xvi, 225 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This study investigated the effectiveness of function-based academic and behavior intervention on behavior and reading improvement for five English language learners who exhibited escape-maintained problem behaviors and academic reading difficulties. The study sought to document the effect of a function-based approach on students with highly diverse cultural backgrounds in an international school in Thailand. The intervention emphasized (a) the functional behavior assessment (FBA) strategies to identify the function of the target behavior, (b) evidence-based effective reading instructional approaches, and (c) responsiveness to cultural perspectives of teachers and students. A combined single-subject research methodology documented a functional relationship between implementation of the function-based intervention and decreased problem behaviors. The findings revealed the potential to increase academic engagement and reading performance for the students by following a behavior support plan based on effective reading instruction and tasks modified to accommodate students' academic needs. The study emphasized cultural responsiveness of the intervention plan and implementation. Despite several limitations, this experimental research incorporated culture into behavior and academic support as well as into the research designs. In future application, cultural responsiveness among professionals will be a key element to ensure that future intervention support will meaningfully change the lives of students and will be sustained over time. / Adviser: Robert Homer

Lack of Improvement in Insulin Responsiveness in the Metabolic Syndrome after Resistance Training Only May Be Due to Fewer Muscle Slow-Twitch Fibers and Decreased Activation of AMPK Ten non-diabetic subjects (fi Ten non-diabetic subjects (five males, five females) with the Metabolic Syndrome underwent eight weeks of supervised strength training. Training consisted of five weekly sessions. A brief orientation period was followed by two blocks of progressively increasing intensity training. Nine control subjects were trained at the same time following the same protocols. At the completion of training, strength and VO[sub]2[/sub]max increased by 10% in both groups, but body composition and body weight had not changed. Insulin responsiveness, quantified using a three hour euglycemic clamp procedure, did not improve in the insulin resistant Metabolic Syndrome subjects, but increased significantly (13%) in the control group. Control subjects had significantly more slow-twitch muscle fibers at baseline (50% vs. 36%). The fiber composition was not changed in either group by training. Expression of GLUT4, the principle insulin-responsive glucose transporter, increased significantly in both groups (39% in Metabolic Syndrome subjects, 76% in the control group). The muscle mitochondrial biogenesis pathway reflected by AMPK total expression and activation, and the muscle hypertrophy pathway as indicated by mTOR expression and activation were increased in both groups. Even though total AMPK and total mTOR increased about 40% in both groups, the change in activated phospho-AMPK was greater in the control group (38% vs. 8%), and the activated phospho-mTOR increased more in the Metabolic Syndrome group (50% vs. 25%). Since AMPK is predominantly expressed in slow-twitch muscle fibers and mTOR is expressed at higher levels in fast-twitch fibers, these data may reflect the difference in fiber composition between the two groups. Strength training resulted in qualitatively similar effects on muscle remodeling in persons at low risk or high risk for diabetes, but greater activation of AMPK was associated with increased insulin responsiveness. In Metabolic Syndrome subjects, resistance training alone activated muscle hypertrophy pathways and increased muscle GLUT4 expression, but did not improve insulin responsiveness.

Verlässliche Dienstbereitstellung ist eines der wichtigsten Ziele in modernen Netzwerken. Da Anbieter und Nutzer Teil einer Informations und Kommunikationstechnologie (IKT) Infrastruktur sind, wird die Verlässlichkeit der Dienste je nach Position der Aktoren variieren, so wie sich die für die Bereitstellung nötigen IKT Geräte ändern. Wir stellen zwei Ansätze zur Quantifizierung nutzerspezifischer Dienstverlässlichkeit vor. Der erste, modellgetriebene Ansatz berechnet momentane Dienstverfügbarkeit. Aus Modellen des Dienstes, der Infrastruktur und einer Abbildung zwischen den beiden, welche die Aktoren der Dienstkommunikation beschreibt, werden durch eine Serie von Modelltransformationen automatisiert Verfügbarkeitsmodelle generiert. Die Realisierbarkeit des Ansatzes wird anhand von Diensten im Netzwerk der Universität Lugano, Schweiz, gezeigt. Der zweite Ansatz behandelt die Responsivität der Dienstfindung, die Wahrscheinlichkeit innerhalb einer Frist Dienstinstanzen zu finden, unter der Annahme von Fehlern. Dies stellt den Hauptteil dieser Arbeit dar. Eine Hierarchie stochastischer Modelle wird vorgestellt, die nutzerspezifische Responsivität auf Basis von Messdaten der Routingebene berechnet. Umfangreiche Experimente wurden im Distributed Embedded Systems (DES) Funktestbett der Freien Universität Berlin durchgefürt. Diese zeigen Probleme aktueller Dienstfindungsprotokolle in modernen, dynamischen Netzwerken. Gleichzeitig dienen sie der Validierung der vorgestellten Modelle. Beide Ansätze zeigen, daß die Verlässlichkeit der Dienstbereitstellung in der Tat deutlich mit der Position von Nutzern und Anbietern variiert, sogar in hochverfügbaren Kabelnetzwerken. Die Ansätze ermöglichen die Optimierung von Dienstnetzwerken anhand bekannter oder erwarteter Nutzungsmuster. Zudem antizipieren sie neuartige Verlässlichkeitsmodelle, welche Dienstfindung, zeitige Bereitstellung, Platzierung und Nutzung kombinieren; Gebiete, die bisher im Allgemeinen getrennt behandelt wurden. / Dependability of service provision is one of the primary goals in modern networks. Since providers and clients are part of a connecting Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, service dependability varies with the position of actors as the ICT devices needed for service provision change. We present two approaches to quantify user-perceived service dependability. The first is a model-driven approach to calculate instantaneous service availability. Using input models of the service, the infrastructure and a mapping between the two to describe actors of service communication, availability models are automatically created by a series of model to model transformations. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated using exemplary services in the network of University of Lugano, Switzerland. The second approach aims at the responsiveness of the service discovery layer, the probability to find service instances within a deadline even in the presence of faults, and is the main part of this thesis. We present a hierarchy of stochastic models to calculate user-perceived responsiveness based on monitoring data from the routing layer. Extensive series of experiments have been run on the Distributed Embedded Systems (DES) wireless testbed at Freie Universität Berlin. They serve both to demonstrate the shortcomings of current discovery protocols in modern dynamic networks and to validate the presented stochastic models. Both approaches demonstrate that the dependability of service provision indeed differs considerably depending on the position of service clients and providers, even in highly reliable wired networks. The two approaches enable optimization of service networks with respect to known or predicted usage patterns. Furthermore, they anticipate novel service dependability models which combine service discovery, timeliness, placement and usage, areas that until now have been treated to a large extent separately.

Au delà des principes généraux de la responsabilité sociétale, comme application des principes du développement durable, ses enjeux managériaux auxquels font face les entreprises demeurent rarement étudiés. La présente recherche s'intéresse précisément à cette question, en mobilisant le courant de la Corporate Social Responsiveness qui propose de porter une attention particulière aux changements organisationnels. Une réponse à ces problématiques managériales semble passer par les stratégies de coopération. Au regard de la littérature, les stratégies de coopération sont un moyen d'obtenir des ressources, des compétences complémentaires et de développer des capacités dynamiques. L'objet de cette thèse porte sur l'étude les stratégies de coopération comme réponse aux enjeux du développement durable, au travers de l'analyse des associations thématiques d'entreprises, dans une perspective fondée sur les ressources. La méthodologie est qualitative et vise à décrire de la manière la plus fine possible les phénomènes et processus à l'œuvre dans les associations thématiques d'entreprises, à travers deux phases d'étude. L'étude exploratoire, basée sur l'analyse des dix-sept associations thématiques recensées sur le territoire français, permet d'identifier différents profils de stratégies de coopération et d'en dresser une typologie. Ils sont définis à partir des représentations du développement durable et du rôle que se donne l'association d'entreprises. Par ailleurs, l'étude de cas explore les mécanismes de coordination à l'œuvre dans ces associations thématiques et permet d'identifier les besoins des entreprises et la nature de la réponse collective. La recherche montre en particulier une diversité d'enjeux vis-à-vis du développement durable, qui va conditionner les besoins des entreprises en termes de ressources et de compétences. Le contexte révèle une complexité de management du fait que le Développement Durable invite à considérer des valeurs et des convictions liées aux personnes qui peuvent entrer en contradiction. Une analyse précise des ressources et des compétences nécessaires aux entreprises pour opérationnaliser une démarche responsable est envisagée. Les principaux résultats sont discutés au regard des recherches antérieures.

Bakgrund: Amning är fördelaktigt för både mor och barn och en positiv amningsstart kan gynna fortsatt amning. De senaste decennierna har amningsfrekvensen i Sverige sjunkit. Amning är ingen medfödd förmåga utan en process som måste läras in av både mor och barn. Ett professionellt stöd av personal under vistelsen på BB kan ge en god förutsättning för fortsatt amning. Syfte: Att undersöka förstagångsmammors upplevelse av professionellt amningsstöd på BB. Metod: Datamaterialet samlades in genom frågeformulär med en öppen fråga och analyserades genom kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. 16 kvinnor ingick i studien. Resultat: Kvinnorna beskrev vikten av att bli sedda som unika individer under amningsrådgivningen. Den information och det stöd de fick från personalen skulle vara individanpassat för att kvinnorna skulle känna sig sedda. Studiens resultat presenteras i två kategorier: Att bli sedd som en unik individ vid professionellt amningsstöd samt Hur det professionella stödet erbjuds har betydelse för amningsstarten. Dessa kategorier bildar tillsammans temat: Individanpassat professionellt amningsstöd leder till att förstagångsmammor upplever trygghet i amningssituationen. Konklusion: Förstagångsmammor som av personalen på BB får individanpassat professionellt amningsstöd upplever sig trygga i amningssituationen och i rollen som nyblivna mammor. / Background: Breastfeeding is beneficial for mother and child. A positive lactation start may benefit breastfeeding. In recent decades breastfeeding rates in Sweden have fallen. Breastfeeding is not an innate ability but a process that must be learned by both mother and child. Professional support from the staff during the stay at maternity ward can provide a prerequisite for continued breastfeeding. Aim: To investigate first-time mothers experience of professional breastfeeding support in maternity ward. Method: Data was collected through questionnaires with an open question and analyzed by qualitative content analysis with inductive approach. 16 women participated. Results: The women described the importance of being seen as unique individuals during breastfeeding. The information and support they received from staff would be individualized to make them feel confirmed. The results of the study are presented in two categories: Being seen as unique individual in professional breastfeeding support and how the professional support offered is important for breastfeeding. These categories together form the theme: Personalized professional breastfeeding support causes first-time mothers to experience safety in the breastfeeding situation. Conclusion: First-time mothers who from the staff at maternity ward receive individualized professional breastfeeding support feel safe when breastfeeding and in the role of new mothers.

Here is presented a study on the shared care of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The focus on the sharing of attention reflected the alignment of this research with assumptions of historical social approach. The motivation for a historical and social approach to attention of children with this diagnosis reflected the predominance of information that have only prioritized neurological aspects of autism spectrum disorders. The main objective of this research was to investigate the share of the attention of two children during activities in occupational therapy sessions. The construction of the data was carried from the videography method. In processing the data were combined quantitative techniques and microgenetic analysis. The results mainly stood out a wide interdependence between attention sharing attention and the production of meaning in the interaction. It also stands out that the production of meaning implied is a responsiveness between the actions that links actions of the past and the future in the immediate present situation. / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / Apresenta-se aqui um estudo sobre a atenção compartilhada de crianças com o diagnóstico de transtorno do espectro autista. O enfoque no compartilhamento da atenção refletiu o alinhamento desta pesquisa com pressupostos da abordagem sócio histórica. A motivação para uma abordagem sócio histórica da atenção de crianças com esse diagnóstico refletiu a predominância das informações que têm priorizado apenas os aspectos neurológicos dos distúrbios do espectro autista. O objetivo central desta pesquisa foi investigar o compartilhamento da atenção de duas crianças durante atividade em sessões de Terapia Ocupacional. A construção dos dados foi realizada a partir do método da videografia. No tratamento dos dados combinaram-se técnicas quantitativas e análise microgenética. Nos resultados destacaram-se principalmente uma ampla interdependência entre o compartilhamento de atenção e a produção de sentidos na interação. Além disso, destacou-se também que na produção de sentidos implicavam-se uma responsividade entre as ações que vincula ações do passado e do futuro na situação imediata do presente.

The study investigated how patients in the general wards of the Avenues Clinic perceive the nursing care they received. The study objectives were to identify how nurses in the general wards of the Avenues Clinic respond to patients' needs and if the nursing care received from the nurses matched patients' expectations. The study further sought to determine if patients would return to use Avenues Clinic nursing services and recommend services to family and friends. Data was drawn from 87 respondents by randomly distributing 100 questionnaires to three thirty-four bedded general wards of the Avenues Clinic. Findings of the study indicated that the majority of patients who received nursing care that was in line with their expectations would also return to use Avenues Clinic nursing services as well as recommend the services to family and friends. The theme "optimal care" was used to consolidate patient satisfiers while "suboptimal care" was used to describe patient dissatisfiers. / Health Studies / (M.A.(Health Studies ))

It was perceived that an imbalance exists between resource allocations for health care within the Ekurhuleni Health District (EHD). This study consequently used a retrospective, quantitative methodology to investigate health equity in the EHD and to collect information on clinic buildings, staffing and budget allocations. Although clinics were oversupplied in terms of the norms set by the National Department of Health, they were found not to be in keeping with population growth in the Ekurhuleni district. The study highlighted an inequitable spread of nursing staff, which would require that nursing personnel be re-deployed. The per capita spending in the different service delivery regions was also found to be inequitable. It was subsequently recommended that spending on clinics be revised (especially in the populous Southern SDR), that staff be reallocated and that budget allocations be reviewed to achieve equity in Ekurhuleni. / Health Studies / Thesis (M.A. (Public Health))

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:50:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseJGSR.pdf: 2611645 bytes, checksum: 6dbd36dc8e39b96d32bfddfeef61b88a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-29 / Self-service companies have been concerned about improving their performance in face of competition, either to conquer new markets or to keep in business. It is essential for them to present good quality products and/or services. Thus, in this study, one of the aims was to show that the waiting time in supermarket checkout lines is very important for service speed and, therefore, for the service level of customers. Other aims include the reasons why the customer goes regularly to a specific supermarket and, among these reasons, the relevance of each one in contrast with the others, and its relative importance. As a result, it was possible to contextualize the scenario in which customers view the importance of queues and their waiting time. Also, the level of schooling of the customers was associated with the factors that lead them to go regularly to the place. This is an interesting contribution because in Brazil there is a relation between income and schooling. Besides, the queueing models that may satisfactorily represent the supermarket checkouts were studied and the one that best represents the system was identified. It was verified that the customers change lines when they notice another line with fewer customers, and the size of this difference was assessed. The queueing model with jockeying was the one to best represent the situation commonly found in supermarkets, and it can offer subsidies for service improvement. In order to carry out this research some companies in the city of São Carlos/SP were contacted, and one among the ones that allowed the data collection was selected. Therefore, this is a case study, thus presenting inferential limitations. / As empresas de auto-serviço, em geral, têm se preocupado em melhorar seu desempenho em relação à concorrência, seja para ganhar mercado ou mesmo para sobreviver. É essencial que apresentem boa qualidade nos produtos oferecidos e/ou serviços prestados. Assim, neste trabalho, entre outros, um dos objetivos, foi mostrar que o tempo de espera na fila de caixas de supermercados assume grande importância na rapidez de atendimento e, portanto, para o nível de serviço dos clientes. Outros objetivos também foram considerados. As causas pelas quais o cliente freqüenta aquele supermercado e, nestas, a relevância de cada uma em contraste com as outras, e sua importância relativa. Assim, pôde-se contextualizar o cenário no qual os clientes enxergam a importância da fila e de seu tempo de espera. Também, associou-se a escolaridade do cliente a fatores pelos quais este freqüenta o local, sendo esta uma contribuição interessante devido a existir, no Brasil, uma relação entre renda e escolaridade. Também, estudaram-se modelos de filas que podem representar satisfatoriamente o sistema de filas nos caixas de supermercados e identificouse, entre eles, o que melhor representou o sistema. Para o modelo de filas com trocas, foi verificado que os clientes trocam de fila quando percebem outra fila com menos clientes, sendo que o tamanho desta diferença foi avaliado. Este modelo foi o que melhor representou a situação comumente encontrada nos supermercados podendo fornecer subsídios para melhoria de atendimento. Para a viabilização da pesquisa foram contatadas algumas empresas da cidade de São Carlos/SP, sendo que, daquelas que permitiram a coleta de dados, uma foi selecionada. Desta forma, este trabalho se trata de um estudo de caso, tendo limitações inferenciais.

Abstract The present longitudinal follow-up study had two main goals. Firstly, this study aimed to describe aspects of maternal interactive/communicative behaviour that could be considered constitutive in sensitive responsiveness. Secondly and most importantly, it aimed to find predictive relations between characteristics of mother-infant interaction around the onset of infant intentional communication and subsequent child communicative and linguistic development. The participants were 27 Finnish-speaking mothers and their healthy first-born infants. Analyses of the amount and types of maternal and infant communicative acts as well as maternal responses to infant signals were carried out from videotaped free-play samples at the infants' age of 10 months. In addition, the CARE-Index was used to rate maternal sensitivity and infant co-operativity. At 12 months, children's communicative and linguistic skills were assessed by using the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories and the Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales. At 30 months, the Reynell Developmental Language Scales III was used to assess comprehensive and expressive language. The results suggest that maternal activity in eliciting interaction and conversational interchanges is characteristic of sensitive responsiveness around the onset of infant intentionality. However, very distinctive aspects of verbal behaviour that might be constitutive in sensitive responsiveness were not found — probably as a result of considerable individual variation in all aspects of maternal as well as infant interactive/communicative behaviour that were analysed. As predictors of communicative and linguistic skills at 12 months, both maternal and infant characteristics made a significant contribution. In general, the predictive relations found were quite specific. In turn, except for the predictive validity of maternal sensitivity for comprehensive language at 30 months, later language outcomes were predicted only by children's communicative and linguistic skills at 12 months, suggesting that over time, language development becomes increasingly child-driven. Individual differences in early communicative capacities may also to some extent mask the language-facilitating effects of parenting. On the other hand, some potentially facilitating effects of parental behaviour may be elicited by the infant's well-advanced communicative skills. The importance to acknowledge transactional processes in parent-child interaction is highlighted — both in future research and clinical applications.