Very preterm birth is an important developmental and public health concern, with clear evidence to suggest that very preterm children may be at long term risk of neurodevelopmental impairment and educational difficulties. Although a great deal is known about the neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with very preterm birth,comparatively little is known about the social competence of children born very preterm during the important early childhood period. Therefore, as part of a prospective, longitudinal study, this research examined the social competence of 105 children born very preterm (birth weight <1,500 g and/or gestational age ≤33 weeks) and 108 full term comparison children (gestational age 37-40 weeks) at age 4 years (corrected for extent of prematurity at birth). The aims of this study were 1) to examine the social competence of a regional cohort of children born very preterm and full term comparison children at age four years, 2) to identify infant clinical factors and socio-familial characteristics associated with poor social competence amongst children born very preterm, and 3) to examine the predictive validity of social competence problems amongst both very preterm and full term preschoolers in relation to school academic functioning and behavioural adjustment at age 6 years. At age 4, children were assessed using a range of parent and/or teacher completed questionnaires, spanning emotional regulation, behavioural adjustment and interpersonal social behaviour. Measures included the Emotion Regulation Checklist, the Infant-Toddler Symptoms Checklist, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning “ Preschool version and the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale. In addition, as part of a structured research assessment, children completed a battery of false belief tasks and a short form version of the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence. Two years later at age 6, school teachers qualitatively rated children's behavioural adjustment and academic achievement in math, reading, spelling and language comprehension compared to their classroom peers. Results showed that relative to their full term peers, some children born very preterm tended to score less well across several areas of social competence. Specifically, parent report showed that children born very preterm were more likely to be characterised by higher levels of emotional dysregulation (p=.002) as well as a range of behavioural adjustment problems, spanning inhibitory control problems (p=.03), hyperactivity/inattention (p=.01), conduct problems (p=.01) and emotional symptoms (p=.008). While elevated rates of behavioural adjustment difficulties were also evident amongst very preterm children within the preschool environment, group differences were not statistically significant. However, a statistical trend towards elevated risk of inhibitory control problems amongst very preterm children in the preschool environment was noted (p=.09). Further, children born very preterm were at around a four-fold risk of emotional regulation difficulties of clinical significance,as well as being around 1.5 times more likely to exhibit clinically significant externalising and internalising behavioural difficulties and interpersonal social problems at age 4 years. In contrast, the interpersonal social behaviours and the extent of social cognitive understanding were largely similar across both groups. This pattern of findings remained largely unchanged following statistical control for the selection effects of family socio-economic status. Amongst children born very preterm, significant infant clinical and sociofamilial predictors of both emotional dysregulation and externalizing behaviour were male gender (p=.008/p=.006), neonatal indomethacin (p=.002/p=.005) and elevated maternal anxiety (p=.009/p=.002). Emotional dysregulation was also predicted by low socio-economic status (p=.002). In contrast, internalising behaviour was predicted only by low birth weight (p=.03). Finally, across both groups significant associations were found between overall social competence problems at age 4 years and later school adjustment with those very preterm and full term preschoolers characterised by poor social competence being at elevated risk of a range of behavioural adjustment difficulties and poor academic functioning in reading, spelling and math at age 6 years (corrected). Links between poor social competence and later behavioural adjustment remained across both groups following statistical control for child IQ, while associations with academic functioning were largely attenuated. By age 4 years a number of very preterm children are beginning to display elevated levels of emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity/inattention, conduct problems and emotional symptoms. Further, a substantial proportion of very preterm children may be at risk of developing clinically significant difficulties with these most pronounced in terms of emotional regulation abilities. Children's abilities to regulate their emotions and behaviour represent important building blocks for their later social and emotional functioning. Further, these abilities will likely influence the extent to which children are able to successfully transition to school. Therefore,alongside other important aspects of development, these findings highlight the importance of monitoring the social abilities of preschoolers who were born very preterm across a range of developmental domains and contexts. Preschoolers characterised by emotional, behavioural and/or interpersonal difficulties could then receive targeted intervention aimed at facilitating their social competence prior to school entry.

Graduate

The aim of this thesis is to explore purpose in life among very old people. The proportion of elderly is increasing in Sweden, especially among the group of very old aged over 85 years. Ageing has been associated from some perspectives with health, wisdom, maturity, and inner strength. Ageing can also, however, lead to reduced physical function, cognitive impairments, and loss of purpose in life. A loss of purpose in life can lead to mental health problems such as depression. This thesis is part of the Umeå 85 + study/GERDA begun in 2000. Half of all 85-year-olds, all 90-year-olds, and all those 95 years of age or older living in the municipality of Umeå were invited to the larger study, which was expanded in 2002 to include five rural municipalities in Västerbotten County with the same inclusion criteria. The Umeå 85 + study/GERDA is a collaborative project between several departments at Umeå University. Selection criteria for participants in the thesis were the ability to answer Likert-type questionnaires and the ability to participate in interviews. A follow-up study was conducted in Umeå in 2005 and in Västerbotten County in 2007. Paper I is a cross-sectional study with 189 participants (120 women and 69 men) who had responded to several questionnaires including the Purpose in Life test (PIL). In the results women scored significantly lower on the PIL test than men; attitudes towards one’s own aging were associated with purpose in life for both men and women; and musculoskeletal disorders were associated with lower purpose in life in women. Paper II includes the 189 participants from study I. In results at baseline the 40 who were diagnosed with depression had significantly lower purpose in life, and women were diagnosed with depression more often than men (32/120 women and 8/69 men). The 40 participants with a diagnosis of depression were excluded five years later, when 78 of 149 participants were available for the follow-up, 21 of whom (26.9%) had developed depression. There was no difference in the mean scores on the PIL test between those who had developed depression and those who had not. Purpose in life does not seem to protect very old people from developing depression. Paper III includes 51 people who responded to the PIL test on two occasions five years apart, and its results show that purpose in life decreased after five years. There was no difference in mean PIL scores at baseline between those with a diagnosis of depression and those without depression, but purpose in life declined significantly over the five years in those with diagnosed depression. In study IV, to gain a deeper understanding of purpose in life, content analysis was conducted on interviews from 30 women. To obtain 5 variety and breadth in the stories we selected 10 women with low estimated purpose in life, 10 women with undecided estimated purpose, and 10 women with high estimated purpose in life. The results show that despite the fact that women estimated their purpose in life lower than men, their stories were positive. The women experienced purpose in their daily life where social relations was important and on a spiritual level. However, there were also expressions of experiencing life as simply existing. In Study V we included 23 men who had responded to a question about purpose in life. Their answers were subjected to content analysis and the results show that for men work is an important part of purpose in life. All men except one had a positive outlook on life, and the men found purpose in life most strongly in memories of when they were younger. Lack of purpose in life can result in mental disorders like depression. Stereotypes of older people can affect their views of their own ageing, which in turn can weaken their purpose in life. To prevent mental illness it is important to experience purpose in life throughout life. Society at large and the health care system must consider purpose in life integral to mental health and work to combat ageist stereotypes to support purpose in life through the entire lifespan. / Det övergripandet syftet med avhandlingen är att utforska livsmening hos de allra äldsta. Andelen äldre ökar i Sverige, och de allra äldsta över 85 år har under åren 1990-2007 ökat med 40 %. Att åldras har beskrivits från olika perspektiv som att ha hälsa, mogna till visdom samt att ha inre styrka. Att åldras kan också innebära en försämrad rörelse förmåga, kognitiva nedsättningar samt förlust av livsmening. En förlust av livsmening kan leda till psykisk ohälsa vilket kan leda till depression. Avhandlingen är en del av Umeå 85+ studien/GERDA vilken utgår från Umeå och startade år 2000. Hälften av alla 85 åringar, alla 90 åringar samt alla som var 95 år och äldre boende i Umeå kommun inbjöds till studien. Studien utvidgades år 2002 med att innefatta fem inlandskommuner i Västerbottens län med samma urvalskriterier. Umeå 85+ studien är ett samarbetes projekt mellan ett flertal institutioner vid Umeå Universitet. Urvalskriterierna för deltagarna i avhandlingen var att de skulle kunna svara på frågeformulär av Likert karaktär samt att de skulle orka delta i intervjuer. En uppföljning genomfördes år 2005 i Umeå kommun samt år 2007 i Västerbottens inland. Delarbete I är en tvärsnitts studie och innefattar 189 personer fördelat på 120 kvinnor och 69 män, alla deltagarna hade svarat på ett flertal frågeformulär varav ett av formulären var test för livsmening. Resultatet visar att kvinnor skattar livsmeningen signifikant lägre än män. Egna attityder mot åldrande var starkast associerat med livsmening för både kvinnor och män, för kvinnor var även muskeloskeletala besvär associerat med lägre livsmening. Delarbete II innefattar vid baslinjen de 189 personerna från studie I. Resultatet vid baslinjen visar att de 40 deltagarna av de 189 deltagarna som var diagnostiserade som deprimerade hade signifikant lägre livsmeningen. Kvinnor var diagnostiserade som deprimerade i högre utsträckning än män (32 kvinnor och 8 män). De 40 deltagarna med en depressions diagnos uteslöts och ingick inte i analysen 5 år senare. Efter 5 år fanns 78 personer av 149 deltagare tillgängliga, av dem hade 21 personer (26.9%) utvecklat depression, det var ingen skillnad mellan män och kvinnor i andelen som utvecklade depression. Det var ingen skillnad i medelvärdet på test för livsmening bland de som hade utvecklat depression efter 5 år jämfört med de som inte utvecklat depression. Det förefaller som att livsmening inte skyddar riktigt gamla människor från att utveckla depression. Delarbete III innefattar 51 personer vilka svarat på test för livsmening vid två tillfällen med 5 års mellanrum. Resultatet visar att livsmeningen minskar efter 5 år i högre grad bland kvinnorna jämfört med männen. Det var ingen skillnad i medelvärdet i livsmening vid baslinjen mellan de som hade en depression diagnos och de som inte hade en, men bland de med en depressionsdiagnos hade livsmeningen minskat signifikant efter 5 år. För att fördjupa kunskapen om livsmening analyserades intervjuer från 30 kvinnor med hjälp av innehållsanalys i delarbete IV. För att få en variation i berättelserna valdes 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som låg, 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som medel samt 10 kvinnor som skattat livsmeningen som hög. Kvinnornas berättelser om att åldras och vara gamla var positiva. De upplevde livsmening i både vardagen där sociala relationer var viktiga samt i kontakt på ett andligt plan. Det uttrycktes även i berättelserna att det inte fanns någon livsmening. I delarbete V ingår 23 män vilka alla hade svarat på en fråga om livsmening, svaren analyserades med hjälp av innehålls analys och resultatet visar att för männen var arbete en viktig del för livsmening. Alla utom en man hade en positiv syn på livet, männen berättade om livsmening främst i relation till minnen från när de var yngre. Sammanfattningsvis visar studierna att inte uppleva livsmening kan resultera i psykisk ohälsa vilket kan leda till depression. Livsmening måste beaktas både i samhället och i sjukvården för att förebygga psykisk ohälsa. Det är av stor betydelse att uppleva livsmening under hela livet samt att samhällets syn på äldre människor är sannolikt en viktig aspekt för att de allra äldsta ska uppleva livsmening.

Bibliography: leaves 195-210. / xviii, 210 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / A systematic view of all design levels, from the pixie level to the architectural level of vision chips. Important issues in the design of analog VLSI (AVLSI) vision chips, including mismatch and digital noise are addressed. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 1998

Very preterm birth is an important developmental and public health concern, with clear evidence to suggest that very preterm children may be at long term risk of neurodevelopmental impairment and educational difficulties. Although a great deal is known about the neurodevelopmental outcomes associated with very preterm birth,comparatively little is known about the social competence of children born very preterm during the important early childhood period. Therefore, as part of a prospective, longitudinal study, this research examined the social competence of 105 children born very preterm (birth weight <1,500 g and/or gestational age ≤33 weeks) and 108 full term comparison children (gestational age 37-40 weeks) at age 4 years (corrected for extent of prematurity at birth). The aims of this study were 1) to examine the social competence of a regional cohort of children born very preterm and full term comparison children at age four years, 2) to identify infant clinical factors and socio-familial characteristics associated with poor social competence amongst children born very preterm, and 3) to examine the predictive validity of social competence problems amongst both very preterm and full term preschoolers in relation to school academic functioning and behavioural adjustment at age 6 years. At age 4, children were assessed using a range of parent and/or teacher completed questionnaires, spanning emotional regulation, behavioural adjustment and interpersonal social behaviour. Measures included the Emotion Regulation Checklist, the Infant-Toddler Symptoms Checklist, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning “ Preschool version and the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale. In addition, as part of a structured research assessment, children completed a battery of false belief tasks and a short form version of the Weschler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence. Two years later at age 6, school teachers qualitatively rated children's behavioural adjustment and academic achievement in math, reading, spelling and language comprehension compared to their classroom peers. Results showed that relative to their full term peers, some children born very preterm tended to score less well across several areas of social competence. Specifically, parent report showed that children born very preterm were more likely to be characterised by higher levels of emotional dysregulation (p=.002) as well as a range of behavioural adjustment problems, spanning inhibitory control problems (p=.03), hyperactivity/inattention (p=.01), conduct problems (p=.01) and emotional symptoms (p=.008). While elevated rates of behavioural adjustment difficulties were also evident amongst very preterm children within the preschool environment, group differences were not statistically significant. However, a statistical trend towards elevated risk of inhibitory control problems amongst very preterm children in the preschool environment was noted (p=.09). Further, children born very preterm were at around a four-fold risk of emotional regulation difficulties of clinical significance,as well as being around 1.5 times more likely to exhibit clinically significant externalising and internalising behavioural difficulties and interpersonal social problems at age 4 years. In contrast, the interpersonal social behaviours and the extent of social cognitive understanding were largely similar across both groups. This pattern of findings remained largely unchanged following statistical control for the selection effects of family socio-economic status. Amongst children born very preterm, significant infant clinical and sociofamilial predictors of both emotional dysregulation and externalizing behaviour were male gender (p=.008/p=.006), neonatal indomethacin (p=.002/p=.005) and elevated maternal anxiety (p=.009/p=.002). Emotional dysregulation was also predicted by low socio-economic status (p=.002). In contrast, internalising behaviour was predicted only by low birth weight (p=.03). Finally, across both groups significant associations were found between overall social competence problems at age 4 years and later school adjustment with those very preterm and full term preschoolers characterised by poor social competence being at elevated risk of a range of behavioural adjustment difficulties and poor academic functioning in reading, spelling and math at age 6 years (corrected). Links between poor social competence and later behavioural adjustment remained across both groups following statistical control for child IQ, while associations with academic functioning were largely attenuated. By age 4 years a number of very preterm children are beginning to display elevated levels of emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity/inattention, conduct problems and emotional symptoms. Further, a substantial proportion of very preterm children may be at risk of developing clinically significant difficulties with these most pronounced in terms of emotional regulation abilities. Children's abilities to regulate their emotions and behaviour represent important building blocks for their later social and emotional functioning. Further, these abilities will likely influence the extent to which children are able to successfully transition to school. Therefore,alongside other important aspects of development, these findings highlight the importance of monitoring the social abilities of preschoolers who were born very preterm across a range of developmental domains and contexts. Preschoolers characterised by emotional, behavioural and/or interpersonal difficulties could then receive targeted intervention aimed at facilitating their social competence prior to school entry.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-146). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 95-101) Also available in print.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-282) and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Delft, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-282) and index.

Thesis (M.S. in Electrical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Lee, Chin-Hwa Second Reader: Cotton, Mitchell L. "December 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on April 1, 2010. DTIC Identifier(s): Computer Aided Design, High Level Languages, Computerized Simulation, Theses, VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuits), VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language). Author(s) subject terms: W-4 Computer, PC, TAR, RAM, ACC, ALU, B_REG, IR, Controller, Test_Bench, VHDL. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113). Also available in print.