Rehabilitation-release is a form of species reintroduction where sick, injured, or rescued animals are rehabilitated before release back into the wild. Published research on rehabilitation releases of rehabilitant non-human primates is limited, and released troop mortality rates are generally high or difficult to determine. The objective of this study was to add to the limited scientific literature on primate rehabilitation and release by investigating factors affecting survival rates and welfare of a rehabilitant troop of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus rufoviridis) released in Malawi in 2016, using pre-existing datasets from the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust. I hypothesized that 1) higher social rank, more complete forest strata use, close proximity to troop members, and frequent predator vigilance would be associated with greater survival, and 2) rank stability/ group cohesion will be strong post-release, activity budgets will show low levels of stress-related behaviors, and behavioral diversity will increase post-release, suggesting welfare improvements. The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust troop had a survival rate of 36%, which is comparable to other vervet releases. Using a combination of linear modeling, survival analysis, and preliminary social network analysis, I found that being a juvenile, being more highly ranked, and being in close proximity to others was significantly associated with lower risk of death – but these results were not consistent and should be considered with caution. Contrary to predictions, forest strata use did not differ greatly across individuals despite differences in survival. Interestingly, the troop’s mean hourly count of predator vigilance decreased post-release, but this did not influence individual survival. In support of my predictions, the troop’s dominance hierarchy appeared stable post-release, group cohesion was strong, and activity budgets showed low levels of stress-related behaviors. However, mean behavioral diversity across individuals decreased post-release, contrary to predictions. These findings suggest that vervet dominance hierarchy, age, and social proximity may influence post-release survival with higher ranking individuals, juveniles, and highly socially connected individuals more likely to survive. Juveniles may be more ecologically adaptable than adults and so better able to survive in a new habitat. Lower ranked individuals, as well as those with low social connectedness, may be more disconnected from the troop while traveling or foraging, placing them at a higher risk of predation but more research is needed to confirm this. Decreased behavioral diversity post-release may have been caused by an increase in foraging and troop movement and generalized behavior categorization may have limited the accuracy of behavioral diversity measurements. Future studies that wish to use behavioral diversity to assess welfare should use highly specific ethograms to capture unique behaviors. Release troops may also benefit from pre-release feeding regimes, such as platform feeders, that encourage more complete canopy use as well as more time at the release site prior to the start of the rainy season. Predator-awareness training is highly recommended to strengthen anti-predator behaviors, especially if the troop has any wild individuals. Finally, the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust’s extensive pre- and post-release monitoring provides vital insight into the troop’s social dynamics, behavioral repertories, and overall survival. Other rehabilitation centers should follow this strategy, since all newly monitored and reported releases will add valuable information to the development of the vervet monkey rehabilitation and release program.

This thesis deals with properties of austenitic stainless steel 304L processed by SLM technology and tested at room and cryogenics temperatures. Result is description of mechanical properties and microstructure. First step was to develop processing parameters to achieve porosity of prints fell below 0,01 %. Following tensile test showed higher yield and ultimate tensile strength than conventionally fabricated parts, even at temperature -80 °C, but at cost of reduced ductility. Due to deformation and low temperature austenite transformed into martensite. This transformation also occurred in Charpy toughness test, that resulted in ductile to brittle behaviour.

Risk prediction models are important tools intended to help clinicians make optimal treatment decisions. They are often developed on large reference samples for applications in different local cohorts. For example, consider transporting the US Framingham risk prediction function for coronary heart disease (CHD) to populations in Europe or Asia. In this process it is necessary to correctly re-calibrate the existing function for future applications. In this thesis we propose a new re-calibration method which could be used when transporting the risk function from a reference to the local cohort. This new method is compared with the existing re-calibration methods through numerical simulations under various assumptions and on real-life population data. In a majority of settings it outperforms the existing methods. We also explore the strengths and limitations of each re-calibration method and provide guidance for practical use of these methods. The re-calibration methods described can be used for any risk prediction models based on Cox proportional hazard regression. To facilitate convenient application we present an easy to use SAS macro. Another essential feature of a successful risk prediction model is characterized by its discrimination or its ability to separate those with events from those without events. One of the most popular measures of discrimination is the area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, often called the c statistic or just area under the curve (AUC). Various authors have extended the AUC from binary outcome applications to survival data. However, these extensions are not unique. In this thesis we compare four of these extensions using simulations and practical applications to the Framingham risk functions as well as a breast cancer risk model. We conclude that the extension proposed by Harrell and described in detail by Pencina & D'Agostino is a metric that is most consistent with the most appropriate definition of discrimination in survival. We construct a SAS code for its consistent estimator based on the work of Uno et al. We also notice large differences in magnitude between various C indices calculated on the same data and caution against comparisons across different C indices.

South Africa’s shameful migrant labor policies of the past have left a socioeconomic mark on the families of millions. The ruin in the garden has long been a fascination of many artists and poets, but in the case of an abandoned compound complex alongside Cullinan’s diamond mine, the author is left unsettled with the thought of the romanticisation of the compound falling to ruins. The anesthesia has to stop at some point. Nature and time have acted upon the compound and has allowed for a large amount to be erased from the publics’ greater memories, (partly due to its inherent isolation and its inaccessibility to the public). Nature is only doing what it knows best - to carry on and heal. The convoluted question needs to be asked, when does it become necessary for human influence to occur and stop a natural process of decay, especially in question of preserving tangible heritage? In Skelton’s poem, it is suggested that the place is ‘filled with music”. This dissertation will attempt the opposite; to fill a place with silences so as to expose and reveal the narrative of the hardships endured to the lives of so many before us. The proposed intervention manifests as a meeting point between nature and the memory embedded in the site, and allows for mediation between healing, adaptive reuse and memorialization. A dialogue must be formed between what is ruin, the new condition and its relation to the wild nature of the Highveld as well as the new introduced vegetation for consumption and research. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The ideal and practice of administrative neutrality has been problematic in the public services of liberal democracies since the middle of the 19th century. Either the ideal was interpreted very narrowly to exclude public administration from political processes, or it has been too broadly incorporated to render its meaning practically useless. However, both literature and practice continue to emphasize the importance of the ideal. This study has attempted to clarify the meaning of the concept by examining its evolution and applicability in various liberal democratic states. Additionally, the study has developed a model of administrative neutrality for the post- apartheid South African public service. The study was guided by three broad assumptions: and these were: i) that the concept of administrative neutrality was not an antonym of politicization, and that whenever such meaning was imputed its applicability was bound to be compromised if not misguided; ii) that the applicability of administrative neutrality depended, among other things, on the constitutional experience and context of a given country; and that iii) administrative neutrality tended to emphasize those elements that are topical at a given time in a given country. Comparative experiences of older liberal democracies examined in the study lent support to these broad assumptions: thus, the British version of administrative neutrality has been conditioned by its political and administrative traditions in which the evolution of democratic political institutions dictated the subjection of administrative institutions to elected political leadership. By contrast, the French experience has reflected that country's administrative history in which public administration evolved much earlier than liberal democracy, and practices like permitting civil servants to seek political office without having to resign their posts was perceived as posing no danger to the ideal of neutrality. Similarly, the American model in which the top layer of public administrators are political appointees has been a product of its history which has had a heavy dosage of partisan patronage. However, despite the differences in terms of models and applicability of the concept the public services in all older liberal democracies examined showed a clear commitment to administrative neutrality in the form of a professionally appointed and managed public service. All the three older democracies examined here has clearly done away with the concept of patronage in the professional section of their public services. Based on the analysis of the three older democracies, a model has been developed for post-apartheid South Africa. First, it was observed that current practices of administrative neutrality in South Africa have been heavily influenced by both apartheid and British or Whitehall traditions. However, the 1996 constitution prescribes a public service that is nonpartisan and impartial, with the public service commission as the watchdog for its implementation. The study has noted that a few problems exist in the current practice of administrative neutrality. First, the practice of involving the minister in the department or premier in the province in matters of appointing permanent staff was regarded as anomalous. Second, that there was lack of specification of involvement by level of civil servants in partisan activities. Third, that the present arrangements do not make adequate checks and balances between ministerial responsibility for personnel and the role of the public service commission, and between the minister and the director- general. Fourth and finally, the absence of the head of the civil service who could cultivate, promote and defend the ethic of civil service neutrality. The proposed model addresses these issues and includes the following elements: commitment to national goals as a recognition of the fact that administrative neutrality does not mean avoidance of national political ideals and goals; merit as the basis for appointment and promotion to ensure against the spoils system; partisan neutrality in which civil servants at all levels do not participate in any partisan activities, but that this provision could be reviewed from time to time as the country's administrative culture evolves; institutional checks and balances in which the public service commission, the head of the civil service , and the re-designing of the office and even title of the director-general. At the moment there are no really checks and balances vis-a-vis ministerial role in the civil service. Finally, the model recommends general fairness and impartiality of the civil service as part of the neutrality concept. The model might meet some resistance due to entrenched traditions of the past or misconstruing of the ideal of neutrality itself by current practitioners. The study concludes by posing a few questions: what is the relationship between neutrality and civil service effectiveness? How does the policy of representative bureaucracy (i.e.: affirmative action) impact upon the merit principle? These and other questions have not been addressed in the study due to limitation of time and resources. Nonetheless, the ideal of administrative neutrality holds out the hope for a civil service that is emerging from the scars of apartheid politicization.

This thesis follows and analyses what happens to individuals who work at establishments that are closed down. I examine if and when the displaced workers are re-employed. Furthermore, I examine to what extent individuals have moved, changed industry of work, have started to commute or have become self-employed. Additionally I examine, if the workers become selfemployed after displacement, how many of them that does so within the same industry of work as they initially got displaced from. A unique longitudinal matched employer-employee data incorporating all firms, establishments and their employees in Sweden between the years 1997-2008 is used. All individuals between 25 and 55 years of age at the time of displacement that were displaced between 2000 and 2003 due to establishment closures are followed over a five-year period of time. Consistent with previous empirical research, it is shown that an absolute majority of the workers that are displaced one given year also recovers within that same year. The results moreover express that the longer the displaced workers are out of employment, the larger is the willingness to change industry of work, change municipality of living or move into self-employment. The willingness to commute is however found to be fairly constant over time. Finally, I find that those who become self-employed to a greater extent start business in other industries than they were displaced from as time passes.

This research focuses on the phenomenon of Swahili poetry and its continued existence amongst Swahilis in Lamu Town, a performative art that is gradually waning in traditional contexts. When people talk about mashairi (poems) in Lamu Town they are referring to both Swahili songs and poems, the two terms are used interchangeably. Mashairi also refers to a form found in Swahili poetry. I look at the usage of the text from these mashairi as lyrics employed in duas (special Islamic prayers) and traditional songs and dances specifically performed by women during Swahili weddings. It is an art that has existed for hundreds of years dating back to the 11th century through oral sources. I begin by defining the East African region, who the Swahili people are, while providing a historical background of their origins and the Swahili language. I also explore Arabic influences on Swahili culture, language and literature as part of the Re-Centring AfroAsia project (Musical and human migrations in the pre-colonial period of 700-1500AD) that has sponsored this research project. Swahili poetry continues to celebrate traditional lyrics in songs and dances performed by women in contemporary Swahili culture. There are specific members of the community who are known to possess mashairi compositional skills. Families planning weddings and duas will request that these poets compose a corpus of mashairi with detailed specifications. They are then used as lyrics in songs and dances attached to these ceremonies or they are performed as stand-alone songs. Mashairi had first existed as oral literature and stand-alone songs owing to archaic wedding songs and dances. They continue to be an essential defining feature of Swahili traditional practices. I give a laconic history of classical Swahili poetry; how Arabic facets directly or indirectly influenced this art after Arabs developed ties with Africans living on the Swahili littoral. I provide a condensed historical background on the life of one of the first and most prolific Swahili poets, Fumo Liyongo, and briefly explore factors that influenced his compositions. I rigorously analyse lyrics of songs and dances whose texts have been derived from modern mashairi and compare their themes, narratives and structure with classical mashairi. I also scrutinize the role and importance of the art of mashairi as a source of lyrics and the efforts of two poets from Lamu Town whose compositions are socially impacting the society. This art has survived for hundreds of years and has come to symbolize the enduring spirit of the Swahili people.

This study provides information on the transformation from flea market to fashion retail business that the second hand business Myrorna has undergone. The scope of this study has been rebranding, marketing and communication as well as two trends: sustainability and second hand. Previous literature has pointed towards rebranding being an expensive process, whereas Myrorna being a nonprofit business that gives all their excess profit to charity has a non-existing or a tight budget for business aspects. The intriguing question of how Myrorna could go through such an immense transformation with that business structure was a point of departure for this research. The aim for this study was to look into the Swedish second hand business Myronas non- conventional leap from flea market to fashion powerhouse. The research explored this from an internal viewpoint, hence participants that have worked for or at Myrorna during the time when the transformation took place were chosen in order to see if and how: rebranding, marketing and communication and the trends correlated with their change. In order for this study to look into the second hand business Myrornas transformation, this study has conducted a single case study with a basis on conducting semi structured interviews with participants related to the case company and the phenomenon of the brand transformation. This research has taken on a qualitative research approach in order to get a deeper perspective of the underlying factors that have been part of transforming Myrorna. Additionally, in order to get the full perspective of this process a visual analysis on Myrornas campaigns during the transformation in the years 1998-2008 have been conducted to strengthen and show differences in regard to the empirical data. The results showed how both the rebranding process and a change in Myrornas marketing and communication strategy were the factors that transformed Myrorna into a fashion powerhouse. Furthermore, Myrornas brand awareness was enhanced through sustainability and second hand trends as they created an upswing in regard to popularity. The visual campaigns conducted by Myrorna from 1998 to 2008, clearly shows their transformation in steps; from initially communicating unique and personal clothing, to moving forward to portraying the high fashion clothes that can be found in their stores. Whereas they lastly focused on communicating one of their core values: sustainability.

Through engaging with hegemonic and counter-hegemonic discourses surrounding the Province of Ontario’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy (CHRS), this thesis examines the ways in which the criminalization and social assistance systems continue to be reimagined in ways that perpetuate inequality. The CHRS legislates the exclusion of criminalized individuals from accessing community housing. Drawing on Marxian punishment theory, the role of structural inequality as the foundation of such a policy is explored. A total of 150 documents comprise the final dataset; this includes newsprint media items, reports produced by non-governmental organizations, and Hansard transcripts. The analysis reveals a total of seven themes, which highlight how the CHRS is largely legitimized based on the principle of lesser eligibility. Through the hegemonic discourses, the recomposition and extension of the penal apparatus into the community housing sector is observed. Moreover, purveyors of counter-hegemonic discourses further illustrate this through highlighting the way in which the CHRS represents a state mechanism used to reproduce poverty and perpetuate its criminalization. In conclusion, future directions for research aiming to dismantle exclusive and punitive policies are suggested.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第21297号 / 医博第4386号 / 新制||医||1030(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 川口 義弥, 教授 妹尾 浩, 教授 羽賀 博典 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM