As systems become more complex, there are increasing demands for improvement with respect to attributes such as performance, dependability, and security. Optimization is defined as theprocess of making the most effective use of a set of resources with respect to some attribute. Existing optimization techniques, however, have two fundamental limitations. They target individual parts of a system without considering the potentially significant global picture, and they are designed to improve a single attribute at a time. These limitations impose significant restrictions on the kinds of optimization possible, the effectiveness of the techniques, and the ability to improvethe optimization process itself.This dissertation presents holistic system optimization, a new approach to optimization based on taking a broad view of a system. Unlike current approaches, holistic optimizations consider different kinds of interactions at multiple levels in a system, and target a variety of metrics uniformly. A key component of this research has been the use of proven compiler techniques to ensure transparency, automation, and correctness. These techniques have been implemented in Cassyopia, a software prototype of a framework for performing holistic optimization.The core of this work is three new holistic optimizations, which are also presented. The first describes profile-directed static optimizations designed to improve the performance of eventbased programs by spanning boundaries that separate code that raises events from handlers that field them. The second, system call clustering, improves the system call behavior of an entire program by grouping together calls that can be executed in a single boundary crossing. In thiscase, the optimization spans kernel and user address spaces. Finally, authenticated system calls optimize system security through a novel implementation of an efficient system call monitor. This example demonstrates how the new approach can be used to create new optimizations that not only span address space boundaries but also target attributes such as dependability. All of these optimizations involve the application of standard compiler techniques in non-traditional contexts and demonstrate how systems can be improved beyond what is possible using existing techniques.

Integrating environmental learning into mainstream education is an important countermeasure to address the challenges to the sustainability of the earth and children's integrated development. To be effectively integrated into mainstream education, an environmental learning program should be designed in ways that elicit the support of stakeholders, while at the same time without scarifying the environmental learning goals. The purpose of this study therefore is to explore an environmental learning model that meets the above mentioned goal using a case study design.Key principles for designing such environmental learning programs are identified first based on the theoretical framework. Then, the actual enactment of these principles in a practical setting and the effects on students in terms of environmental learning goals and traditional educational goals are explored through a case study of a pilot environmental learning program designed with these guiding principles. It presents a detailed portrait of the design process, the actual enacted curriculum, and the experiences of key stakeholders with this environmental learning program. It also evaluates this program's effects on students in environmental literacy (the environmental learning goal), academic achievement and social development (the traditional educational goals). The enactment of the guiding principles and factors that influence the enactment of this program are discussed thereafter. It concludes with the construction of the curriculum integration through environmental learning model based on the case study and a discussion of the model in light of the curriculum integration framework.

No description available.

Capoeira is a Brazilian fighting art with roots in slavery that blends live music, dance, play and ritual. It is also an embodied form of knowledge that is holistic and sometimes profoundly transformative - a way of seeing and being that embraces an Afro-Brazilian vision of the world. Using personal lived experience and collected oral testimony related in a story-telling form, the study explores the knowledge embedded within capoeira through the lives of practitioners and through practitioners' explanations of their teachings. The question of whether capoeira has a common essence, or more specifically, whether the capoeira of twentieth century Bahia from which all modern schools ultimately trace their origins has an essence, is explored. In the thesis, capoeira is discovered to be an expression of resistance and transformation. Capoeira, the author discovers, is a form of resistance in that its traditional teachings reflect a communal, non-materialistic and sensuous stance, in opposition to the dominant individualistic, capitalistic, techno-scientific approach that has dominated the industrialized West. Capoeira is also a source of transformation in that it allows individuals to develop to their fullest expression - a self that encompasses the physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual dimensions - and helps people integrate within a web of relations, human, animal, or other. Using a Transformative Learning approach informed by an Indigenous framework, this dissertation attempts to bring the reader on a journey of the mind, body and spirit. In three books, each one describing a separate fieldwork trip to Brazil, the author weaves a tale that is both personal and profound in its planetary implications.

Sexual abuse causes incalculable damage to the life of the sexually abused person on all levels: emotional, spiritual and physical. God included children in His covenant with mankind. Jesus always gave a special place to children during his time on earth. Current statistics are shocking: One in every four girls and one in every six boys are being sexually abused. Considering that up to 43 children are raped each day in South Africa, it has to be acknowledged that sexual abuse in South Africa is reaching epidemic proportions. The spiritual/religious results of sexual abuse show that pastoral care is essential in the healing process. Traumatised children themselves express the need for this problem to be addressed pastorally. Children acknowledged that the problem of sexual abuse influenced their relationships with God. Every child also expressed a need for spiritual growth and spiritual knowledge. The most effective method of helping seems to be an eclectic approach. On the one hand it is important to take note of contributions from other sciences surrounding play therapy, which could be used effectively in the helping process. On the other hand pastoral guidelines should be fully utilised and adhered to. The solution thus lies in a holistic approach where attention is given to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the child. From the empirical data that was collected it is clear that a combination of pastoral care and play therapy is very effective. The uniqueness of this combination centres on the fact that God, the great Healer, works in a restorative and healing fashion in the lives of children through something that comes completely naturally to them, namely play. / Thesis (M.A. (Practical Theology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Spirituality in the discipline of nursing has gained popularity over the past two decades. National and provincial nursing associations and colleges expect nurses to be educated in providing spiritual health assessments and interventions in order to provide holistic nursing care. There is a paucity of research in the nursing literature on the meaning of spirituality from the perspectives of individuals who experience chronic mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. Spirituality remains an elusive construct, challenging psychiatric nurse educators, researchers and practitioners in the development of nursing curricula to guide psychiatric nursing practice. The focus of this research study was to develop a substantive theory about the experience of spirituality among individuals living with schizophrenia using grounded theory methodology in the tradition of Glaser and Strauss (1967). Forty semi-structured interviews and four focus groups were conducted with 20 participants who self-reported to be diagnosed with schizophrenia. Findings: The substantive theory "spirituality as connection" indicates that spirituality for persons living with schizophrenia involves a dialectical process in which one strives to be connected to one's spiritual self (body-mind-spirit), significant others (family, friends, G o d / Higher Power, health care professionals), community (others living with a mental illness, others who are well, a faith community, the community in which participants lived), and nature, while at the same time experiencing situations and incidents that promote disconnection from these sub-themes. Strategies used by participants to achieve connection included: taking prescribed atypical anti-psychotic medications, maintaining their health and a healthy lifestyle, use of prayer / meditation, caring for self and others, and engaging in creative activities that added meaning to their life experiences. Among the 17 factors contributing to connection, exemplars are: reconnecting with one's spirit through prayer and meditation, attending drop-in centres for persons living with a mental illness, and walking / hiking in nature. Outcomes include feeling peaceful, love, contentment, being accepted and nurtured by others. Among the 14 factors contributing to disconnection, exemplars are: the effect of the illness on relationships with other people, the stigma of being in a psychiatric ward, being unemployed, and taking typical antipsychotic medications. Outcomes include feeling powerlessness, isolation, rejection and alienation.

Nature positively affects the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of all people. In the natural environment, fresh air, daylight, organic materials and plant life exist in harmony. When we come into contact with this harmony, it provides a calming effect and have a direct positive impact on people undergoing cancer treatment, as well as patients’ families and friends, and the doctors, nurses and caregivers whose job it is to care for them. This thesis explores specific architectural interventions to an existing hospital that would provide a complementary healing environment to increase health and reduce stress. Using the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton as a project site, this design shows how we might provide therapeutic spaces and gardens to promote holistic healing of the mind, body and spirit.

Capoeira is a Brazilian fighting art with roots in slavery that blends live music, dance, play and ritual. It is also an embodied form of knowledge that is holistic and sometimes profoundly transformative - a way of seeing and being that embraces an Afro-Brazilian vision of the world. Using personal lived experience and collected oral testimony related in a story-telling form, the study explores the knowledge embedded within capoeira through the lives of practitioners and through practitioners' explanations of their teachings. The question of whether capoeira has a common essence, or more specifically, whether the capoeira of twentieth century Bahia from which all modern schools ultimately trace their origins has an essence, is explored. In the thesis, capoeira is discovered to be an expression of resistance and transformation. Capoeira, the author discovers, is a form of resistance in that its traditional teachings reflect a communal, non-materialistic and sensuous stance, in opposition to the dominant individualistic, capitalistic, techno-scientific approach that has dominated the industrialized West. Capoeira is also a source of transformation in that it allows individuals to develop to their fullest expression - a self that encompasses the physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual dimensions - and helps people integrate within a web of relations, human, animal, or other. Using a Transformative Learning approach informed by an Indigenous framework, this dissertation attempts to bring the reader on a journey of the mind, body and spirit. In three books, each one describing a separate fieldwork trip to Brazil, the author weaves a tale that is both personal and profound in its planetary implications.

The aim of this thesis is to ascertain how primary school teachers would like to improve their mathematics teaching. The central questions for this research are: In what ways do teachers want to improve their mathematics teaching? How do the teachers justify their statements? What main features can be distinguished out of the teachers answers? Three interviews and seven surveys have been used to collect information from a total of nine teachers, at one primary school. Teaching pupils from preschool to sixth grade. The results have been analysed, interpreted and discussed using a drama pedagogical perspective, inspired by a holistic approach to learning. In order to investigate connections between drama pedagogic and holistic perspectives on learning in the teachers’ answers, three main characteristics of drama pedagogic usage have been defined: To embody (meaning: to act and/or create); Process (meaning: learning takes time and seeks deep understanding); Play (meaning: joyful activity which involves relatively little supervision by the teacher). The results show that teachers would like to work in more practical ways, where investigative and experimental activities are more commonplace. Although not supported by all responses, a significant majority of respondents expressed belief in working methods, and reasoning about learning, with fundamental connections to a drama pedagogic and holistic perspective on learning. This thesis concludes that the teachers surveyed believe in embodiment actions as a learning medium, and that knowledge can be highlighted by the principles of process. / <p>Examensarbete nr 1 (utav totalt 2) inom lärarprogrammet med inriktning drama mot skolår 5 - 9 samt gymnasieskolan.</p>

Introduction. The use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) has shown to reduce the morbidity and mortality and prolongs survival, improving quality of life restoring and preserving immunologic function, maximizing antiretroviral activity and durably suppressing viral load and further preventing vertical HIV transmission. However, their use in Critical Care Units CCU is still controversial as there are still no set standards for how HAART should be applied in these settings (Anderson, 2009). This study was aimed at exploring the perceptions of critical care nurses towards their educational preparedness in managing HIV/AIDS patients admitted to CCU in KwaZulu-Natal. Methodology. Quantitative descriptive research design was used and data collection included a structured questionnaire and open ended questions. Results. The findings of this study indicate that of the critical care nurses who were sampled for this study and had undergone training in HIV/AIDS management, 45% and 25% respectively perceived that they were not educationally prepared to provide services for people living with HIV/AIDS admitted to CCUs. Almost all N=50 (94%) critical care nurses reported that HIV/AIDS management should be incorporated into the critical care nursing programme. Their universal perception N=42 (75%) is that this will improve the standards of nursing care in the critical care field. Over and above lack of training and updated information reported by the respondents, they are still challenged by factors such as advanced level of HIV disease, confidentiality about the disease, knowledge about a HIV/AIDS treatment regimen and emotional challenges. However, there are guiding policies within critical care settings for nurses to utilise in the management of HIV/AIDS and in the care of people who have already been infected. Conclusion and recommendations. In conclusion, more research with a larger scale sample is required to provide appropriate generalisation of the findings of the study. Alternatively a qualitative research study which may provide richer data on the lived experiences of the critical care nurses regarding care of people living with HIV/AIDS is suggested. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.