Abstract A recent World Health Organisation study conducted in 26 countries found substantial disagreement in the prescribing information available in those countries, as well as significant disparity between brands within the same country. This appears to be a common experience in other countries. This may mislead prescribers, patients and those comparing drug-use patterns across countries, and have serious safety implications. This study was carried out to investigate the variability of prescribing information currently available within South Africa, comparing generic and originator brands. It also investigated the extent of variability between the Standardised Package Insert (SPI) mandated by the Medicines Control Council, versus internationally approved prescribing information for given drug substances. Five drug substances were selected that are widely used in South Africa. The package inserts of the originator product were compared in terms of the indications, dosage, cautions, side-effects and drug interactions versus five generic brands of each drug substance registered in South Africa, using a comprehensive method adapted from the WHO study. The SPI was also compared against the South African originator brand package insert and those approved in four international MCC Reference Countries (ie. USA, EU, Canada & Australia) for each drug substance. Substantial disagreement was found between the originator and generic products for each drug substance, which may be due, in part, to the absence of a mandatory periodic updating requirement for package inserts in the post-registration phase in South Africa. This may result in divergence between materials from companies that voluntarily submit safety updates over the life of the product, and those that do not. There was also substantial disagreement between the SPI and the originator and international reference country materials. The reason is less simple to explain. The SPI project is in its early stages, and requires validation to ensure that the texts are in fact, entirely in line with latest best clinical practice and with the reference countries with which MCC aligns itself. These findings are comparable with those found in international WHO study. Regulatory authorities have key responsibility in ensuring that prescribing information is current and consistent across originator, generic and international materials. It is recommended that the MCC implement a mandatory updating requirement for all registered medicines with specified timelines. Secondly, a validation step should be introduced in the MCC SPI project to ensure consistency with international materials. Additional recommendations are made to improve the quality and practicality of prescribing information to ensure that it remains relevant in the South African and regional context. vThese findings are comparable with those found in international WHO study. Regulatory authorities have key responsibility in ensuring that prescribing information is current and consistent across originator, generic and international materials. It is recommended that the MCC implement a mandatory updating requirement for all registered medicines with specified timelines. Secondly, a validation step should be introduced in the MCC SPI project to ensure consistency with international materials. Additional recommendations are made to improve the quality and practicality of prescribing information to ensure that it remains relevant in the South African and regional context.

acase@tulane.edu

Solids-stabilized water-in-oil emulsions have been suggested as a drive fluid to recover viscous oil through a piston-like displacement pattern. While crude heavy oil was initially suggested as the base oil, an alternative oil ? used engine oil was proposed for emulsion generation because of several key advantages: more favorable viscosity that results in better emulsion injectivity, soot particles within the oil that readily promote stable emulsions, almost no cost of the oil itself and relatively large supply, and potential solution of used engine oil disposal. In this research, different types of used engine oil (mineral based, synthetic) were tested to make W/O emulsions simply by blending in brine. A series of stable emulsions was prepared with varied water contents from 40~70%. Viscosities of these emulsions were measured, ranging from 102~104 cp at low shear rates and ambient temperature. Then an emulsion made of 40% used engine oil and 60% brine was chosen for a series of coreflood experiments, to test the stability of this emulsion while flowing through porous media. Limited breakdown of the effluent was observed at ambient injection rates, indicating a stability of the emulsion in porous media. Pressure drops leveled off and remained constant at constant rate of injection, indicating steady-state flows under the experimental conditions. No plug off effect was observed after a large volume of emulsion passed through the cores. Reservoir scale simulations were conducted for the emulsion flooding process based on the emulsion properties tested from the experiments. Results showed significant improvement in both displacement pattern and oil recovery especially compared to water flooding. Economics calculations of emulsion flooding were also performed, suggesting this process to be highly profitable.

The central concern of this thesis is to identify and analyse the circumstances in which international trade in second-hand machines will take place, and to describe the consequences of such trade. It turns out that this topic is not so esoteric as it may initially seem, and part of the thesis is devoted to exploring alternative models of trade in capital goods, and to showing the extent to which all such models exhibit common features. The method of approach is theoretical and largely mathematical, although some empirical data from secondary sources are presented. A survey of discussions of the desirability of underdeveloped countries importing second-hand machines reveals considerable differences of opinion, and the absence of a consistent theoretical treatment. The larger part of Chapter 1 is taken up by a theoretical analysis of international trade in vintage models of capital formation. Within a unified framework of perfect competition and perfect foresight, a wide range of technical assumptions can be treated, and their economic consequences analysed. Fairly weak assumptions lead to the conclusion that the existence of factor price differentials will cause countries with lower wage rates to specialise exclusively in the use of old machines. The rather meagre empirical evidence available, of which a major part is evidence of intranational trade in Japan, is consistent with the hypothesis that factor prices differentials are the main force underlying this trade, although the evidence is by no means conclusive. It seems a reasonable conclusion that it is a pervasive feature of vintage models with factor price differentials that trade in secondhand machines takes place and that there is a tendency for particular countries to specialise in the use of particular vintages. At this level of generality, however, not much more may be said. In order to investigate more deeply the implications of trade in vintage models, it is necessary to concentrate on more rigidly specified cases. Chapters 2 and 3 analyse steady states in the model in which the technical specifications of the only type of machine available are exogenously determined and there is labour-augmenting embodied technical progress: the 'clay-clay' model. With two countries growing at the same steady rate, the country with the lower yage rate and higher profit rate uses only second-hand machines. To analyse the effects of trade, we need to make some assumption about saving behaviour so that comparisons between steady states with free trade and steady states in autarchy may be made. In the literature on dynamic trade models, one of two assumptions is normally chosen: that (gross) saving rates are kept fixed, or that profit rates are fixed. In vintage models there is a third potential candidate, the net saving rate, but it is here shown that it is unsuitable, not providing a well-defined description of saving behaviour. Chapter 2 adopts the fixed gross saying rate assumption and establishes that if the two countries have saving rates sufficiently far apart for factor price equalisation not to occur and if there is convergence to steady state, then trade will in the long run raise the consumption level in the high saving country which specialises in new machines, and raise the wage rate and lower the profit rate in the low saving country which specialises in old machines. It may allow full employment in the low saving country even if in autarchy it was unable to sustain full employment. Examples show that consumption in the low saving country may be lowered by trade, and the factor price ratio in the high saving country may move in either direction. The alternative assumption that profit rates are fixed ('classical saving 1) is analysed in Chapter 3, where trade is shown to raise wage rates in both countries, and to affect consumption through a combination of three effects: (a) static gains from trade tend to raise consumption in both countries, (b) the country with the higher profit rate specialises in old machines so tending to raise its immediate consumption and reduce its long run consumption, while the other country does the opposite, if each country has an.efficient saving objective, (c) trade tends to reduce the consumption of the more inefficient country to the benefit of the one with the higher profit rate, if there is inefficient saving. Chapter 4 analyses similarly the putty-clay model, in which there is the possibility of choice of technique. Remarkably, the fact that the low wage country now has the possibility of constructing machines more technically labour intensive than those in use elsewhere does not alter the pattern of trade: in this case also, the only machines it uses are second-hand machines imported from the high wage country. A major point of interest in all three chapters is the effect labelled (b) above: the fact that trade in second-hand machines typically is associated with intertemporal substitution of consumption. This phenomenon has been noted in the literature on trade in the two-sector model, and Chapter 5 aims to show that it is a typical feature of models of trade in capital goods. The pattern of trade in the vintage models is shown to be analogous to the pattern in the two-sector model and in linear models. At first sight this aspect of trade may seem far removed from traditional trade theory, but in fact it is readily rationalised: countries with high profit rates and low saving rates are like impatient consumers, and trade allows them to reduce the capital intensity of their production and substitute consumption now for consumption later. It emerges from some examples in Chapter 2 and from the analysis of Chapter 5 that the classical saving assumption that steady state saving programmes are characterised by fixed profit rates is in several respects more satisfactory and illuminating than the assumption of fixed saving rates. There are many limitations to the methods used in the thesis: neither saving assumption is likely to be an accurate description of reality; the assumption throughout that both countries have the same steady growth rate is implausible; there are no transport costs; there is no real uncertainty; comparisons are made only between free trade and autarchy, with no discussion of tariffs; there is no discussion of the stability of steady states; the vintage models of Chapters 2 to 4 are all one-sector models; and producers are assumed to be perfectly competitive and perfectly prescient. But the most important limitation is the absence of the sort of empirical evidence that would permit one to reach detailed policy conclusions: evidence on the existence of significant externalities, on the input requirements of different machines (e.g. the skill requirements of maintenance), and on the hypothesis of ex-post absence of substitutability. The thesis cannot therefore produce detailed practical recommendations, or blanket endorsement or condemnation of imports of used machines. Rather the aim is to clarify the nature of the issues involved and show what sort of considerations are relevant, to describe the pattern of trade that may usuallyj though not invariably , be expected to emerge, and to show that trade in models of capitalist production typically involves issues somewhat different from, though related to, the traditional concerns of trade theory.

Looking at Washington D.C.`s Downtown and observing its domination by office blocks, which contribute little to street life on weekends, my thesis is dealing with the broad topic of cultural sustainability. I began my thesis thinking about a project dealing with ecological sustainability, but not long after starting to research, I gained the knowledge that the cultural aspect is often forgotten or minor. Thus the design got inspired through the idea of reviving a site in D.C. and to give the different occupants of the building the chance to sense, hear, see and eventually interact with each other. The project is giving an opportunity for architecture to get involved in people's life, not just as a room to live, work and study but to lead their interaction with each other and with the city itself. To create such a mixed used building I decided to connect three main characters of a city in one building: Work Space, which includes retail and office space, Living Space for students and professors and Education, which is a literature department library. A labour intensive model making process helped me to develop the design for a mixed used building where the different programs penetrate into each other`s realm and where the city is not excluded from the building but takes part in it. / Master of Architecture

Buying and selling of used goods is something that has been done for centuries. Throughout the last 20 years, rapid growth of second-hand products consumption has got the attention of researchers and raised the question why customers buy second-hand products. The growth of the Internet has developed different applications, and this combined with the introduction of new electronic devices, provides users with buying and selling facilities of goods over the Internet and mobile devices. The uses of social networks and smart-phones have also revolutionized the second-hand product market among all economic classes. The consumption of second-hand products is increasing daily. Therefore it is important to pay attention to the factors that affect the purchase of second-hand products since it is not a simple form of mercantilism. It's a lifestyle, a way to acquire goods that we need and get rid of those that we do not see as useful anymore. The purpose of this study is to create new knowledge in the area of second-hand products consumption and customer buying behavior by identifying factors that influence the customer in buying second-hand products. In order to fulfill the research purpose, a quantitative research approach and cross sectional research design were adopted. Questionnaires were designed using Google survey tool and through this method 169 questionnaires were collected from respondents. After which, SPSS was used to perform the required tests of descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, bivariate correlation, single item measurement and multiple regression analysis. It was observed that price was the most important factor influencing customers when purchasing second-hand products; risk is the second most influencing factor and brand is the third and location come last as most influencing factor.  The results show that the factors such as brand, price and purchase intention of second-hand products have no association and influence on each other during the purchase decision. In contrast, risk and location factors have a weak association with each other but both factors lack association with brand, price and intention. This study contributes to the existing literature on second-hand products consumption and customer buying behavior as well as touching upon theories of brand, price, risk, and seller location.

Today because of changes in the zoning plans, structural problems, building obsolescence and owner&rsquo / s wishes, old buildings are being demolished to erect newer, larger and taller ones. The objective of this study was to investigate the process and feasibility of building deconstruction. A literature survey was conducted on two unpublished theses at Middle East Technical University (METU), and publications available on web sites and international conference proceedings. Case studies were conducted on building deconstruction and demolition processes, and recovery of used building materials (UBMs) in Ankara. Information related to these issues was obtained through informal interviews with demolition contractors, demolition teams, merchants of UBMs and building contractors. Information regarding the official procedure of demolition was gathered from &Ccedil / ankaya and Yenimahalle Municipalities. This study confirmed that recovery and reuse of UBMs is a continual practice in Ankara. In the light of case studies and interviews, it was possible to determine the problems in building deconstruction, such as building systems, materials, components and connections that give rise to difficulties during the deconstruction of buildings. It was also observed that UBMs are being reused either as it is or after modifications, and waste timber components are sold for fuel, while only metals are recycled to be used in new production. On the other hand, reinforced concrete components such as slabs, columns and beams can neither be reused nor recycled, and thus they are wasted. The findings of the investigation indicated that building deconstruction practices were found to be feasible and profitable job. The success of building deconstruction is dependent on type of tools used, sufficient time, and worker ability and experience, whereas the feasibility of deconstruction depends on the quality, quantity, type and condition of materials, components and connections used in a building.

O objetivo principal desta dissertação consiste no conhecimento das desigualdades socioespaciais de São Bernardo do Campo desencadeadas pelo processo de divisão internacional e territorial do trabalho. As desigualdades sociais e territoriais visíveis na paisagem desse município localizado na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo constituíram a razão motivadora para investigar como ocorreu o processo de especialização geográfica das atividades ligadas à presença de indústrias automobilísticas e quais benefícios essa divisão territorial do trabalho trouxe a maioria da população. O método pelo qual a realidade foi reconstituída teve como base o espaço geográfico, isto é, uma indissociabilidade contraditória entre sistemas de objetos e sistemas de ações. A partir disso, formou-se um sistema de conceitos concebido pelas categorias de análise, como: divisão do trabalho, território usado, técnicas, normas e as relações entre o mundo e os lugares, juntamente com os novos recortes territoriais baseados nas verticalidades e horizontalidades a fim de analisar como os eventos presentes no mundo se relacionam com os lugares. Nesse sentido, o processo de divisão internacional do trabalho, conhecido como a repartição dos recursos no planeta, serviu de ferramenta analítica para reconhecer como as intencionalidades de empresas de origem global atuam na formação da divisão territorial do trabalho ligadas a lógicas privadas. A instalação de empresas como: Volkswagen, Toyota, Scania, dentre outras em São Bernardo do Campo, representaram o mundo diretamente em pontos do território brasileiro. Desse modo, foi possível revelar usos desiguais do território pelas empresas, sobretudo multinacionais do setor automobilístico, em relação ao conjunto da população. Tal processo figurou como a raiz das desigualdades socioespaciais, em que a fragmentação e a seletividade territorial atenderam e continuam a oferecer privilégios a empresas e instituições. Com a análise dos tipos de uso do território pela divisão internacional e territorial do trabalho em São Bernardo do Campo foi possível visualizar um novo meio geográfico em pleno processo de transformação. A competitividade entre empresas, a desvalorização do trabalho, com subutilização da mão de obra, além de novas formas de produção, justificaria um novo campo de estudos da Geografia intitulado: geografia do trabalho. Entretanto, para confrontar esse novo campo de estudos foi proposto a investigação da realidade através da expressão territorial do trabalho. O uso do território, portanto, pelo mundo do trabalho consistiu no recurso de método dessa pesquisa em contraposição a geografias particulares. / The main objective of this dissertation is the knowledge of socio-spatial inequalities in São Bernardo do Campo triggered by the process of territorial and international division of labor. The social and territorial inequalities visible in the landscape of this town in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo were the motivating reason to investigate how the process of geographical specialization of activities occurred linked to the presence of automobile and what benefits this territorial division of labor brought most of population. The method by which reality was reconstituted was based on the geographical space centered in their systems of objects and actions. From there, formed a system of concepts designed by categories of analysis, such as division of labor, used territory, techniques, regulations and relations between the world and the places along with new territorial clippings based on horizontal and vertical organization of regional spaces in order to analyze how these events relate to the world everywhere. In this sense, the process of international division of labor, known as the allocation of resources on the planet, served as the analytical tool to recognize as the original intentions of global companies operating in the formation of the territorial division of labor linked to logical private. Installation of companies such as Volkswagen, Toyota, Scania, and others in São Bernardo do Campo, represented the world directly in points of Brazil. Thus, it was possible to reveal uneven uses of the territory by companies, especially multinationals in the automotive sector, in relation to the majority population. This process figured as the root of socio-spatial inequalities in the territorial fragmentation and selectivity met and continue to offer privileges to companies and institutions. With the analysis of the types of uses of the territory by the international division of labor in Sao Bernardo do Campo was possible to visualize a new geographical environment in the process of transformation. The competitiveness between enterprises, the devaluation of labor, with underutilization of labor, and new forms of production, would justify a new field of study Geography titled: geography of labor. However, the result came together to confront the theoretical use of the territory represented by the world of work as opposed to particular geographies.

The purpose of this study is to determine the challenges O-level students face and other factors that contribute to poor reading-comprehension and it further seeks to establish the strategies that teachers employ in teaching reading-comprehension to O-level students. This study applied the qualitative case study methodology at a rural secondary school in Zimbabwe with twenty-nine participants purposively sampled. The students were first given two texts to read; one narrative and the other expository to provide information about the strategies they use to comprehend texts using a thinkaloud protocol to determine the challenges they face before, during and after reading narrative or expository texts. Further, the researcher conducted observation as a nonparticipant observer, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions (FGD) and documentary evidence from class and exams' records about students' work. The results of the study reveal that O-level students face challenges in readingcomprehension as they are unable to approach written texts actively to interact meaningfully with texts and are incapable of setting specific goals for reading hence face challenges with word meanings, resulting in them unable to make connections with new vocabulary. When reading-comprehension gets difficult, students are only able to monitor their reading-comprehension using the clarifying strategy, which is only one of the monitoring strategies used to repair reading-comprehension failure. The main conclusion about students is that they lack vocabulary synonym-language to handle reading-comprehension tasks; they have not been availed reading materials to expand their vocabulary through extensive reading. Findings indicate that teachers are contradictory in their use of strategies that help students activate their prior knowledge and they use less effective methods such as lecturing and testing. They do not make use of the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approaches to process-teach reading-comprehension. Therefore, the researcher recommends a reflection upon current reading-comprehension teaching methods so as to improve instruction and that the government should buy textbooks and library books for students and reduce class sizes. Teachers also should conduct a formative assessment to improve teaching and draw up detailed schemes and organise school training days and also acquire old magazines and newspapers to provide students' extra reading material and give timely feedback to inform and monitor student progress in reading-comprehension.

Small used car dealership ventures experience high business failures in the marketplace. Grounded in the resource-based view (RBV) theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies used car dealership owners and managers employ to remain profitable and sustain operations for longer than 5 years. In this study, 10 participants, including 5 owners and 5 managers from small used car dealerships in Colorado participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. These participants have developed successful strategies to remain profitable for at least 5 years. Using methodological triangulation, field notes and documentary evidence supplemented the data collected through semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, 3 themes emerged from the research findings: customer care, aggressive marketing, and business knowledge. The findings showed the need for managers and owners of used car dealerships to employ strategies to compete in the marketplace and sustain growth. The positive social change resulting from this study includes the potential to increase small business successes, which could increase employment opportunities and the potential for job creation. The success of these small businesses could contribute positively to the economic empowerment of other related businesses and improve the economic wellbeing of communities through an increase in tax revenues and contributions to local nonprofit organizations.