took place before and after the implementation of a 12-week long appropriate large muscle development programme. A co-variance analysis (ANCOVA) was done on post-test scores to correct possible differences between pre-test scores in order to achieve a statistical more significant comparison between the experimental and control groups. The motor scores as well as the self-esteem scores of the experimental group showed statistically significant (p≤0.05) improvements after the programme, in contrast with the scores of the control group which showed no significant improvements after completion of the large muscle development programme. These improvements entailed certain fundamental locomotor and balance skills, and self-perceived competence with reference to certain movement skills, as well as peer acceptance. The results imply that by improving the gross motor and perceptual motor skills of HIV/AIDS directly-affected learners by means of an appropriate motor development programme, the self-esteem and related aspects of these learners may be enhanced. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.