Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Monitoring and managing of ADRs'

<p>The next generation of automotive systems is self-managing. Concepts such as self-aware and self-monitoring are necessary parts of the system to be able to meet the requirements of self-configuration and self-optimization. DySCAS is a research project, funded by the European Union, which aims at developing such a system.This thesis report describes and elaborates the theory for three topics: Built-in self-test, resource monitoring and power management, all with the focus on integration in DySCAS. Resource monitoring is selected to be further investigated with design and implementation in SHAPE, the reference implementation of DySCAS.To test and verify the resource monitoring system, a load balancing scenario was created. The result from this scenario is presented in graphs for visualization and a discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of the implemented system. Finally the conclusions from both the literature study and the implementation work are summarized and some ideas on future work are presented.</p>

Managing disease prevention and monitoring its progression benefits professionals facing the challenge of acquiring new knowledge and information for fighting the many diseases that negatively affect the life of people in areas such as public health systems, families, economic and business systems. From economic and operational points of view, Cancer Registries as organisations managing information by collecting, storing, reporting and interpreting data to improve cancer monitoring which is needed to plan health policies evaluation and design. Sustaining the role of the Cancer Registry as information system for fighting against cancer relies on paying attention on regulatory and ethical aspects with regard to the protection of confidential data, understanding and meeting the organisational challenges, learning from theory and practice emerging from the comparison of international experiences, bringing together voluntary, private initiatives of associations and public programs for sustaining the relevance of gathering and collecting data, information for knowledge about managing prevention and monitoring of the disease as core competence for driving public health systems towards sustainable development. Regulatory and organizational infrastructures help improve both information and knowledge management and design and implement effective measures and initiatives leading to efficacy in preventing and monitoring cancer disease as support to medical scientific research for cancer cure.

Rivers and their surrounding riparian and subsurface ecosystems, known as river corridors, are important landscape features that provide a myriad of ecological and societal benefits. While the importance of riverine flooding has been widely acknowledged and extensively studied, very little research has been conducted on the interactions between river channels and their adjacent floodplains. The importance of this hydrologic connectivity between rivers and floodplains has been emphasized in recent decades and now ecological engineering techniques such as stream restoration are often utilized to restore connectivity between streams and their riparian ecosystems. Despite its ubiquity in practice, there are still many basic components of river-floodplain connectivity that are not well understood. Furthermore, a lack of cost-effective monitoring techniques makes sustainable management of river corridors quite challenging. Thus, the overall goals of my dissertation were: 1) develop user-friendly river corridor monitoring techniques utilizing cost-effective approaches such as time-lapse digital imagery and satellite remote sensing and 2) identify the effects of anthropogenic activities on river corridor hydrologic and biogeochemical processes that occur at varying spatial and temporal scales during flood events. These goals were addressed through five independent studies that span spatiotemporal scales. The five studies utilized a combination of novel remote sensing, hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, and high frequency spatial sampling techniques to analyze river corridor dynamics. Results highlight that digital imagery and satellite remote sensing can be effective tools for monitoring river corridors in data scare regions. Additionally, impounding streams and river corridors alters floodplain connectivity and biogeochemical processing of reactive solutes such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Findings from this work highlight the important role that spatial and temporal scale plays in river corridor dynamics. Overall, this research provides new analytical techniques and findings that can be used to effectively monitor and manage river corridors.<br>PHD

In the field of Ubiquitous Computing, a significant problem of building accurate machine learning models is the effort and time consuming process to gather labeled data for the learning algorithm. Moreover, efficient data use demands are constantly growing. These demands for efficient data use are growing constantly. Researchers are therefore exploring the use of machine learning techniques to overcome the problem of data scarcity. In healthcare, classification tasks require a ground truth normally provided by an expert physician, ending up with a small set of labeled data with a larger set of unlabeled data. It is also common to rely on self-reported data through questionnaires, however, this introduce an extra burden to the user who is not always able or willing to fill in. Finally, in some healthcare domains it is important to be able to provide immediate response (feedback), even if the user is not familiarized with the use of an application. In all of these cases the amount of available data may be insufficient to produce reliable models. This thesis proposes a new approach specifically designed for the challenges in producing better predictive models. We propose using our novel Intermediate Models to predict the mood variables associated with the questionnaire using data acquired from smartphones. Then, we use the predicted mood variables with the rest of the data to predict the class, in our empirical assessment, the state mood of a bipolar disorder patient or stress levels of employees have been used. The motivation behind this new approach is that there are relevant proposed methods such as latent variables used as intermediate information helping to create better predictive models. These methods are used in literature to complete the missing data using the most common value, the most probable value given the class, or induce a model for predicting missing values using all the information from features and the class. However, these variables are artificially created and used as intermediate information to build better model. In our Intermediate Models, we know in advance how many mood variables to use and we have the information from these variables, which allow us to produce better models. To address scarce data, we propose applying a semi-supervised learning setting while taking advantage of the presence of all unlabeled datasets. In addition, we propose using transfer learning methods that is used to improve the learning performance with the aim at avoiding expensive data labeling efforts. To the best of our knowledge, there are few works that have used transfer learning for healthcare applications to address the problem of limited labeled data. The proposed methods have been applied in two different healthcare fields: mental-health and human behaviour field. This thesis addresses two classification problems, a) classification of episodic state of bipolar disorder patients, and b) detecting work-related stress using data acquired from smartphone sensing modalities.

In the field of Ubiquitous Computing, a significant problem of building accurate machine learning models is the effort and time consuming process to gather labeled data for the learning algorithm. Moreover, efficient data use demands are constantly growing. These demands for efficient data use are growing constantly. Researchers are therefore exploring the use of machine learning techniques to overcome the problem of data scarcity. In healthcare, classification tasks require a ground truth normally provided by an expert physician, ending up with a small set of labeled data with a larger set of unlabeled data. It is also common to rely on self-reported data through questionnaires, however, this introduce an extra burden to the user who is not always able or willing to fill in. Finally, in some healthcare domains it is important to be able to provide immediate response (feedback), even if the user is not familiarized with the use of an application. In all of these cases the amount of available data may be insufficient to produce reliable models. This thesis proposes a new approach specifically designed for the challenges in producing better predictive models. We propose using our novel Intermediate Models to predict the mood variables associated with the questionnaire using data acquired from smartphones. Then, we use the predicted mood variables with the rest of the data to predict the class, in our empirical assessment, the state mood of a bipolar disorder patient or stress levels of employees have been used. The motivation behind this new approach is that there are relevant proposed methods such as latent variables used as intermediate information helping to create better predictive models. These methods are used in literature to complete the missing data using the most common value, the most probable value given the class, or induce a model for predicting missing values using all the information from features and the class. However, these variables are artificially created and used as intermediate information to build better model. In our Intermediate Models, we know in advance how many mood variables to use and we have the information from these variables, which allow us to produce better models. To address scarce data, we propose applying a semi-supervised learning setting while taking advantage of the presence of all unlabeled datasets. In addition, we propose using transfer learning methods that is used to improve the learning performance with the aim at avoiding expensive data labeling efforts. To the best of our knowledge, there are few works that have used transfer learning for healthcare applications to address the problem of limited labeled data. The proposed methods have been applied in two different healthcare fields: mental-health and human behaviour field. This thesis addresses two classification problems, a) classification of episodic state of bipolar disorder patients, and b) detecting work-related stress using data acquired from smartphone sensing modalities.

Background Diabetes is a common chronic disorder, the prevalence of which has increased substantially in the past decade with significant burden of illness to the patient, carers and society. Diabetes management in terminally ill patients is complex and challenging and it is one of the common co-morbidities seen in the terminal phase of life. With limited life expectancy, co-morbid conditions and high medication burden, diabetes management becomes more challenging in this population. The evidence base to inform practice on diabetes management outcomes at end of life is weak. The current practice is predominantly empiric with over reliance on expert opinion. The goal of treatment is limited to the prevention of hypoglycaemia and osmotic symptoms caused by elevated blood sugar levels, rather than intensified prevention of diabetes-related long-term complications. The limited evidence based protocols emphasise individualising the glycaemic control plan according to the patient’s need with the goal to improve the quality of life and to eliminate patient discomfort. In patients with type 1 diabetes, insulin is essential for life and discontinuation may lead to a critical life-threatening state crisis. However, there are many insulin preparations with questionable pharmacodynamics profiles. There is no agreement on the optimal insulin type to be used in type 1 diabetics.<br>Thesis (Masters)<br>Master of Medical Research (MMedRes)<br>School of Medical Science<br>Griffith Health<br>Full Text

Alexandria is the second largest urban governorate in Egypt and has seen significant urban growth in its modern and contemporary history. This study investigates the urban growth phenomenon in Alexandria, Egypt using the integration of remote sensing and GIS. The study has revealed some significant findings that can help in understanding the current and future trends of urban growth in Alexandria. For demographic analysis, growth rates dropped off between 1976 and 1996. In the same manner, Alexandria's population decreased from 6.33% of total country in 1976 to 5.6% in 1996. Family size and crowding rates are declining as well. Moreover, the role of internal migration has changed and the city sends out more population than it receives. In addition, there is a clear decline in population density in the city's core, while city fringes have witnessed increases in their density. For physical expansion, Alexandria experienced a long history of deterioration from the end of the Roman era until the French expedition's departure in the beginning of the 19`" century. Alexandria began to revive again from the first half of the 19`n century during Mohamed Ali era up to date. The city expanded in all available directions. Therefore, the side effects of urban growth commenced to develop in some parts such as informal housing on the cultivated land in the east and southeast of the city. The urban physical expansion and change were detected using Landsat satellite images. The satellite images of years 1984 and 1993 were first georeferenced, achieving a very small RMSE that provided high accuracy data for satellite image analysis. Then, the images were classified using a tailored classification scheme with accuracy of 93.82% and 95.27% for 1984 and 1993 images respectively. This high accuracy enabled detecting land use/cover changes with high confidence using a postclassification comparison method. One of the most important findings here is the loss of cultivated land in favour of urban expansion. If the current loss rates continued, 75% of green lands would be lost by year 2191. These hazardous rates call for an urban growth management policy that can preserve such valuable resources to achieve sustainable urban development. The starting point of any management programme will be based on the modelling of the future growth. Modelling techniques can help in defining the scenarios of urban growth. In this study, the SLEUTH urban growth model was applied to predict future urban expansion in Alexandria until the year 2055. The application of this model in Alexandria of Egypt with its different environmental characteristics is the first application outside USA and Europe. The results revealed that future urban growth would continue in the edges of the current urban extent, which means the cultivated lands in the east and the southeast of the city will continue to lose more day by day from their area. To deal with this crisis, there is a serious need for a comprehensive urban growth management programme that based on the best practices in similar situations. Good urban governance, public participation, using GIS and remote sensing, and decentralisation (among others) are found to be the most important principles for such programme.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) can be defined in many ways and there are severalstrategies present for managing, monitoring and implementing CSR and Codes of Conduct(CoC). In the thesis it will be regarded as those activities companies carry out, and maintain, tocreate a more sustainable business,- and global situation. Implementation of CSR is voluntaryfrom the purchasing companies perspective but mandatory for the suppliers. This means CSR andCoC is not legislated or in any other way strongly influenced by governments or NGO:s, but away to manage a supply chain to fulfil the company goals and public expectations.This thesis is based on three research questions, that provide an insight into managing,monitoring and implementing CSR and CoC in the developing nation Vietnam, based on theperspective of Scandinavian textile and apparel companies.The first question aim to give a background to strategies, found among in the study part takingcompanies, used to manage, monitor and implement CSR and CoC. Approaches such as, ownauditing divisions, joining initiatives, production manager inspects and so on, is gone throughwith emphasis on working methods. This is presented to give the reader a background onconcepts and an insight into common procedures. The second focus on factors influencing themanagement, monitoring and implementation of CSR and CoC in Vietnam. The three followingcategories wereselected to be presented and discussed, National culture, Middle Management andthe Future of CSR in Vietnam. As these topics were often mentioned in interviews withcompanies and organisations as influencing the CSR process. The final question is meant to tiethis thesis and the previous two questions together, how Scandinavian textile and apparelcompanies can co-operate with Vietnamese suppliers to create added value in the supply chain.This question goes back to the two previous ones seeking possibilities to use strategies forimplementation, adapted to factors influencing CSR in production in Vietnam.In chapter 5, a list of negative and positive characteristics of the situation for working with CSRin Vietnam is presented. The negative being, mild unorganized strikes, the ‘if you can hide it; itdo not exist’ attitude, middle management, foreign owned production facilities, and the one partystate. The positive aspects mentioned being, developing country, awakening public interest,workers reacting, and a positive attitude towards Scandinavians.Significant findings made in this thesis were that company size often dedict strategy andinitiatives chosen, CSR codes often directly correspond to the soft laws of the ILO conventions,middle management is a key to success and that the power of the buyer should not beunderestimated, but demands on production social standards should be stressed to cause change.Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, kan definieras på åtskilliga sätt och det finns flerastrategier närvarande rörande management, övervakning och genomförande av CSR ochuppförandekoder. I uppsatsen kommer CSR att betraktas som de aktiviteter bolagen bedriver, styroch underhåller, för att skapa en mer hållbar verksamhet och global situation. Att dessa utförsfrivilligt, utan att vara lagstiftning eller under stark påverkan från NGOs. Utan är ettförhållningssätt för hur företag hanterar denna del av försörjningskedjan för att möta sina mål ochallmänhetens förväntningar.Uppsatsen bygger på tre frågeställningar, för att ge en inblick i management, övervakningen ochgenomförandet av företagens sociala ansvar och uppförandekoder i den del av försörjningskedjansom är produktion. I denna studie i utvecklingslandet Vietnam. Från ett Skandinaviskt textil ochkonfektions företags perspektiv, gällande arbete kring styrning av inköp och produktion.Den första frågan strävar efter att ge en bild av de strategier som ofta används för management,övervakning och genomförande av CSR och CoC. Metoder såsom, egna auditeringsdivisioner, attgå med i initiativ och att produktionschef inspekterar under fabriksbesök, gås igenom medtyngdpunkt på arbetsmetoder. Dessa strategier presenteras för att ge läsaren en bakgrund tillbegrepp och en inblick i det praktiska arbetet kring arbetet med CSR. Den andra frågan fokuserarpå faktorer som påverkar förvaltning, övervakning och implementering av CSR och CoC iVietnam. De tre områdena nationell kultur, mellanchefsnivå och framtiden för företags socialaansvar i Vietnam, presenteras och diskuteras. Den sista frågan är tänkt att knyta uppsatsen, och detvå föregående frågorna samman, hur skandinaviska textil och konfektionsföretag kan samarbetamed vietnamesiska leverantörer för att skapa mervärde i leverantörskedjan. Denna fråga knyteran till de två tidigare, den första som söker möjligheter att använda strategier för genomförande,den andra påvisar faktorer som påverkar företagens sociala ansvar i produktion i Vietnam.Sammanfattningsvis presenteras en lista i kapitel fem, som redovisar negativa och positivaaspekter rörande styrning av CSR i Vietnam. De negativa är, milda oorganiserade strejker, den&quot;om du kan dölja det, finns det inte&quot; attityd som finns, mellanchefer, utlandsägdaproduktionsanläggningar och det kommunistiska enpartisystemet. Positiva aspekter inkluderar,utvecklingsland, ett spirande allmänhets intresse, arbetare reagerar, och en positiv inställning tillskandinaver.Anmärkningsvärda upptäcker som gjorts i denna avhandling var att företagets storlek oftapåverkar vilken strategi och initiativ som valts. CSR koder motsvarar ofta direkt mjuka lagar somILO konventioner, chefer på mellannivå är en nyckel till framgång. Köparens makt skall inteunderskattas, krav på att produktionen följer sociala normer bör krävas för att skapa långvarigförändring i försörjningskedjan.<br>Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Currently, a variety of methods are available to monitor anurans, and little standardization of methods exists. New methods to monitor anurans have become available over the past twenty years, including PVC pipe arrays used for tree frog capture and Automated Digital Recording Systems (ADRS) used to remotely monitor calling activity. In addition to ADRS, machine-learning computer software, automated vocalization recognition software (AVRS), has been developed to automatically detect vocalizations within digital sound recordings. The use of a combination of ADRS and AVRS shows the promise to reduce the number of people, time, and resources needed for an effective call survey program. However, little research exists that uses the described tools for wildlife monitoring, especially for anuran monitoring. In the study, there were two problems addressed relating to AVRS. The first was the poorly understood relationship between auditory survey methods and physical survey methods. I tested this problem by using current auditory monitoring methods, ADRS and the AVRS Song Scope© (v.3.1), alongside more traditional physical monitoring methods that included drift fences, a PVC pipe array, and visual encounter transects. No significant relationship between physical and auditory community population measures was found. Auditory methods were also effective in the detection of call characteristic differences between urban and rural locations, further suggesting an influence of noise pollution. The second problem addressed was the call identification errors found in auditory survey methods. I examined the influence of treatments including the ADRS location, listener group, species, and season on the error rates of the AVRS Song Scope© (v.3.1) and groups of human listeners. Computer error rates were higher than human listeners, yet less affected by the treatments. Both studies suggested that AVRS was a viable method to monitor anuran populations, but the choice of methods should be dependent upon the species of interest and the objectives of the study.

The pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) was investigated with regard to damage caused to hibiscus by feeding, dispersal of nymphs, evaluation of management tactics, and the use of sex pheromone based monitoring in southern Florida from 2005 to 2008. Understanding the ability of PHM to locate and colonize new hosts, and the response of hosts is essential to optimized monitoring and management strategies. Investigation of the onset and severity of PHM feeding symptoms by Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. showed that severity of symptoms differed among cultivars and that PHM were found on plants that did not exhibit feeding symptoms. Aerially dispersing PHM were predominantly first instars. Dispersal occurred with a diel periodicity that peaked between 14:00 and 18:00 h and was significantly influenced by mean wind speed. Initial infestation with 5, 10, or 20 PHM adult females had no significant affect on the number of dispersing individuals captured from hibiscus plants and PHM were captured at 50 m from infested source plants. The effects of mating disruption, the insecticide (dinotefuran), the parasitoid, Anagyrus kamali (Moursi), and the predator, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) on PHM on hibiscus plants in screened field cages were evaluated. The total number of mealybugs captured in sticky band and pheromone traps during the study was reduced by dinotefuran and the predator. At the end of the study, the number of nymphs recovered from hibiscus terminals was reduced by the dinotefuran, predator and parasitoid treatments. Field experiments showed that the time of day during which male PHM were captured in pheromone traps in May and September was crepuscular, with most captures occurring from 18:00 to 21:00 h. Significantly more males were captured in traps placed in non-host trees at an elevation of 2 m above the ground than 6 m, and more males were captured in traps placed within host plants than in those 3 m upwind. Pheromone traps placed in hibiscus treated with soil applied dinotefuran or left untreated captured equal numbers of males during the 3 wk prior to treatment and during the 12 wk after treatment. Release of parasitoids at residential sites did not have a significant effect on the total number of males captured in sex pheromone traps over 18 mo. The number of mealybugs found at both parasitoid release and untreated sites were highly variable and corresponded with males captured in sex pheromone traps, as high and low levels of mealybugs corresponded with high and low levels of males captured. The number of males captured in pheromone traps during a two week survey at residential sites in May were a strong predictor of subsequent captures in 2006 (r2 = 0. 712), but not 2007 (r2 = 0.019). The relationship between PHM populations and males captured in sex pheromone traps was influenced by a multitude of factors that can impact the ability of traps to accurately reflect populations at a given location. Pheromone traps have the potential to provide meaningful information towards monitoring and mitigating risk from PHM. The contributions of this dissertation towards optimizing PHM sex pheromone monitoring, as well as facets of PHM monitoring that have yet to be resolved are discussed.<br>Ph. D.

This thesis explicates how an international literacy testing (ILT) initiative, overseen by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is put to use to coordinate teaching and learning in adult literacy education programs in Canada, and in Ontario in particular. The testing initiative was conceived to manage and monitor global literacy resources, and promote their development for economic productivity and competitive advantage. Guided by institutional ethnography, the analysis reveals how certain operational and support devices of the testing initiative have been transposed into the context of adult education and training, carrying with them the ideological concerns of the economistic testing project and some of its methodological procedures. Various devices and technologies of the ILT are reformulated as individual assessments for adult learners, and are also incorporated— as is and with extensions— into a national occupational skills framework, a provincial curriculum reform, and a series of policy persuasion projects. Educators, program coordinators and curriculum developers, concerned with the development of literacy that is responsive to learners and their aspirations, recognize the limitations of the curricular frameworks and assessments. They devote inordinate amounts of time and effort reformulating, translating, force-fitting, and supplementing them. At the same time, a narrowly conceived locating information pedagogy—distinct from both academic literacy needed to access formal education systems and a responsive and situated literacy needed to actively participate in social practices—is developed and widely promoted. Policy entrepreneurs have incorporated the devices into their policy persuasion projects, including a project that profiles adults according to their literacy proficiency, their value in the labour market and whether or not they are ‘economically efficient’ to educate. Persuasion tactics are aimed at policy-makers and adult educators in order to convince them to shift educational support away from those who already experience limited access to educational opportunities (adults with secondary education or less) to those closest to reaching what is deemed to be an acceptable literacy level (adults with post-secondary education). Attempts to limit and privilege the purpose of adult education and training, in combination with the development of curricula and assessments that do the same, obstruct and contradict efforts to support equitable literacy learning opportunities for Canadian adults.

Biological invasions have increased dramatically in the past centuries and are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity today. Invasions occur when organisms are introduced at a location to which they are non-native, and they reproduce and spread, causing damage to the environment. Chromolaena odorata, a herbaceous shrub from the Americas, is one of the most widespread and problematic invasive plant species in the tropics and sub-tropics. The plant is a serious problem in South Africa, where invasive species threaten the nation’s biodiversity and limited water supply. This study combined transect monitoring data of C. odorata with ecological and clearing management data to assess the efficacy of an invasive plant clearing program over its decade of operation in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Densities and local extent of the C. odorata invasion were significantly reduced during the period of operations of the clearing program. Seasonal effects impacted clearing efficacy, namely a reduction in efficacy during the seed dispersal period. Effort and fire frequency were positively associated with clearing success, and rainfall negatively associated with clearing success. Excluding the northern section of the reserve, where the invasion progressed over the whole landscape, observations of C. odorata were closer to watercourses than randomized points, indicating a water limitation for invasion in most of the park. Management implications drawn from the results include halting clearing during seed-drop months, giving extra attention to areas with more rainfall and other water availability, and incorporating fire with other clearing methods where possible.

Several studies in the field of outdoor recreation management and planning have used computer simulation modeling to demonstrate its utility as a tool to help managers monitor encounters and similar visitor use-related indicators of quality. However, previous applications of computer simulation modeling to outdoor recreation planning and management have generally done little to assess the reliability, or precision, of model estimates. The purpose of this research is to explore several questions concerning the reliability of computer simulation model estimates for monitoring wilderness solitude-related indicators of quality. In particular, can reliable estimates of solitude-related indicators be generated for low use recreation environments, such as backcountry and wilderness areas? Is there a spatial component to questions about the reliability of computer simulation estimates for low use visitor landscapes? The research presented in this thesis examines the reliability of computer simulation estimates of wilderness solitude indicators that account for the timing and location of hiking and camping encounters in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This study was designed to model visitor use and inter-group encounters in the Cosby and Big Creek areas of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which are located within the parkâ s proposed wilderness area. Two primary types of information about visitor use in the study area were collected to construct the computer simulation model in this study. First, information was gathered about the amount of visitation to the study area; second, information was collected about visitorsâ travel routes within the study area. Three alternative methods were used to estimate the number of replications needed to obtain desired levels of precision for the visitor-based and spatially based computer simulation model outputs. The results suggest that computer simulation models of visitor use can generate precise estimates for a small to moderate number of visitor-based and spatially-based outputs. However, there are constraints to generating precise estimates of use-related outputs as the number of outputs estimated simultaneously becomes large. This challenge is particularly pronounced in cases where at least some of the outputs are derived for low use attractions, trails, or camping locations.<br>Master of Science

The work presented in this thesis falls naturally into two parts. The first part (Chapter 2), is concerned with the benefit of perturbing a population into an immediately undesirable state, in order to improve estimates of a static probability which may improve long-term management. We consider finding the optimal harvest policy for a theoretical harvested population when a key parameter is unknown. We employ an adaptive management framework to study when it is worth sacrificing short term rewards in order to increase long term profits.<br>Active adaptive management has been increasingly advocated in natural resource management and conservation biology as a methodology for resolving key uncertainties about population dynamics and responses to management. However, when comparing management policies it is traditional to weigh future rewards geometrically (at a constant discount rate) which results in far-distant rewards making a negligible contribution to the total benefit. Under such a discounting scheme active adaptive management is rarely of much benefit, especially if learning is slow. In Chapter 2, we consider two proposed alternative forms of discounting for evaluating optimal policies for long term decisions which have a social component.<br>We demonstrate that discount functions which weigh future rewards more heavily result in more conservative harvesting strategies, but do not necessarily encourage active learning. Furthermore, the optimal management strategy is not equivalent to employing geometric discounting at a lower rate. If alternative discount functions are made mandatory in calculating optimal management policies for environmental management, then this will affect the structure of optimal management regimes and change when and how much we are willing to invest in learning.<br>The second part of this thesis is concerned with how to account for partial observability when calculating optimal management policies. We consider the problem of controlling an invasive pest species when only partial observations are available at each time step. In the model considered, the monitoring data available are binomial observations of a probability which is an index of the population size. We are again concerned with estimating a probability, however, in this model the probability is changing over time.<br>Before including partial observability explicitly, we consider a model in which perfect observations of the population are available at each time step (Chapter 3). It is intuitive that monitoring will be beneficial only if the management decision depends on the outcome. Hence, a necessary condition for monitoring to be worthwhile is that control polices which are specified in terms of the system state, out-perform simpler time-based control policies. Consequently, in addition to providing a benchmark against which we can compare the optimal management policy in the case of partial observations, analysing the perfect observation case also provides insight into when monitoring is likely to be most valuable.<br>In Chapters 4 and 5 we include partial observability by modelling the control problem as a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). We outline several tests which stem from a property of conservation of expected utility under monitoring, which aid in validating the model. We discuss the optimal management policy prescribed by the POMDP for a range of model scenarios, and use simulation to compare the POMDP management policy to several alternative policies, including controlling with perfect observations and no observations.<br>In Chapter 6 we propose an alternative model, developed in the spirit of a POMDP, that does not strictly satisfy the definition of a POMDP. We find that although the second model has some conceptually appealing attributes, it makes an undesirable implicit assumption about the underlying population dynamics.

Managing introduced species, a current environmental problem, is hindered by real-world limitations of personnel, data, and funding. Monitoring is an important precursor to effective management because detecting an introduced species when its population is localized and at low density (i.e., early detection) maximizes the probability of successful eradication. Often introduced species are only detected years after the initial introduction, when eradication is no longer a viable option. Therefore, in this thesis we developed and analyzed techniques to better monitor and model the spread of the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) and the Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus). To overcome issues of insufficient amounts of data and personnel, we recruited nearly a thousand volunteers and validated their ability to identify introduced and native species of crabs with high levels of accuracy (Chapter 1). To increase the probability of early detection, we need to not only increase sampling intensity, but also to identify more effective and efficient sampling techniques. Therefore, we developed a quantitative, standardized experimental field approach for comparing the sensitivity of different sampling techniques for detecting organisms at low densities (Chapter 2). Even with an efficient sampling technique and increased resources of a validated volunteer monitoring network, we are still not adequately equipped for early detection monitoring on the large-scale. Since it is infeasible to monitor everywhere a species could be introduced, we should monitor where they are more likely to arrive and manage them where their impact will be greatest. To address this problem we modified an oceanographic model, incorporated biological behaviors, used extensive field data to parameterize and validate the model's ability to forecast areas that are most likely to be colonized, so we can optimally allocate our limited res<br>La gestion des espèces introduites est un problème environnemental pressant qui est souvent entravé par des limites de personnel, de données et de financement. La surveillance est un prérequis important afin de gérer les espèces introduites de façon efficace puisque la détection hâtive de ces espèces, lorsqu'elles sont peu dispersées et à faible densité, maximise la probabilité de les éradiquer. Il arrive souvent que les espèces introduites soient détectées plusieurs années après leur établissement, lorsqu'il n'est plus possible de les éradiquer. L'un des objectifs de cette thèse est donc de développer et d'évaluer des méthodes servant à détecter et à modéliser la propagation de deux espèces invasives: le crabe vert européen (Carcinus maenas) et le crabe asiatique (Hemigrapsus sanguineus). Pour surmonter des difficultés courantes liées à un manque de données et de personnel, nous avons recruté mille volontaires et nous avons validé leur aptitude à identifier de façon précise des espèces de crabes natives et introduites (Chapitre 1). Afin d'augmenter la probabilité de détection hâtive, il n'est pas seulement nécessaire d'augmenter la fréquence d'échantillonnage, mais aussi de déterminer quelles sont les techniques d'échantillonnage les plus efficaces. Par conséquent, nous avons développé une méthode expérimentale quantitative et standardisée servant à comparer la sensibilité de différentes techniques d'échantillonnage pour détecter des organismes présents en faible densité sur le terrain (Chapitre 2). Même avec des techniques d'échantillonnage efficaces et un système de surveillance reposant sur des volontaires formés à l'avance, il est très difficile de surveiller des aires à très grande échelle et de permettre la détection hâtive. Étant donné ces difficultés, il est nécessaire de surveiller les endroits les plus susceptibles

Citizens of South Africa expect that the policy and regulatory changes introduced by government will be translated into tangible service delivery. Elected representatives, in particular, must demonstrate that national, provincial and local government are capable of managing public resources in a way that deliver benefits to its citizens. The ex- President Thabo Mbeki often used to speak about performance-driven public sector and has referred to the critical role that local government will play in this process. Municipalities which are at the coal-face of service delivery are being challenged to demonstrate their ability to execute both basic as well as enabling services crucial for social and economic growth and development. This challenge finds expression in the requirement that municipalities are expected to report on their performance, from both a civic and policy perspective. The present government is taking performance of government officials and politicians seriously. The Government has created a new ministry in the Presidency called Performance Mortitoring and Evaluation that will assist in ensuring that government performs better. The President of South Africa Mr. Jacob Zuma said that performance management works only if there is a mechartism to hold the people responsible and accountable City of Johannesburg (COJ) therefore looks at the effectiveness of City Scorecard (CS) in terms of performance management at the City of Johannesburg for enhanced performance of employees. The improved performance of employees is imperative for effective service delivery to communities. There were numerous protests all over the country between January and August 2009 including COJ against poor service delivery by different municipalities. It is therefore essential to identify the impact of City Scorecard on performance management of municipal employees. There is a close relationship between performance management and service delivery. The needs and expectations of the community are considered in Integrated Development Plan that assists the top Management of COJ to develop strategic objectives for the City. The priorities are established by the Mayor, commonly known as Mayoral priorities. The needs, priorities and strategies are combined, monitored and measured through City Scorecard (CS). The community is a yard stick of City Scorecard. The satisfaction of the community is a means to ensure that municipal officials are performing and rendering effective and efficient services to communities.<br>Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The current legislation that regulates internal managing and controlling system in administrative bodies of the public governance lags behind in the implementation of international experiences and standards for excersing the internal audits. This fact causes many reactions in the general public and also in the professional society. Alarming news about corruption and wasteful use of the public sources are just the token of the problem. The goal of this thesis is to define and analyze the process of implementing the managing and controlling system and subsequently to create a plan for a successful implementation of the effective managing and controlling system in the public governance. In the theoretical part are characteristics and goals of the managing and controlling system, legislative framework and description of components for the managing and controlling system, that are based on international experiences and practice. In the analytical part is the analyze of the particular elements from the managing and controlling system and finally in the practical part is the proposal of implementation managing and controlling system and also the proposal of directive for the internal control, which is supposed to simplify the practical use in the public governance. There is a draft of the assessment of Internal Control System Effectiveness in the practical part of this thesis.

This research study explored and described a partogram as a clinical practice guideline for monitoring and managing women during labour at Vhembe District of Limpopo province. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual design was used in order to achieve the study objectives. Purposive sampling was carried out to select three hospitals in order to obtain comprehensive data from the district. The research study was conducted in three phases. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 midwives who were selected conveniently from the three hospitals. Document study was also conducted on 24 partograms that were conveniently selected from the three hospitals on the days that interviews were conducted, using a self-designed checklist. Tesch’s eight steps of qualitative data analysis were used to analyse the data, and simple, descriptive statistics using frequencies were used to analyse the data obtained from the document study. Four themes that emerged from the data are: benefits of implementing the partogram, challenges experienced, attitudes of staff and evaluation on how the guideline is being implemented in the wards, including giving feedback. These aspects were indicated as pivotal in the implementation of the guideline in monitoring a woman during labour. The findings on document study revealed gaps in recording, mostly on aspects that needed frequent observations and on aspects in which resources that needed to be used in monitoring were lacking. The strategies to improve the implementation of a guideline were developed based on the research findings, sent to one of the hospitals for review and comments were included in the discussions. It is recommended that in-service training on the implementation of the partogram be conducted regularly for midwives. Hospital management and supervisors need to provide support, enough staff and equipment in order to enable midwives to use the partogram<br>Health Studies<br>D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

碩士<br>世新大學<br>資訊管理學研究所(含碩專班)<br>97<br>After enterprises build their server clusters, the operation of enterprises will be highly related to that of server clusters. Once the server has a breakdown, enterprises will not be able to operate regularly, then making a loss. Therefore, the management of server clusters is necessary and plays an important role in maintaining regular operation of numerous server clusters. IPMI (Intelligent Platform Management Interface) is a standard of intelligent management system. We can monitor the condition in the system through the cross-platform standard interface provided by IPMI. Furthermore, we can reduce the cost of server management and effectively solve a variety of problems resulting from that the interface of server cannot be compatible with that of its accessory appliances. My research focuses primarily on establishing IPMI Firmware according with IPMI v2.0 spec on Embedded Linux. This IPMI Firmware helps us to deal with any IPMI standard commands from remote input. In addition, through IPMI over LAN we can transmit commands from management server to provide remote server cluster management, and this way helps enterprises to achieve better operating performance. As a result, server cluster management will enhance the ability to remotely monitor the hardware information in the server and the ability to turn on the remote server. Finally, server cluster management will overcome the difficulty that traditional server is unable to monitor computer hardware and remotely turn on the computer when computer system malfunctions.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>Environmental sustainability through the successful management of the impacts of forestry related activities on native wildlife in New South Wales (NSW) is a core requirement for Forests NSW, the government authority overseeing timber harvesting in the state. Populations of all native species must be protected adequately to allow their survival into the foreseeable future. A major proportion of the timber harvesting in NSW occurs along the coast and adjacent ranges of central and northern NSW. Timber is extracted using selective logging (not clearfelling) and the impacts of this activity on wildlife ameliorated through the use of strategies such as the placement of buffers around riparian sites, and the retention of hollow bearing trees, downed woody debris and undisturbed corridors of vegetation. This region, encompassing Latitudes 30o to 34o South, is dominated by native temperate wet and dry sclerophyll forests distributed along a gradient from coastal lowlands to montane areas over 1000 m. There are two families of anurans present in this region, the hylidae (approximately 25 species) and myobatrachidae (approximately 20 species), and are considered to have evolved in the region over at least 60 million years. Understanding of the effectiveness of protective measures requires a confident understanding of the habitat requirements of the frogs present in the forests so that they are used in appropriate locations. Presenting scientifically based information on the response of frogs to disturbances with these measures in place is also of primary interest to provide indications as to the effectiveness of these measures. Studies of pond breeding frogs in this region were undertaken to provide information on their habitat requirements and so direct the appropriate placement of the required protective measures. Tests were also undertaken to assess if there is an evident negative relationship between forestry disturbances and the use of ponds by frogs, indicating if current protective measures are effective. Current monitoring data was also investigated to provide insights into successful monitoring strategies for frogs which will provide the opportunity to more effectively demonstrate ecologically sustainable management of frogs into the future. Finally, records available on the distributions of frogs were used to study relationships between frog records and the current protected area system to assess its value as a means of protecting the frog species in the study region and throughout Australia. The majority of the research work undertaken was based on surveys of anurans at 93 semi-permanent and permanent ponds found in four areas: The Watagan Mountains, Bulahdelah, Wauchope and Dorrigo. Each site was surveyed on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2008, using aural and visual nocturnal searches conducted over different seasons to provide long-term information on the species using the sites. The presence and abundance of each species at each pond on each occasion was recorded as was micrometeorological data during the surveys. Each site was also visited in the day-time to collect data on variables associated with both the breeding pond and with the habitat within an 80 m radius of the site. A basic understanding of the extent and types of habitats individual frogs use is an important first step in understanding the extent of area requiring management for ongoing conservation. Published studies of frog movements were collated and reviewed to provide data on the likely habitat requirements and patterns of habitat use of frogs. The data, obtained from a 68 studies covering 50 species world-wide, indicating that in most cases (39 of 57 studies) adults have both specific breeding and non-breeding habitats. Mean distances moved from breeding to non-breeding habitats ranged from 38-1810 m and means for different anuran families falling around 300 m. Individuals in non-breeding habitat tended to restrict their activity to core areas (means from 6.3 m2 to 5099m2). This review indicated the strong need to consider both the breeding ponds and the surrounding habitat in the management of frogs. The calling seasons assigned by field guides to anuran species present within the study region are both highly variable and often vague. Therefore an objective assessment of the calling seasons of the frogs in eastern mesic NSW was developed to more accurately determine the months during which each species is most likely to call – the core calling period – and so be best surveyed. This was defined for each species as the months that covered > 90% of calling records. The 17,461 records covering 67 species provided enough information to reasonably determine the core calling periods for 46 species. Of these, 43 had clearly definable core calling seasons centred on the spring-summer months, two called year-round and one had an uncertain calling season, but probably calls year-round. Increasing latitude usually, but not always, led to a small reduction in the core calling period. This information confirmed the appropriate timing of surveys used in this study and should improve the outcomes of future research, management, and conservation. Micrometeorlogical variables such as temperature and rainfall are well recognised for their potentially significant influence on the calling activity of anurans, but this effect has been little tested in Australia. The calling records of frogs obtained through the study were compared with the micrometeorological variables temperature, humidity and (previous) 24 and 72 hour rainfall to assess how these related to calling activity. Models obtained for nine species all found calling activity to relate to at least two of these four variables. Calling showed a positive relationship with 72 hour rainfall in eight species, but no relationship for one species. Calling showed a positive relationship with 24 hour rainfall for six species, a negative relationship for two species and no relationship for one species. Temperature and humidity were found to have a mixture of positive, negative or no relationships with calling being evident. Rainfall over the previous 72 hours appears to be the best predictor consider when planning surveys. Other factors such as social environment and circannual rhythms are likely to be interacting with micrometeorology; hence the complex results. Further work is required to understand them fully. The results do indicate that surveys undertaken for this study were suitably timed to provide good results. Understanding if there are specific features of available habitats that correlate strongly with the presence/absence of frogs is important for managing frogs. This information may identify which breeding sites specific frogs are likely to use (or use in greater numbers) and habitat elements that may be critical for their survival. It may also provide indications of how human induced modifications may be affecting the frogs in an area. The presence/absence and abundance of anurans was recorded at 45 ponds in the Watagan Mountains, 100 km north of Sydney, and compared with 24 habitat variables. Only nine species occupied > 33% of the ponds. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated there was no strong community structure. Species richness at a site was related significantly to depth and % emergent vegetation, but neither provided great explanatory power, based on their parameter estimates. Total anuran abundance related significantly to 12 variables that accounted for substantial variation in the data, but all contributed small amounts. Models for the four commonest species found many variables with statistically significant relationships to the frog counts, but neither pond attributes nor surrounding habitat attributes explained large amounts of variance in the data. There was little commonality in the habitat variables significant for the four species. This study indicated that no single variable could be said to influence general anuran presence and abundance and that habitat may not play a large role in determining the presence or abundance of anurans in this system. The initial study was confined to a relatively small geographic area to minimise differences resulting from variations in altitude, climate and geology. This was followed with a generalised linear model analysis that covered the 93 sites in the four forest blocks. The comparison with the recorded anurans and habitat also considered variation in altitude, geology and habitat types and included GIS derived variables covering more landscape habitat features around the ponds (eg, moisture indices and solar radiation indices). Species richness increased significantly with increasing emergent vegetation and the presence of sandstone, and decreased as the Prescott Index (a measure of ground moisture), elevation and latitude increased. Total frog abundance increased with increasing emergent vegetation and pond area and decreased with elevation, pond density and the Prescott Index. No consistent patterns were evident between the anuran counts and the significant habitat variables. Pond shading was the variable most commonly related to the presence/abundance of individual species (appearing in models for eight species), followed by tree height (six species). Models explained up to 64% of the deviance for presence-absence and 48% for abundance, but usually explained < 35% deviance. Local scale variables account for 8/17 significantly related variables in presence models and 26/42 in abundance models. There was no pattern evident based on phylogeny and human disturbances showed little relationship with anuran counts, suggesting their influence was minimal. Managing forest frogs requires consideration of multiple scales and multiple features of the environment. No one pond fits all frogs. Not all breeding species that occur in the study area are considered common and widespread. Conservation of rare and threatened species is usually considered to be of most importance and relies on identifying their specific habitat requirements or specialisations. The heath frog, Litoria littlejohni, is a rarely observed threatened species confined to a limited area of the Watagan Mountains. It is protected by placing broad buffer zones around known breeding sites with little knowledge of how this might protect individuals. The distribution pattern of this anuran in the Watagan Mountains was assessed by comparing 12 habitat variables associated with 10 presence and 36 absence sites from the region. Logistic Regression Modelling indicated only that the species was more prevalent at ponds in forests with little grass cover (P = 0.0479, Beta = -0.1759). A logistic regression comparing GIS derived habitat features within 500 m of 61 presence and 20,000 randomly allocated absence sites located within the Sydney region indicated that the presence of the heath frog was positively associated with an increasing Prescott (Moisture) Index (Z = 4.22; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with increasing roughness of the surrounding terrain (Z = -3.62; P < 0.001). Using a regression tree to predict the presence of this species within an area, I classified presence sites (94%) based on a combination of the Prescott Index and Solar Radiation. However, these features provide only a very general ability to identify potential sites. The continued presence of the species at sites logged and burnt multiple times provides confidence that this species is able to cope with some degree of disturbance. The capacity to effectively monitor populations of anurans to detect early population changes is paramount in their ongoing management. A central requirement is to regularly assess the data being obtained to determine if the program has the statistical power to detect significant changes in population size. The power of the current monitoring program for the threatened northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) was assessed to determine its sensitivity to detect both increases and declines in the numbers of calling males being recorded at 14 sites. Based on the data collected over nine years, the power analysis indicated that only an annual decline of 7% or greater would be statistically detectable after 10 years (cumulative > 52% decline). Being able to successfully detect a 3% annual decline over ten years (25% total decline) in this population will require sixty sites to be monitored. This increase in sites could be achieved by combining data from other monitoring programs being undertaken in the region. The northern corroboree frog has consistent and easily monitored calling behaviour, yet detecting changes in numbers of calling males is difficult due to inter-year variance in counts at sites. Developing standard effective monitoring programs for “typical” species with inconsistent calling spread over long seasons will be difficult and likely require considerable resources. In addition to the application of wildlife management practices to maintain populations of amphibians in production forests, there is a need to ensure that species are adequately represented in protected areas (PAs) that can provide populations of animals that migrate into production forests to maintain metapopulations and/or genetic flows. The relative reservation status of anuran species in Australia was determined using the Australian Natural Heritage Tool Database (ANHAT), a very large database with multiple sources of anuran site records. The number of records for each species inside and outside protected areas was noted, as well the number of reserves from which each species was recorded. Given approximately 10.5% of Australia is covered by PAs, a random allocation of records would result in species having a mean 10% of records falling in PAs. The proportion of records coming from reserves was greater than expected with a mean 30% of sites per species occurring within PAs. Thirty six species had > 45% of record sites in PAs and 18 species < 10% within PAs. The majority of the latter group of species are found in < 10 reserves. Relatively poorly “reserved” species occur within northern Australia or highly productive and poorly protected agricultural belts in eastern and western Australia. All forest dwelling species from eastern NSW are relatively well recorded from the PAs. Species dependent on native vegetation prevalent in agricultural areas are the most pressing conservation issue. Forestry management practices include the use of controlled burns to reduce the incidence of high intensity and uncontrolled wildfires that threaten forest assets. The effect of these controlled burns on wildlife is widely debated. The impact of a controlled burn on anurans in the Dorrigo area was examined by comparing the trends in counts of anurans obtained at four burnt “experimental” ponds with those obtained at four unburnt “control” ponds. The analysis indicated that the trends in counts at burnt ponds and unburnt ponds did not differ. The fauna and flora of this region has evolved in an environment subjected to regular fires and the anurans present may have developed strategies to cope with low intensity fires. Current protection of anurans in forests in NSW are based around the retention of areas of undisturbed habitat, with an emphasis on protecting ponds and the adjacent 20-30 m band of vegetation. Linkage corridors of undisturbed vegetation are also required for migration. For threatened species, larger protection zones are usually set in place, often specifying the exclusion of fire as an important element in conserving species. Hydrology research indicates that 20-30 m buffer zones around breeding sites will protect water quality and such buffers will also protect individuals engaged in reproductive activities. Such a band will not provide significant protection to the surrounding forest that is used as non-breeding habitat and, where there is genuine cause for concern in regard to negative impacts of forestry activities on a species, this buffer should be expanded to a minimum 300 m. However, the studies on habitat relationships indicate that anurans in the region do not have specialised habitat requirements that may become unusable through disturbance and there were no obvious negative relationships between logging, fire or grazing and the presence/absence or abundance of anurans. In general, anurans appear to be relatively robust to the types of forest habitat modification resulting from selective logging and buffer zones greater than 20 m are not likely to be required to maintain populations in such an environment. Species with narrow habitat requirements, such as rainforest/wet forest specialists, may be the exception to this and require consideration in management plans.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)<br>Environmental sustainability through the successful management of the impacts of forestry related activities on native wildlife in New South Wales (NSW) is a core requirement for Forests NSW, the government authority overseeing timber harvesting in the state. Populations of all native species must be protected adequately to allow their survival into the foreseeable future. A major proportion of the timber harvesting in NSW occurs along the coast and adjacent ranges of central and northern NSW. Timber is extracted using selective logging (not clearfelling) and the impacts of this activity on wildlife ameliorated through the use of strategies such as the placement of buffers around riparian sites, and the retention of hollow bearing trees, downed woody debris and undisturbed corridors of vegetation. This region, encompassing Latitudes 30o to 34o South, is dominated by native temperate wet and dry sclerophyll forests distributed along a gradient from coastal lowlands to montane areas over 1000 m. There are two families of anurans present in this region, the hylidae (approximately 25 species) and myobatrachidae (approximately 20 species), and are considered to have evolved in the region over at least 60 million years. Understanding of the effectiveness of protective measures requires a confident understanding of the habitat requirements of the frogs present in the forests so that they are used in appropriate locations. Presenting scientifically based information on the response of frogs to disturbances with these measures in place is also of primary interest to provide indications as to the effectiveness of these measures. Studies of pond breeding frogs in this region were undertaken to provide information on their habitat requirements and so direct the appropriate placement of the required protective measures. Tests were also undertaken to assess if there is an evident negative relationship between forestry disturbances and the use of ponds by frogs, indicating if current protective measures are effective. Current monitoring data was also investigated to provide insights into successful monitoring strategies for frogs which will provide the opportunity to more effectively demonstrate ecologically sustainable management of frogs into the future. Finally, records available on the distributions of frogs were used to study relationships between frog records and the current protected area system to assess its value as a means of protecting the frog species in the study region and throughout Australia. The majority of the research work undertaken was based on surveys of anurans at 93 semi-permanent and permanent ponds found in four areas: The Watagan Mountains, Bulahdelah, Wauchope and Dorrigo. Each site was surveyed on multiple occasions between 2001 and 2008, using aural and visual nocturnal searches conducted over different seasons to provide long-term information on the species using the sites. The presence and abundance of each species at each pond on each occasion was recorded as was micrometeorological data during the surveys. Each site was also visited in the day-time to collect data on variables associated with both the breeding pond and with the habitat within an 80 m radius of the site. A basic understanding of the extent and types of habitats individual frogs use is an important first step in understanding the extent of area requiring management for ongoing conservation. Published studies of frog movements were collated and reviewed to provide data on the likely habitat requirements and patterns of habitat use of frogs. The data, obtained from a 68 studies covering 50 species world-wide, indicating that in most cases (39 of 57 studies) adults have both specific breeding and non-breeding habitats. Mean distances moved from breeding to non-breeding habitats ranged from 38-1810 m and means for different anuran families falling around 300 m. Individuals in non-breeding habitat tended to restrict their activity to core areas (means from 6.3 m2 to 5099m2). This review indicated the strong need to consider both the breeding ponds and the surrounding habitat in the management of frogs. The calling seasons assigned by field guides to anuran species present within the study region are both highly variable and often vague. Therefore an objective assessment of the calling seasons of the frogs in eastern mesic NSW was developed to more accurately determine the months during which each species is most likely to call – the core calling period – and so be best surveyed. This was defined for each species as the months that covered > 90% of calling records. The 17,461 records covering 67 species provided enough information to reasonably determine the core calling periods for 46 species. Of these, 43 had clearly definable core calling seasons centred on the spring-summer months, two called year-round and one had an uncertain calling season, but probably calls year-round. Increasing latitude usually, but not always, led to a small reduction in the core calling period. This information confirmed the appropriate timing of surveys used in this study and should improve the outcomes of future research, management, and conservation. Micrometeorlogical variables such as temperature and rainfall are well recognised for their potentially significant influence on the calling activity of anurans, but this effect has been little tested in Australia. The calling records of frogs obtained through the study were compared with the micrometeorological variables temperature, humidity and (previous) 24 and 72 hour rainfall to assess how these related to calling activity. Models obtained for nine species all found calling activity to relate to at least two of these four variables. Calling showed a positive relationship with 72 hour rainfall in eight species, but no relationship for one species. Calling showed a positive relationship with 24 hour rainfall for six species, a negative relationship for two species and no relationship for one species. Temperature and humidity were found to have a mixture of positive, negative or no relationships with calling being evident. Rainfall over the previous 72 hours appears to be the best predictor consider when planning surveys. Other factors such as social environment and circannual rhythms are likely to be interacting with micrometeorology; hence the complex results. Further work is required to understand them fully. The results do indicate that surveys undertaken for this study were suitably timed to provide good results. Understanding if there are specific features of available habitats that correlate strongly with the presence/absence of frogs is important for managing frogs. This information may identify which breeding sites specific frogs are likely to use (or use in greater numbers) and habitat elements that may be critical for their survival. It may also provide indications of how human induced modifications may be affecting the frogs in an area. The presence/absence and abundance of anurans was recorded at 45 ponds in the Watagan Mountains, 100 km north of Sydney, and compared with 24 habitat variables. Only nine species occupied > 33% of the ponds. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) indicated there was no strong community structure. Species richness at a site was related significantly to depth and % emergent vegetation, but neither provided great explanatory power, based on their parameter estimates. Total anuran abundance related significantly to 12 variables that accounted for substantial variation in the data, but all contributed small amounts. Models for the four commonest species found many variables with statistically significant relationships to the frog counts, but neither pond attributes nor surrounding habitat attributes explained large amounts of variance in the data. There was little commonality in the habitat variables significant for the four species. This study indicated that no single variable could be said to influence general anuran presence and abundance and that habitat may not play a large role in determining the presence or abundance of anurans in this system. The initial study was confined to a relatively small geographic area to minimise differences resulting from variations in altitude, climate and geology. This was followed with a generalised linear model analysis that covered the 93 sites in the four forest blocks. The comparison with the recorded anurans and habitat also considered variation in altitude, geology and habitat types and included GIS derived variables covering more landscape habitat features around the ponds (eg, moisture indices and solar radiation indices). Species richness increased significantly with increasing emergent vegetation and the presence of sandstone, and decreased as the Prescott Index (a measure of ground moisture), elevation and latitude increased. Total frog abundance increased with increasing emergent vegetation and pond area and decreased with elevation, pond density and the Prescott Index. No consistent patterns were evident between the anuran counts and the significant habitat variables. Pond shading was the variable most commonly related to the presence/abundance of individual species (appearing in models for eight species), followed by tree height (six species). Models explained up to 64% of the deviance for presence-absence and 48% for abundance, but usually explained < 35% deviance. Local scale variables account for 8/17 significantly related variables in presence models and 26/42 in abundance models. There was no pattern evident based on phylogeny and human disturbances showed little relationship with anuran counts, suggesting their influence was minimal. Managing forest frogs requires consideration of multiple scales and multiple features of the environment. No one pond fits all frogs. Not all breeding species that occur in the study area are considered common and widespread. Conservation of rare and threatened species is usually considered to be of most importance and relies on identifying their specific habitat requirements or specialisations. The heath frog, Litoria littlejohni, is a rarely observed threatened species confined to a limited area of the Watagan Mountains. It is protected by placing broad buffer zones around known breeding sites with little knowledge of how this might protect individuals. The distribution pattern of this anuran in the Watagan Mountains was assessed by comparing 12 habitat variables associated with 10 presence and 36 absence sites from the region. Logistic Regression Modelling indicated only that the species was more prevalent at ponds in forests with little grass cover (P = 0.0479, Beta = -0.1759). A logistic regression comparing GIS derived habitat features within 500 m of 61 presence and 20,000 randomly allocated absence sites located within the Sydney region indicated that the presence of the heath frog was positively associated with an increasing Prescott (Moisture) Index (Z = 4.22; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with increasing roughness of the surrounding terrain (Z = -3.62; P < 0.001). Using a regression tree to predict the presence of this species within an area, I classified presence sites (94%) based on a combination of the Prescott Index and Solar Radiation. However, these features provide only a very general ability to identify potential sites. The continued presence of the species at sites logged and burnt multiple times provides confidence that this species is able to cope with some degree of disturbance. The capacity to effectively monitor populations of anurans to detect early population changes is paramount in their ongoing management. A central requirement is to regularly assess the data being obtained to determine if the program has the statistical power to detect significant changes in population size. The power of the current monitoring program for the threatened northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi) was assessed to determine its sensitivity to detect both increases and declines in the numbers of calling males being recorded at 14 sites. Based on the data collected over nine years, the power analysis indicated that only an annual decline of 7% or greater would be statistically detectable after 10 years (cumulative > 52% decline). Being able to successfully detect a 3% annual decline over ten years (25% total decline) in this population will require sixty sites to be monitored. This increase in sites could be achieved by combining data from other monitoring programs being undertaken in the region. The northern corroboree frog has consistent and easily monitored calling behaviour, yet detecting changes in numbers of calling males is difficult due to inter-year variance in counts at sites. Developing standard effective monitoring programs for “typical” species with inconsistent calling spread over long seasons will be difficult and likely require considerable resources. In addition to the application of wildlife management practices to maintain populations of amphibians in production forests, there is a need to ensure that species are adequately represented in protected areas (PAs) that can provide populations of animals that migrate into production forests to maintain metapopulations and/or genetic flows. The relative reservation status of anuran species in Australia was determined using the Australian Natural Heritage Tool Database (ANHAT), a very large database with multiple sources of anuran site records. The number of records for each species inside and outside protected areas was noted, as well the number of reserves from which each species was recorded. Given approximately 10.5% of Australia is covered by PAs, a random allocation of records would result in species having a mean 10% of records falling in PAs. The proportion of records coming from reserves was greater than expected with a mean 30% of sites per species occurring within PAs. Thirty six species had > 45% of record sites in PAs and 18 species < 10% within PAs. The majority of the latter group of species are found in < 10 reserves. Relatively poorly “reserved” species occur within northern Australia or highly productive and poorly protected agricultural belts in eastern and western Australia. All forest dwelling species from eastern NSW are relatively well recorded from the PAs. Species dependent on native vegetation prevalent in agricultural areas are the most pressing conservation issue. Forestry management practices include the use of controlled burns to reduce the incidence of high intensity and uncontrolled wildfires that threaten forest assets. The effect of these controlled burns on wildlife is widely debated. The impact of a controlled burn on anurans in the Dorrigo area was examined by comparing the trends in counts of anurans obtained at four burnt “experimental” ponds with those obtained at four unburnt “control” ponds. The analysis indicated that the trends in counts at burnt ponds and unburnt ponds did not differ. The fauna and flora of this region has evolved in an environment subjected to regular fires and the anurans present may have developed strategies to cope with low intensity fires. Current protection of anurans in forests in NSW are based around the retention of areas of undisturbed habitat, with an emphasis on protecting ponds and the adjacent 20-30 m band of vegetation. Linkage corridors of undisturbed vegetation are also required for migration. For threatened species, larger protection zones are usually set in place, often specifying the exclusion of fire as an important element in conserving species. Hydrology research indicates that 20-30 m buffer zones around breeding sites will protect water quality and such buffers will also protect individuals engaged in reproductive activities. Such a band will not provide significant protection to the surrounding forest that is used as non-breeding habitat and, where there is genuine cause for concern in regard to negative impacts of forestry activities on a species, this buffer should be expanded to a minimum 300 m. However, the studies on habitat relationships indicate that anurans in the region do not have specialised habitat requirements that may become unusable through disturbance and there were no obvious negative relationships between logging, fire or grazing and the presence/absence or abundance of anurans. In general, anurans appear to be relatively robust to the types of forest habitat modification resulting from selective logging and buffer zones greater than 20 m are not likely to be required to maintain populations in such an environment. Species with narrow habitat requirements, such as rainforest/wet forest specialists, may be the exception to this and require consideration in management plans.

Dissertação de mestrado em Engineering and Industrial Management<br>In a competitive world, companies lose customers and opportunities due to lack of organisation, failure to meet dates, bad planning, among other reasons. Therefore, organisation, planning and follow-up have become essential practices for business success. Hence, project management is presented as a form to guarantee compliance with deadlines, costs reduction, sales increase, revenues growth, satisfaction of clients, among other benefits. This master dissertation was developed in Bosch Car Multimedia, at the Centre of Competence of Printed Circuit Board, CM/MFT3 section, with the main objective to develop an interface for managing and monitoring projects. The research question was: “How can the monitoring and control of projects be improved in a section of an automotive company?”. This research question was answered through the cycles of Action Research (diagnosing, planning, taking action and evaluation). Observation of the practices used in CM/MFT3, analysis of documents and meetings with CM/MFT3 collaborators were done in order to obtain a better understanding of the problem and propose improvements. Weekly meetings were also used to follow the status of the work and adjust the proposals when necessary. With the increasing number of projects under the supervision of CM/MFT3, the section had greater difficulties in monitoring projects’ status. In order to tackle the situation, it was proposed a tool for the project status control, other for the project status overview (cockpit chart) and, simultaneously, new templates were developed for risk management, so that the project management practices could be improved. All the established objectives were achieved during the development of this masters’ dissertation and there was a significant contribution to the improvement of project management practices in CM/MFT3 section at Bosch Car Multimedia in Braga.<br>Num mundo competitivo, as empresas perdem clientes e oportunidades por falta de organização, falha no cumprimento de datas, mau planeamento, entre outras razões. Assim, organização, planeamento e acompanhamento tornaram-se práticas essenciais para o sucesso empresarial. Nesse sentido, a gestão de projetos é apresentada como uma forma de garantir o cumprimento dos prazos, redução de custos, aumento de vendas, crescimento de receitas, satisfação de clientes, entre outros benefícios. Esta dissertação de mestrado foi desenvolvida na Bosch Car Multimedia, no Centro de Competência de Printed Circuit Boards, secção CM/MFT3, sendo o objetivo principal o desenvolvimento de uma interface para gestão e controlo de projetos. A questão da pesquisa foi: "Como melhorar o acompanhamento e o controlo de projetos numa seção de uma empresa automóvel?". Esta pergunta de investigação foi respondida através dos ciclos de investigação-ação (diagnóstico, planeamento, ação e avaliação). De forma a compreender melhor os problemas da secção e propor melhorias recorreu-se à observação das práticas utilizadas em CM/MFT3, análise de documentos e reuniões com os colaboradores de CM/MFT3. Ao longo do decorrer do trabalho realizaram-se reuniões semanais para acompanhar o estado do trabalho e ajustar as propostas se necessário. Com o crescente número de projetos sob supervisão de CM/MFT3, a secção tinha grandes dificuldades na monitorização do status dos projetos. A fim de resolver a situação, foi proposta uma ferramenta para o controlo do progresso dos projetos, uma ferramenta para a visão geral do status dos projetos (cockpit chart) e, simultaneamente, foram desenvolvidos novos templates para gestão do risco, a fim de melhorar as práticas de gestão de projetos da seção. Todos os objetivos estabelecidos foram alcançados durante o desenvolvimento desta dissertação de mestrado e houve um contributo significativo para a melhoria das práticas de gestão de projetos na seção CM/MFT3 da Bosch Car Multimedia em Braga.

Considerable investment into tropical forest management for carbon sequestration is now demanding an improved understanding of the state of these forests. This includes management options for forest protection or restoration, as well as addressing the needs of forest dependent communities that forego forest exploitation. These needs are particularly acute in the Papua New Guinea, which houses large tracks of relatively intact tropical forests. This thesis aims to address these need by 1) reviewing global carbon stocks and fluxes in tropical forests and providing an assessment of seven forest carbon management practices, 2) examining the relationship between above ground biomass (AGB) and environmental factors through an extensive field campaign in the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) along a 3,100m elevation gradient, 3) assessing the potential for engaging local people to monitor forest carbon stocks by evaluating the robustness of data collected by locally-based monitoring programs and 4) exploring mechanisms to incorporate the needs of forest-dependent people into land-use planning for lowered carbon emissions by testing an approach that integrates socioeconomic datasets into a more traditional biophysical land-use planning model. The seven carbon management or 'recarbonization' practices reviewed in Chapter 2 exhibit a large variation in carbon sequestration potential. These potential to sequester carbon was positively associated with levels of land degradation and resource input. Given the distinct co-benefits, risks and costs associated with each practice, the review outlines the potential for government, community, conservation and industry initiatives to profit from recarbonization strategies. The review summarizes the benefits of incentivizing a variety of recarbonization actions and moving beyond the current focus on forest protection. Research conducted along a forested elevation gradient in Papua New Guinea, presented in Chapter 3 of this thesis; found that climatic and edaphic variables were poor predictors of AGB. Instead, natural disturbance was the most significant predictor of AGB. From sampling AGB on very steep forest slopes, up to 80° slope, this research demonstrates for the first time that slope angle can be used to predict the occurrence of natural disturbance and in turn, forest biomass. This finding can be used to further improve models that estimate AGB at the landscape scale, especially in montane areas. Chapter 3 presents the first field assessment of forest carbon stores in the three main forest types in PNG (Lowland, Montane and Upper-montane) along with secondary grasslands; revealing the highest carbon stocks yet recorded in high altitude forests anywhere in the world. High forest-carbon stocks were best explained by the distribution of a large number of tree species found above 2,200 m asl, which grew to exceptional girth and height. The presence of large trees in high altitude tropical cloud forests is generally uncommon; the large trees in the study coincided with a set of optimal climatic conditions similar to those found in temperate maritime areas which contain the largest trees on Earth. This research challenges the common belief that high altitude tropical forests are stunted and low, with low carbon stocks, and highlights the value of conducting fieldwork in difficult-to-access montane areas. Involving local people in monitoring forest-carbon stocks could potentially increase monitoring capacity in developing countries, which currently falls short of the requirements by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Chapter 4 of this thesis assessed the robustness of locally-based monitoring programs by designing a training program that aimed to teach forest-biomass inventory protocols to people with little or no formal education but with remarkable 'traditional' ecological knowledge about their forests. Three communities were involved in the study, and a total of 4,481 'expert' and 'non-expert' measurement pairs of tree diameter, tree height, numbers of trees and plot surface area were compared from 41 sites. The results demonstrate that biomass estimates by experts and non-experts were not statistically different and thus community-based monitoring could be used overcome barriers to reducing forest-carbon emissions in developing countries. The study takes a hierarchical approach to track the types of error in the field that lead to the largest discrepancy in biomass at the landscape scale, and demonstrates that the most common errors are not the most significant errors. In particular the research highlights the importance of accurate recording of measurements on large trees, especially height, and underscores the disproportionate effect on AGB estimates when single large trees are missed from an inventoried plot. This research demonstrates that targeting those errors that cause the large discrepancies could serve to improve forest biomass inventories and training protocols for experts and non-experts alike. Ensuring the viability of forest carbon projects not only requires a sound knowledge of their carbon stock and an ability to monitor changes in carbon stocks over time, it also requires the implementation of management interventions that are locally relevant and considers the needs of people affected by any interventions. However, integrating societal needs within forest management strategies remains difficult because of the lack of tools for linking socio-economic data to land-use planning models. Chapter 5 explores protection and restoration actions in a landscape where people depend on forests for their livelihood. The study integrates socio-economic data from Poverty Environment Network (PEN) surveys into a more traditional biophysical framework that includes land-cover change analysis along with soil and vegetation carbon stocks associated with different land-use types. Including socioeconomic variables significantly altered the scope for emissions reduction, partly because the land-use types not only varied in carbon stocks but also because of the essential environmental products and services they provided to communities. Moreover, the research highlights the importance of local threats to carbon stores in the study area, with per capita fuelwood extraction exceeding emissions from fossil fuel, cement and anthropogenic fires as the main source of emissions in the region, in the absence of industrial logging. These results suggest that the inclusion of fire management in Upper-montane forest should be a priority for emissions reduction in the study region and potentially in PNG as whole. Moreover, the results demonstrate the additional carbon benefits of establishing coffee plantations that use the native Casuarina, a common shade tree used in PNG. These shade trees store three times more carbon per volume than the most commonly used shade tree species in coffee plantations worldwide. By using some of the societal-environmental synergies identified in this research, PNG could become an important contributor to the global fight to curb anthropogenic carbon emissions, while also improving the livelihoods of the PNG population that depends on, owns, or manage these forests, as they have for millennia.

碩士<br>元智大學<br>工業工程研究所<br>89<br>The processes of wafer fabrication are complicated and have characters of re-entrant and rework. The lots will entry the same machine groups around 10 ~ 30 times and contains 400 ~ 600 steps. It’s process characters cause difficulties in production management. Hence, how to use a monitoring and control system to simplify controlling production progress are the key improvement concerns for major production management. In this research, a Production Monitoring and Control System by Managing the Key Machines was proposed to improve the above production problem. This system is based on section management and sectors setting up. By these sectors definitions, supervisors could catch all information of production progress instantaneously. By the messages of target achieving sector dispatching rule is developed to enhance target acievement. The results showed that this Production Monitoring and Control System could clearly provide the information of production and improve due-date fulfillment. It also improved line balance and avoided The End-of the Month Syndrome.

The World Health Organization states that childhood malnutrition remains a critical but preventable public health problem. The condition contributes to a large percentage of morbidity and mortality in children below five years of age. The health and development of this age group is monitored in the Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) program. The GMP is a focus area of the Integrated Nutrition Programme, which is a nutrition strategy located within the Primary Health Care framework. The Growth Monitoring and Promotion service implements, within the Child Health service, strategies and interventions that aim to improve the nutritional status of children below the age of five. The identification, surveillance and monitoring of undernourished children relies heavily on information gathered at primary health care level. Factors such as difficulties in compiling statistics and in following up on malnourished children, and lack of expertise and time for counselling the caregiver, can result in the GMP service being less effective. The aim of this study was to answer the following question: What factors, identified from the experiences of Child Health Nurses, have an effect on the quality of the GMP service? To answer this question, three objectives were formulated: these were to explore and describe the experiences of the Child Health Nurses in managing malnourished children in the GMP service, and to identify the challenges facing them in the service. Recommendations for improvement would also be found from the Child Health nurses. To achieve the study objectives, a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach was used as a research design to investigate the GMP service from the perspective of Child Health Nurses who run the child health clinics. A purposive sampling method was used to select participants for in-depth interviews. The population consisted of 14 Child Health Nurses. Interviews were conducted and data saturation was achieved after 6 interviews. Data were analysed using a thematic content analysis approach. The study found that information exchange forms a major part of the GMP service and has the components of counselling, recoding and reporting. Another finding was that there are organisational factors which affect the effectiveness of the service, relating to human and material resources, amongst others. Emotional consequences of the factors were also found to play a part. Conclusions reached from the findings were that the sharing of information played a major role in the GMP service, but could be hindered by challenges mainly stemming from service-related factors which could affect provision of the service. These included limited opportunity to engage appropriately with parents, inadequate record keeping, shortage of human and material supplies and factors related to parents and caregivers. Emotional consequences – either from the poor growth of the child, or the unfavourable conditions which affect the service – could also affect both parents or service providers. Suggestions for the improvement of the service were elicited from the study participants, as well as recommendations for further research from the researcher.

The research described herein is composed of four major areas of practice. It examines the overall performance of runways and provides tools designed to improve current runway operations and management with particular emphasis on contaminated surfaces. Presented in this thesis is an overview of how to design airport pavements in order to achieve optimal friction by specifically focusing on material selection and construction techniques for rigid and flexible pavements. Rubber buildup and the impact rubber accumulation has on decreasing runway friction, particularly in a range of climatic conditions, is discussed. Four commonly used rubber removal techniques are presented and evaluated. Through this research, an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) decision making protocol was developed for incorporation into airport pavement management systems (APMS). Runway surface condition reporting practices used at the Region of Waterloo International Airport are evaluated and recommendations for improving current practices are identified. Runway surface condition reporting can be improved by removing subjectivity, reporting conditions to pilots in real time, standardizing terminology and measurement techniques, and including runway pictures or sketches to identify contaminant locations where possible. Reports should be incorporated and stored in the APMS. Aircraft braking systems and their effects on landing distances under contaminated conditions are discussed. This thesis presents a proposed solution for monitoring and measuring contaminated runway surfaces and identifying the risks associated with aircraft landing through using the Braking Availability Tester (BAT). Also proposed in this thesis is a testing framework for validating the Braking Availability Tester. The proposed BAT measures interaction between aircraft antiskid braking systems and runway contaminants to determine landing distances more accurately. Finally, this thesis includes a discussion explaining how pavement design, contaminant removal, results from friction tests, and results from the BAT can be incorporated into airport pavement management systems. APMS data can be analyzed to economically optimize and prioritize scheduling of pavement maintenance, preservation and rehabilitation treatments to maintain a high level of service, thereby contributing to runway safety and optimization.

abstract: Since its inception in 1973, the Endangered Species Act has been met with both praise and criticism. More than 40 years later, the Act is still polarizing, with proponents applauding its power to protect species and critics arguing against its perceived ineffectiveness and potential mismanagement. Recovery plans, which were required by the 1988 amendments to the Act, play an important role in organizing efforts to protect and recover species under the Act. In 1999, in an effort to evaluate the process, the Society for Conservation Biology commissioned an independent review of endangered species recovery planning. From these findings, the SCB made key recommendations for how management agencies could improve the recovery planning process, after which the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service redrafted their recovery planning guidelines. One important recommendation called for recovery plans to make threats a primary focus, including organizing and prioritizing recovery tasks for threat abatement. Here, I seek to determine the extent to which SCB recommendations were incorporated into these new guidelines, and if, in turn, the recommendations regarding threats manifested in recovery plans written under the new guidelines. I found that the guidelines successfully incorporated most SCB recommendations, except those that addressed monitoring. As a result, recent recovery plans have improved in their treatment of threats, but still fail to adequately incorporate threat monitoring. This failure suggests that developing clear guidelines for monitoring should be an important priority in future ESA recovery planning.<br>Dissertation/Thesis<br>M.S. Biology 2014

MSc (Med), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011<br>BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a global epidemic with growing numbers of people on highly active anti‐retroviral therapy (HAART) programmes. Effectiveness of treatment needs to be monitored to ensure the uncompromised well being of patients. This is currently done using both Viral Load (VL) and CD4 cell counts for HAART initiation and follow‐up. Although VL is the best predictor of disease progression it is often too expensive for monitoring patients in resource‐limited settings. There is thus a need for a cheaper, more accessible alternative to monitor long term patient response to therapy. METHODS: This study evaluated the use of a recently described flow cytometric assay of CD38 expression (previously developed at the Johannesburg Flow Cytometry Reference Laboratory) in a cohort of HIV+ patients failing 1st line therapy, who were subsequently enrolled onto 2nd line HAART. CD38 and CD8 were “piggy ‐backed” onto the PLG/CD4 protocol and mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the CD8/38 expression was monitored longitudinally. Patterns of CD38 expression were compared to 1st line treatment observations to establish equivalence in the predictive power of CD38 expression of fluctuation in viral load on 2nd line treatment patients. In addition, the effect of sample age on assay accuracy was tested before implementation of the CD38 assay at a secondary testing site. RESULTS: The patterns observed in the cohort of 2nd line therapy patients mirrored patterns previously seen in 1st line therapy with 55% of patients showing a continuous decline in CD38 MFI that mimicked changes in VL. The remaining 33% of patients had non‐specific increases in CD38 MFI without concurrent increases in VL and one patient showed irregular VL and CD38 MFI (non‐responder). The CD38 assay showed acceptable accuracy and reproducibility up to 48 hours after venesection (%CV<5%). Implementation at the secondary testing site was successful with 98% similarity (%CV<5%) compared to the reference laboratory. CONCLUSION: CD38 monitoring of 2nd line therapy patients showed comparable patterns to observations in 1st line therapy patients. The assay proved stable over time and easy to implement at another PLG/CD4 testing facility. As such, the CD38 assay offers a cost‐effective, reliable real time supplementary test to long‐term VL monitoring of HIV infected patients on the national ART programme.

. This investigation focuses on the leadership role of the principal in managing and supporting curriculum change in South African schools. The results reveal that principals are required to initiate change and to lead the curriculum change process in schools. Principals are expected to monitor, manage and evaluate the implementation of OBE in their schools. They also need to provide ongoing support to colleagues and are further required to acquire and employ skills, qualities, characteristics and a management style that is suitable for the OBE leader. This investigation recommends that for principals to manage and support curriculum change effectively in South African schools: • Principals are in need of more training and ongoing support • Commitment and support to the outcomes based curriculum is called for • Skills and qualities, for effective leadership, needs to be acquired and employed • A strategy to manage, monitor, support and evaluate curriculum implementation in the school is needed.<br>Educational Leadership and Management<br>M.Ed. (Educational Management)

The National Senior Certificate Grade 12 results in the Pinetown District between 2010 and 2015 revealed that a number of township and rural schools are struggling to obtain an overall 60% pass rate. But some schools in similar circumstances managed to achieve above this pass percentage. The study sought to enquire about the role of school management teams (SMTs) in managing factors that influenced learner academic performance in Grade 12 examinations The study was conducted in three purposely selected public schools that each surpassed the 60 percent overall pass in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in the Pinetown District, KwaZulu-Natal. The study employed a qualitative approach and was located in the interpretive paradigm. Data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The identities of all respondents were protected. Upon analysis of results, several measures the schools applied emerged. Topics for future research are also suggested.<br>Educational Leadership and Management<br>M. Ed. (Education Management)