A preliminary study of a correlation between scores on a 6-item cognitive impairment test and a modified Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale obtained from older women in Khayelitsha

The absence of culturally appropriate assessment tools for the measurement of cognition and activities of daily living in an older black African population living in South Africa was the reason for embarking on the study. The purpose of the study was to develop culturally appropriate screening tools for dementia in a South African, Xhosa speaking urban black population. The aim of the study was to determine a correlation between the scores on a six item cognitive test ( 6CIT) (Brooke and Bullock 1999), and a modified Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADL) (Bucks, Ashworth, Wilcock and Siegfried 1996), in order to assess the usefulness of the cognitive test as a screening tool for dementia in black older women. A random sample of women (N=92) was drawn in an urban area (Khayelitsha) near to Cape Town, South Africa. Data were gathered with the use of three instruments. Background information was obtained from the subjects. The 6CIT was administered to the subjects. The BADL, an informant-based scale, was administered to the primary carers. The instruments were modified for local use and translated into Xhosa, the home language of the majority of residents in Khayelitsha. The results of the study showed a correlation between the scores on the two measurement instruments (r =.49745) at a 95% confidence interval. The instruments were found to be culturally appropriate for the black African older population. However, low education was a confounding factor for the cognitive test and cut-off scores, used in previous studies to detect the possible presence of early dementia, were found to be too low for this population. The modified BADL scale showed that none of the subjects were fully dependent on their carers for the performance of activities of daily living. Recommendations are that the instruments, 6CIT and modified BADL, which have been shown to be easily administered by community health workers be further validated and translated into other black South African languages. Easy to administer screening tools for dementia should be developed for detection of the disease in the population so that provision is made by health authorities and occupational therapists for treatment plans to minimise the detrimental effects of the disease on the individuals, their families and communities

A Composite Review of the Proposed Molecular Mechanisms and Genetic Components Underlying Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive death of dopaminergic neurons present in the substantia nigra. The clinical presentation of PD includes tremors, slowed movement (bradykinesia), muscle and limb rigidity, and difficulty with walking and balancing. While many environmental factors can affect the onset and progression of the disease, genetic mutations have a large influence. Of the identified PD-linked genetic mutations, mutations in the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are one of the most common genetic causes of PD. Located in endosomes, LRRK2 has been shown to play a role in the sorting and endocytosis of synaptic vesicles, a process that is largely mediated by the retromer complex. Mutations in Vps35, a core component of the retromer cargo-recognition complex, have also been identified as a significant cause of late-onset autosomal dominant familial PD. While the exact molecular mechanisms by which LRRK2 and Vps35 mutations induce PD remain largely unknown, their influence on several cellular processes, including vesicular trafficking and breakdown, and endosomal sorting and recycling, strongly implicate the retromer and autophagy in PD pathology. Recent findings that transgenic expression of Vps35 is able to rescue the PD-related phenotypes caused by LRRK2 mutant forms provide further insight into the interplay of these genes in the context of PD and point to these -genes as potential therapeutic targets. This review outlines the current studies involving these genetic mutations and their interactions with various cellular processes and pathways so as to gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying PD pathology for the ultimate purpose of developing safe and effective treatments for PD

Exploring the potential of cassava for agricultural growth and economic development in Nigeria

The decline in agricultural productivity in Nigeria is linked to a host of factors ranging from unsustainable growth policies, inadequate funding and infrastructures, low levels of value added through processing, low commodity prices, unstable markets, poor extension services and low rates of literacy. It is now well recognised that there is a need to diversify Nigerian agriculture as well as improving production performances. This study investigates the potential of cassava root tuber (CRT), as a means to promote agricultural growth. It assesses cassava production, profitability, efficiency, marketing structures and channels, constraints in production, the potential to add value by processing cassava into gari (a fermented, roasted, and dried granule) and its marketing at the farm level. These were supplemented by a critical review of policies and programmes, including trend analysis of cultivated area, production, yield and prices of major crops including cassava at the national level covering the period 1970–2009. The study surveyed 315 cassava producers (including 278 gari processors), 105 marketers involved in cassava marketing and 30 stakeholders from three regions in the Delta State, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics are used to analyse the socio-economic characteristics of the sample. In addition, profitability of CRT and gari and their marketing were assessed by benefit-cost analysis. Furthermore, productivity and efficiency of CRT and gari and their determinants were analysed using non-parametric DEA followed by Tobit regressions. Results indicate that cassava production and processing is profitable in all regions and for all farm size categories. The BCR is estimated at 2.83 and 1.22 for CRT and gari, respectively. However, the yield level of CRT and gari is very low, estimated at 7.7 t/ha and 4.7 t/ha, respectively. Also, efficiency levels are very low and vary by farm size as well as regions, with large scale producers relatively more efficient. Marketing of cassava in any form is profitable and efficient (Marketing Efficiency>1 in all cases) and profitability varies widely across regions. Provision of water was identified as the main constraint in processing, followed by shortage of electricity and poor marketing infrastructure. The review of past policies and trend analysis revealed inconsistent policies and fluctuations in agricultural productivity, but also showed increases in total production mainly driven by expansion of the area cultivated during later years, for cassava in particular. The policy implications include: (a) increased provision of modern technologies, use of improved varieties and modern technology; (b) land reform policies to consolidate farm size; (c) investment in elements of marketing infrastructure; and (d) improvements in extension services. Despite inconsistencies in policies, cassava stood out as a robust and resistant crop which provides confidence that targeted investment in the cassava sector will contribute to development of Nigerian agriculture.Private/famil

Site location and techno-economic analysis of utility-scale concentrating solar power plants in South Africa

This dissertation comprises a two-part study concerned with the identification and quantification of potential Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) sites in South Africa; and the performance and cost modelling, optimisation and analysis of two CSP technologies in three locations. A further theme of the study is the consideration of the availability of water for plant cooling purposes, and hence the comparison between, and analysis of optimal CSP technologies and cooling methods for each location

Evaluation of a ministry formation group for increasing laity intrinsic religious orientation

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1592/thumbnail.jp

Mitigation of Frame Acceleration Induced by a Buried Charge

In this thesis, methods to mitigate acceleration delivered to the frame of a vehicle with an attached v-shaped hull are investigated. The frame of a vehicle represents an alternative location for crew seating, as opposed to seats being secured to the floorboard. Mitigation techniques were investigated for three test setups: aluminum frame with a downwardly convex aluminum hull, steel frame with a downwardly convex steel hull, and a steel frame with a downwardly concave steel hull. Accelerations of the frame were measured using piezoelectric accelerometers placed at three different locations on the frame. These acceleration measurements were verified against video recorded by high speed cameras. Each test was intended to reduce peak accelerations experienced by the frame, and to reduce the width of the acceleration envelope at large g levels. Mitigation techniques focused on reducing the initial hull-frame interactions, while damping subsequent responses of the system. Mitigation systems and hull orientation were compared for their ability to reduce blast effects experienced by the frame

St. Ignatius Loyola and the Jews

James J. Brodrick, S.J., reflects on St. Ignatius of Loyola and his special affection for the Jewish people

The light of the eye : doctrine, piety and reform in the works of Thomas Sherlock, Hannah More and Jane Austen

Bibliography: leaves 376-401.This thesis investigates the ways in which three eighteenth-century writers, Bishop Thomas Sherlock, Hannah More and Jane Austen embody orthodox Anglican doctrine according to their individual perceptions of the enlightening properties of Protestant Christianity. After situating them in their respective gender, literary and ecclesiastical contexts, I examine some of their key doctrines and analyse excerpts from their works. My selection of passages from Sherlock's works is fairly comprehensive, but in the case of More and Austen, where there is already a formidable body of literary criticism, it is more selective. Thus, I focus on doctrine in More's tracts, Strictures on the System of Female Education, An Essay on St Paul and most especially Coelebs in Search of a Wife and in the case of Austen, on her prayers and select passages from Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park. I conclude that, although diverse in their particular kind of Anglicanism (High, Evangelical and Median) and in their choice of genre, transparency or obscurity (anonymity and pseudonymity) and the various narratological strategies some of them invoke to circumvent certain taboos, Sherlock, More and Austen champion the same central orthodox doctrines, defend them against current alternatives to orthodoxy such as Latitudinarianism, Deism and various forms of Freethinking, and promote similar moral and ecclesiastical reforms. However, indirectly (through female characters who resist male representation or control) the women writers subject their ostensibly authorially-endorsed male narrators/characters to scrutiny and sometimes (when the males objectify the women) subversion

MMI, SCADA and ALARM philosophy for disturbed state operating conditions in an electrical utility

A project report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg 1995.Advances in digital computing technology make it possible to improve the design of the Man Machine Interface (MMI), SCADA and ALARM modules used in electrical utility control centres. to overcome the problem of control staff data overloading. A possible solution is proposed, based on-an explicit representation of a disturbed power system state in addition to quiescent conditions. The structure of modem SCADA, installations is analysed in terms of the computing power of full graphic workstations, the quantities of element data delivered to the control room and the capabilities of intelligent remote terminal units. This analysis indicates that existing designs for the presentation of SCADA data need to change to solve the data overloading-problem. The proposed philosophy moves the focus of attention from the element level up to the device level by grouping and dividing all elements into categories at the RTU and linking them to their parent device, Control staff are notified graphically on the one-line displays, next to the device in question, of the existence of abnormal elements by category. The element state details for the device are only displayed on demand, resulting in a 95% reduction of alarm text messages. Suggestions are made as to the software functions needed at tbe RTU and the workstation to assist with the display of system data. Lastly racommendations are offered to reduce maintenance by standardising and pre-ordering device element data.AC201