<p>Market information and established communication between seller and buyer play an important role in business activities. This thesis investigates the Transkei area in the Eastern Cape&nbsp / Province, South Africa to find out how to empower rural farmers by providing them with less-expensive mobile technology enabling them to post and advertise their produce, access market&nbsp / information on a common database, and find and communicate with potential customers. The farmers&rsquo / requirements were identified using quantitative and qualitative methods and a prototype&nbsp / consisting of USSD and web applications was developed. It allows the farmer to follow a sequence of menu commands to send a request to the database and access market information, such&nbsp / as commodity prices, and post information about their own produce so as to attract more customers. The low cost of USSD and the ubiquity of mobile phones enable the system to be usable, affordable and effective. During the final stage of development, the system was tested successfully and addressed a major problem faced by farmers, i.e. lack of access to market information.</p>

Performance of efficient and precise motor output requires proper planning of movement parameters as well as integration of sensory feedback. Peripheral sensory information is projected not only to parietal somatosensory areas but also to cortical motor areas, particularly the supplementary motor area (SMA). These afferent sensory pathways to the frontal cortices are likely involved in the integration of sensory information for assistance in motor program planning and execution. It is not well understood how and where sensory information from the limb contralateral to motor output is modulated, but the SMA is a potential cortical source as it is active both before and during motor output and is particularly involved in movements that require coordination and bilateral upper-limb selection and use. A promising physiological index of sensory inflow to the SMA is the frontal N30 component of the median nerve (MN) somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP), which is generated in the SMA. The SMA has strong connections with ipsilateral areas 2, 5 and secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) as well as ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1). As such, the SMA proves a fruitful candidate to assess how sensory information is modulated across the upper-limbs during the various stages of motor output. This thesis inquires into how somatosensory information is modulated in both the SMA and primary somatosensory cortical areas (S1) during the planning and execution of a motor output contralateral to sensory input across the upper-limbs, and further, how and what effect ipsilateral primary motor cortex (iM1) has upon modulation of sensory inputs to the SMA.

Performance of efficient and precise motor output requires proper planning of movement parameters as well as integration of sensory feedback. Peripheral sensory information is projected not only to parietal somatosensory areas but also to cortical motor areas, particularly the supplementary motor area (SMA). These afferent sensory pathways to the frontal cortices are likely involved in the integration of sensory information for assistance in motor program planning and execution. It is not well understood how and where sensory information from the limb contralateral to motor output is modulated, but the SMA is a potential cortical source as it is active both before and during motor output and is particularly involved in movements that require coordination and bilateral upper-limb selection and use. A promising physiological index of sensory inflow to the SMA is the frontal N30 component of the median nerve (MN) somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP), which is generated in the SMA. The SMA has strong connections with ipsilateral areas 2, 5 and secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) as well as ipsilateral primary motor cortex (M1). As such, the SMA proves a fruitful candidate to assess how sensory information is modulated across the upper-limbs during the various stages of motor output. This thesis inquires into how somatosensory information is modulated in both the SMA and primary somatosensory cortical areas (S1) during the planning and execution of a motor output contralateral to sensory input across the upper-limbs, and further, how and what effect ipsilateral primary motor cortex (iM1) has upon modulation of sensory inputs to the SMA.

Papildomas augalų tręšimas per lapus žinomas jau prieš 140 metų. Tai labai efektyvus būdas norint greitai panaikinti nepalankių augimo sąlygų žieminiams kviečiams sukeltą stresą purškiant gydomaisiais tirpalais ir siekiant suformuoti optimalius derliaus struktūros elementus. Tai pasiekus galima tikėtis didesnio ir geresnės kokybės grūdų derliaus. 2005 – 2006 metais LŽŪU bandymų stotyje daryti lauko bandymai, kuriuose buvo tiriama tręšimų per lapus gydomaisiais tirpalais Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1), Amistar (0,7 l ha-1) ir jų mišinio įtaka žieminių kviečių (Triticum aestivum L.) derliui ir jo struktūros elementų rodikliams, esant trims, skirtingiems pagrindinio tręšimo fonams: 1) netręšta; 2) N90P60K90 ir 3) N180P120K180. Nustatyta, kad labiausiai žieminių kviečių grūdų derlių ir jo struktūros elementų reikšmes didino tręšimas Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1) ir tręšimas gydomųjų tirpalų Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1)+Amistar (0,7 l ha-1) mišiniu. Taip pat nustatyta, kad tręšimas per lapus didina mineralinių trąšų efektyvumą ir šių faktorių sąveika 2005 m. davė 3,84 t ha-1, o 2006 m. - 2,28 t ha-1 derliaus priedą. / Supplementary leaf-feed fertilization of plants was known about 140 years before. It is very effective way on purpose fast to remove winter wheat stress because of disadvantageous growth conditions, spraying leaf-feed fertilizers and settling optimum elements of yield. When these points gained, it is possible to expect the major and better quality grain yield. During the period of 2005 – 2006 field-site experiments were carried out at the experimental station of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture. The aim of investigation was to determine leaf-feed fertilizers Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1), Amistar (0,7 l ha-1) and their mixture solutions influence on winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yield and its elements of yield, under different fertilization types: 1) unfertilized; 2) N90P60K90 and 3) N180P120K180. The biggest winter wheat grain yield and elements of yield values obtained after fertilization with leaf-feed fertilizers Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1) and Atgaiva-1 (50 l ha-1) + Amistar (0,7 l ha-1) mixture solution. Leaf-feed fertilization increased efficiency of mineral fertilizers and this factors interaction gave 3,84 t ha-1 yield increase in 2005 and 2,28 t ha-1 in 2006.

<p>Market information and established communication between seller and buyer play an important role in business activities. This thesis investigates the Transkei area in the Eastern Cape&nbsp / Province, South Africa to find out how to empower rural farmers by providing them with less-expensive mobile technology enabling them to post and advertise their produce, access market&nbsp / information on a common database, and find and communicate with potential customers. The farmers&rsquo / requirements were identified using quantitative and qualitative methods and a prototype&nbsp / consisting of USSD and web applications was developed. It allows the farmer to follow a sequence of menu commands to send a request to the database and access market information, such&nbsp / as commodity prices, and post information about their own produce so as to attract more customers. The low cost of USSD and the ubiquity of mobile phones enable the system to be usable, affordable and effective. During the final stage of development, the system was tested successfully and addressed a major problem faced by farmers, i.e. lack of access to market information.</p>

Using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) as a replacement for natural aggregate in new concrete is a promising way to increase the overall sustainability of new concrete. This has been hindered, however, by a general perception that RCA is a sub-standard material due to the lack of technical guidance, specifically related to long-term durability, on incorporating RCA into new concrete. The goal of this research project was to determine whether current testing methods could be used to assess the potential alkali-silica reactivity of concrete incorporating RCA. The test methods investigated were ASTM C1260 and ASTM C1567 for assessing natural aggregate susceptibility to alkali-silica reactivity (ASR), and the ability of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to mitigate ASR, respectively. Seven different RCA sources were investigated. It was determined that ASTM C1260 was effective in detecting reactivity but expansion varied based on RCA processing. Depending on the aggregate type and the extent of processing, up to a 100% increase in expansion was observed. Replicate testing was performed at four university laboratories to evaluate repeatability and consistency of results. The authors recommend modification to the mixing and aggregate preparation procedures, when testing the reactivity of RCA using ASTM C 1260. This study also investigated the efficacy of replacing portland cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), known to mitigate alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete with virgin aggregates, to control ASR in concrete incorporating reactive RCA. The SCMs investigated as part of this study included: fly ash (class F), silica fume, and metakaolin. The results of modified alkali-silica reactivity tests, ASTM C1260 and ASTM C1567 (AMBT), are presented for two different recycled concrete aggregates when using 100% portland cement, binary blends of portland cement and fly ash, and ternary blends of portland cement, fly ash and metakaolin or silica fume. The results indicate that SCMs can effectively mitigate ASR in concrete made with RCA. A 40% replacement of portland cement with class F fly ash was able to reduce expansions to below 0.10% in the AMBT for concrete containing 100% of a highly reactive recycled concrete aggregate. A ternary blend, however, of portland cement with a class F fly ash and metakaolin was most effective for both RCAs tested in this study. Higher levels of mitigation may be required for some RCAs, compared to the level required to mitigate ASR in concrete made with their original natural aggregates, depending on the age and composition of the RCA. / Graduation date: 2012

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

The present study investigates children's production of gesture-speech combinations and how they relate to language acquisition. 16 children were observed at seven age points (0;9, 1;0, 1;3, 1;6, 1;9, 2;0 and 3;0), and their gesture-speech combinations were classified into the categories complementary, supplementary and discourse combinations. The results show that the production of gesture-speech combinations over time follows different patterns in children with high, average and low productive vocabulary. Furthermore, the amount of gesture-speech combinations produced at four age points predicted productive vocabulary at the age of 2;6, and the amount produced at the age of 1;6 predicted sentence complexity at 3;0. The use of complementary gesture-speech combinations at three age points was also linked to productive vocabulary. The age of onset of supplementary gesture-speech combinations predicted sentence complexity at 3;0, while the age of onset of discourse gesture-speech combinations predicted productive vocabulary at 2;6. The results support previous research suggesting that complementary and supplementary gesture-speech combinations play an important role in child language acquisition. Additionally, the results of the present study suggest that discourse gesture-speech combinations are also connected with language development. / Den här studien undersöker barns produktion av gest-ordkombinationer och hur dessa är relaterade till språkutveckling. 16 barns produktion undersöktes vid sju ålderspunkter (0;9, 1;0, 1;3, 1;6, 1;9, 2;0 och 3;0), och deras gest-ordkombinationer klassificerades i kategorierna komplementära, supplementära och diskursiva kombinationer. Resultaten visar att produktionen av gest-ordkombinationer följer olika mönster hos barn med högt, medel och lågt produktivt ordförråd. Mängden gest-ordkombinationer som producerades vid fyra ålderspunkter predicerade produktivt ordförråd vid 2;6, och mängden gest-ordkombinationer som producerades vid 1;6 predicerade meningskomplexitet vid 3;0. Användningen av komplementära gest-ordkombinationer vid tre ålderpunkter uppvisade ett samband med produktivt ordförråd vid 2;6. Tillägnandeåldern för supplementära gest-ordkombinationer predicerade meningskomplexitet vid 3;0, medan tillägnandeåldern för diskursiva gest-ordkombinationer predicerade produktivt ordförråd vid 2;6. Resultaten i den här studien ger stöd åt tidigare forskning, som har visat att komplementära och supplementära gest-ordkombinationer spelar en viktig roll i barns språkutveckling. Därutöver visar resultaten i den här studien att diskursiva gest-ordkombinationer också har ett samband med språkutveckling. / Modeling infant language acquisition from parent-child interaction (MINT)

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-06T23:02:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003 / A Doenca do Neuronio Motor (DNM) e uma doenca degenerativa, progressiva, irreversivel e incuravel, com envolvimento primario do motoneuronio. Dentre as formas de manifestacao, predominam a Esclerose Lateral Amiotrofica (ELA) e a Paralisia Bulbar Progressiva (PBP). Na evolucao clinica, a disfagia apresenta-se como um dos comprometimentos principais, levando a diminuicao da massa corporea, desidratacao e desnutricao. Associado a diminuicao da inGestão alimentar, observa-se o aumento da taxa de metabolismo basal e das necessidades nutricionais, determinando assim perda de peso. O reconhecimento da deplecao nutricional e intervencao precoce podem ser um diferencial no tratamento. Nesse trabalho foram estudados 20 pacientes com Doenca do Neuronio Motor (DNM)/Esclerose Lateral Amiotrofica (ELA), provenientes do Setor de Investigacao de Doencas Neuromusculares da Disciplina de Neurologia Clinica da Universidade Federal de São Paulo - Escola Paulista de Medicina (UNIFESP-EPM). O objetivo desse estudo foi descrever o estado nutricional dos pacientes com Doenca do Neuronio Motor (DNM) /Esclerose Lateral Amiotrofica (ELA), submetidos a suplementacao nutricional. Os pacientes receberam suplementacao nutricional durante seis meses consecutivos. Eles foram submetidos a avaliacao nutricional bimestral, com medidas antropometricas - peso, estatura, circunferencia do braco e dobra cutanea do triceps - e analise da composicao corporal atraves da bioimpedancia eletrica. O diagnostico de ELA foi estabelecido de acordo com -os criterios propostos pelo El Escorial, modificado era 1998, atraves do quadro clinico e do auxilio de exames como eletroneuromiografia, ressonancia magnetica e tomografia computadorizada. As idade variou entre 36 e 70 anos, com media de 55,0, mediana de 59,5 e desvio padrao de 12,4 anos. O tempo referido de doenca pelo paciente variou de 8 a 218 meses, com media de 31,5 meses. Quinze pacientes (75 por cento) apresentavam ELA como forma de manifestacao, sendo onze (73,3 por cento) do sexo masculino e 4 (26,6 por cento) do sexo feminino...(au) / The Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a degenerative disease with involvement of the motor neurone. It is a evolutionary, irreversible and incurable disease. Among the manifestation forms, prevail Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Progressive Bulbar Paralysis (PBP). In the clinical evolution, dysphagia stands out as one of the main compromisings, inducing decrease of body mass, dehydration and malnutrition. Associated to the decrease of the food ingestion, is observed increase of the rate of basal metabolism and nutritional needs, and these determine weight loss. The early recognition of the nutritional depletion and early intervention can be a differential one in the treatment. We presented 20 patient with Motor Neuron Disease / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), coming from the Section of Neuromuscular Diseases Investigation of the Clinical Neurology Departament, Sao Paulo Federal University (UNIFESP). The objective of this study was to describe the nutritional condition of the patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND)/ Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The patients received nutritional supplements by six consecutive months. They were submitted to bimonthly nutritional evaluation, with anthropometric measurements - weight, stature, upper arm circumference and triceps skinfold - and bioelectrical impedance analysis to evaluate corporal composition. The diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) was established in agreement with the criteria proposed by the El Escorial, in 1998, including clinical criteria and the aid of electromyographic studies, MR and CT scan. (au) / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

Esse estudo tem por finalidade contribuir para a discussão e o aprimoramento da gestão econômica e do desenvolvimento de ferramentas de apoio à decisão estratégica para empresas de serviços de saúde suplementar. Com base nos fundamentos teóricos sobre serviços, serviços de saúde suplementar, gerenciamento estratégico de custos e sistemas ABC/ABM, o estudo propõe um modelo de sistema de gestão de custos indiretos em planos de saúde sob a óptica do ABC/ABM, que visa proporcionar aos gestores uma visão ampla sobre o desempenho econômico dos planos e dos clientes. Assim, este estudo pretende colaborar com o desenvolvimento desse setor, que tem sofrido nos últimos anos o impacto da evolução da tecnologia e da medicina, provocando a constante elevação dos custos da assistência à saúde. Com a finalidade de justificar o estudo, o modelo é testado com a sua implementação em uma operadora de planos de saúde, possibilitando a discussão sobre as conclusões obtidas em relação ao problema abordado. / The purpose of this study is to contribute towards the indirect cost management discussion and betterment of supplementary health care services companies as well as to strategic decision supporting tools development. On the basis of the theoretical beddings on services, supplementary health care services, strategic management of costs and ABC/ABM systems, this study proposes an indirect costs management model for health insurance based on the ABC/ABM optics that provide managers a wide vision on the economic performance of medical insurance plans and customers.Thus, this study intends to contribute towards this sector development that has been suffering in the last years the impact of the technology medicine evolution provoking constant rise on health care costs. In order to justify this study, the model is tested by its implementation in a medical insurance operator making possible the discussion about conclusions obtained from the approached problem.