Thesis (M.A. (African languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The aim of this study was to investigate the problems encountered by translators when translating medical terms from English into Tshivenda. It has been revealed in this study that the major problem that the translators are confronted with is lack of terminology in the specialized field such as Health. This problem is caused by the fact that different languages entail a variety of culture. The study revealed that most translators and lexicographers resort to transliteration and borrowing when confronted with zero-equivalence. They regard transliteration and borrowing as the quickest possible strategies. The study discovered that transliteration should not be opted as an alternative strategy to deal with zero-equivalence as users will be led to a state of confusion. The study revealed that communicative translation is regarded as the most fruitful method of translation as it conveys the exact message of the original in a best possible manner. Both the source and the target users get the same message. KEY CONCEPTS Translation, Culture, Source Language (SL), Target Language (TL), Translation equivalence and Zero-equivalence.

In the present study, we investigate kernel density estimation (KDE) and its application to the Gumbel probability distribution. We introduce the basic concepts of reliability analysis and estimation in ordinary and Bayesian settings. The robustness of top three kernels used in KDE with respect to three different optimal bandwidths is presented. The parametric, Bayesian, and empirical Bayes estimates of the reliability, failure rate, and cumulative failure rate functions under the Gumbel failure model are derived and compared with the kernel density estimates. We also introduce the concept of target time subject to obtaining a specified reliability. A comparison of the Bayes estimates of the Gumbel reliability function under six different priors, including kernel density prior, is performed. A comparison of the maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayes estimates of the target time under desired reliability using the Jeffrey's non-informative prior and square error loss function is studied. In order to determine which of the two different loss functions provides a better estimate of the location parameter for the Gumbel probability distribution, we study the performance of four criteria, including the non-parametric kernel density criterion. Finally, we apply both KDE and the Gumbel probability distribution in modeling the annual extreme stream flow of the Hillsborough River, FL. We use the jackknife procedure to improve ML parameter estimates. We model quantile and return period functions both parametrically and using KDE, and show that KDE provides a better fit in the tails.

This study represents an effort to interrupt the life cycle of Eimeria tenella, the parasite that causes cecal coccidiosis in chickens, with a panel of 12 gamont-specific monoclonal antibodies (Mabs). To facilitate Mab screening, it was first necessary to develop a cell culture-adapted strain of E. tenella (field strain 80) from primary chicken kidney cells (PCKC) to white Leghorn chickens and back to PCKC. This alternation was repeated through 12 such passages. As a result, we have developed a cell culture-adapted strain of E. tenella that produces over 280% more oocysts in vitro than the original parent strain, and over six times as many oocysts as reported by other investigators. Of the 12 Mabs evaluated, Mab HD8 had the greatest inhibitory effect by significantly reducing (P<0.05) the number of E. tenella oocysts produced in cell culture by 61% compared with untreated controls. Western blot analysis revealed that the target antigen for Mab HD8 had a molecular mass of 71 and 36 kilodaltons, respectively, when run under nonreduced and reduced conditions. Subsequent evaluation of soluble and membrane-associated proteins indicated that the target antigen for Mab HD8 was membrane-associated. In vivo studies are now required to validate the efficacy of this antigen in a subunit vaccine.

Amphibians face an unknown future in a time of rapid environmental change due to global climate perturbations. Since amphibians are perceived to be indicators of ecosystem health, understanding the causes of their declines can improve our perception of threats to other species. Molecular techniques have allowed us to explore how environmental change affects genetic variation and to predict evolutionary adaptive potential of amphibian populations. The identification of populations with the greatest potential to respond to changing environmental variables may be an important conservation strategy to aid in future management efforts. I utilized targeted exon capture sequencing to identify adaptive variation in California tiger salamanders (CTS; Ambystoma californiense), a species threatened by land use change and hybridization with barred tiger salamanders (A. mavortium). I identified 17 and 26 outlier loci for balancing selection in historic and recent samples of CTS respectively. The outlier loci corresponded to genes of various functions, though none of the outliers associated significantly with the change in several tested environmental variables. Despite the lack of environmental correlations detected, it must also be considered that the outlier loci could be involved in epistatic interactions where many genes with small effects influence a single phenotype with fitness benefits. Additional hypotheses to explain the observed changes in allele frequencies and outliers may be the effects of UV-B radiation, pesticide use, or indirect effects of climate change.

In this paper I use an equity duration framework to develop and empirically test the hypothesis that returns on growth stock portfolios react more strongly to Federal Funds target rate change announcements, as compared to value stock portfolios. When I decompose the Federal Funds rate change, I find that portfolio returns are only sensitive to rate shocks, as opposed to the predictable component of rate change. Since growth stocks are expected to have higher duration than value stocks, I further explore the well documented polarity between value and growth stocks, by examining the interest rate sensitivities of portfolios that diverge along four fundamental-to-prices ratios: dividend yield, book-to-market value, earnings-to-price and cashflows-to-price. In each case, I find that price reactions are more pronounced for portfolios with high growth characteristics. I also document that portfolio returns react asymmetrically to positive and negative target rate surprises, and that this reaction is conditional on the state of business cycles - periods of economic expansions and recessions. To improve the robustness of my results, several statistical applications have been applied. First, I include Newey-west estimators to examine significant levels of regression estimates. Second, I check if there is any contemporaneous correlation across target rate shocks by applying ARIMA tests, and to overcome the problem resulted from serial correlation of target rate shocks, I substitute white noise residuals from the regressions on the rate shocks for target rate shocks to be new exogenous variables.

Drugs exert their (therapeutic) effects via molecular-level interactions with proteins and other biomolecules. Computational prediction of drug-protein interactions plays a significant role in the effort to improve our current and limited knowledge of these interactions. The use of the putative drug-protein interactions could facilitate the discovery of novel applications of drugs, assist in cataloging their targets, and help to explain the details of medicinal efficacy and side-effects of drugs. We investigate current studies related to the computational prediction of drug-protein interactions and categorize them into protein structure-based and similarity-based methods. We evaluate three representative structure-based predictors and develop a Protein-Drug Interaction Database (PDID) that includes the putative drug targets generated by these three methods for the entire structural human proteome. To address the fact that only a limited set of proteins has known structures, we study the similarity-based methods that do not require this information. We review a comprehensive set of 35 high-impact similarity-based predictors and develop a novel, high-quality benchmark database. We group these predictors based on three types of similarities and their combinations that they use. We discuss and compare key architectural aspects of these methods including their source databases, internal databases and predictive models. Using our novel benchmark database, we perform comparative empirical analysis of predictive performance of seven types of representative predictors that utilize each type of similarity individually or in all possible combinations. We assess predictive quality at the database-wide drug-protein interaction level and we are the first to also include evaluation across individual drugs. Our comprehensive analysis shows that predictors that use more similarity types outperform methods that employ fewer similarities, and that the model combining all three types of similarities secures AUC of 0.93. We offer a first-of-its-kind analysis of sensitivity of predictive performance to intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of the considered predictors. We find that predictive performance is sensitive to low levels of similarities between sequences of the drug targets and several extrinsic properties of the input drug structures, drug profiles and drug targets.

Relational aggression (RA) is a social phenomenon that can severely impact organizational profitability and employee productivity. A gap in the literature exists concerning appropriate interventions to manage RA. The purpose of this study was to explore successful interventions that have been used to manage RA. The theoretical framework was informed by psychological contract theory. Data were collected via semistructured face-to-face interviews with 12 victims, and then analyzed using data management, reading and memorization, description, classification, interpretation, and representation. NVivo software was used to organize the data in this study. The research consisted of 3 subquestions addressing the role of written policies in interventions, common practices and reactions of management, and victims' requests for attention to grievance reports. Five key themes emerged. The first and second pertain to the proactive and reactive role of written policies. The third and fourth focus on management's negative and positive reactions in response to grievance reports. The fifth identifies victims' expectations for their grievance reports. Commonly found interventions include impartially listening to both sides, investigation, restoration of damages, social justice, and identifying root causes for RA in the workplace. Implications for positive social change include enhanced employee well-being and performance and increased organizational effectiveness. Results may lead to positive changes by providing useful information that can be implemented by organizations to prevent and address RA, which can improve employee well-being.

Social marginalization and isolation of target populations are growing areas of concern for policy administrators. African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (AA LGBT) individuals are not permitted full political, economic, or moral citizenship and thus are in society but not completely of it. Legislation such as North Carolina's House Bill 2 (HB2) has the potential to dissolve the social contract connecting life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at the microlevel. The emerging U.S. trend of moving societally from universal access in microlevel institutions toward more market-based strategies poses a formidable challenge for this target population. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand the impact of substantive public policy such as HB2 on the lived experiences of AA LGBT community members at the microlevel in North Carolina in order to provide positive social change via public policy and administration. The theoretical basis for this study was Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory with emphasis placed on the impact of HB2 at the microlevel. Data were gathered from 10 telephone interviews with members of the AA LGBT community who were 18-30 years of age. Data from the study were deductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Findings indicate that substantive policy has a considerable impact on minority target populations. Consequently, this study will assist in raising awareness amongst policymakers regarding the lived experiences of racial and sexual minorities because of public policy and contribute to the overall understanding of the spillover effects of substantive law regarding the lived experiences of minority target populations.

Radicalization and recruitment of young Kenyan males into homegrown terrorism has persisted since November 2011 following the decision by the government to send Kenya Defense Forces to fight al Shabaab terrorist groups in Somalia. Using Schneider and Ingram's conceptualization of social construction of target populations as a guide, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore the motivation of young Kenyan males in accepting radicalization and recruitment into homegrown terrorism and their interpretations, feelings, and perceptions of the policies and strategies in place to empower them. Using a purposeful sampling with a maximum variation strategy, data were collected through interviews with 34 young Kenyan males, 4 of whom were connected to 4 terrorism incidents in Kenya since 2011. Additional data were collected through publicly available data and policy statements. All data were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure and cross-case analysis. Findings indicated that young Kenyan males are enticed with financial offers by al Shabaab, and faced social problems that needed solutions, and participants believe the government of Kenya should better protect them from al Shabaab maneuvers. Implications for social change include recommendations for reform of youth policies and programs by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, and implementation of the recommendations of this study so that youth can be properly engaged in nation-building activities.

Apomixis, asexual or clonal seed production in plants, can decrease the cost of producing hybrid seed and enable currently open pollinated crops to be converted to more vigorous and higher yielding hybrids that can reproduce themselves through their own seed. Sexual reproduction may be triggered by a programmed stress signaling event that occurs in both the meiocyte, just prior to meiosis, and later in the egg just prior to embryo sac maturation. The prevention of stress signaling and the activation of a pro-growth signal prior to meiosis triggered apomeiosis, the first half of apomixis. The same approach was used prior to embryo sac maturation to trigger parthenogenesis, the second half of apomixis. This discovery suggests that apomixis exists as a program that can be activated by the appropriate metabolic signal at the appropriate developmental stages. Therefore, apomixis may be alternative mode of reproduction rather a ‘broken’ form of sexual reproduction.