Search

This dissertation investigates the child language acquisition of Kosraean (ISO 639-3 kos) and English (ISO 639-3 eng) on the island of Kosrae of the Federated States of Micronesia, with the aim of assessing the current vitality status of Kosraean and its strength compared to English. The concerns raised by the community regarding child proficiency in both languages as well as the fact that the native language, Kosraean, is evaluated as safe on the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, but threatened on the Language Endangerment Index, motivates this research. A leading indicator of possible language attrition is whether children are acquiring that language, therefore this dissertation assesses intergenerational transmission in each language, and determines whether English is influencing Kosraean acquisition. By utilizing the foundations of the Tool for Intergenerational Transmission Assessment, I was able to measure language attitudes, and lexical and grammatical acquisition. The results ultimately show that Kosraean is the dominant language in the community, but there are signs that English is influencing language use at all levels tested. In reevaluating Kosraean using the language scales with the new primary data, the language should be considered vulnerable and not threatened or safe as previously stated. The findings of this dissertation are intended to support the Kosraean community in their endeavors to enact thoughtful and effective bilingual language policies. Furthermore, this dissertation fills a gap in linguistic research since Kosraean is an understudied language, and I hope it can serve the broader linguistic needs of progressing the methods used to evaluate languages and approaches for the assessment of intergenerational transmission. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

With positive outcomes from medical treatments, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are to date the best-selling biologics in the pharmaceutical market. The fact that a lot of blockbuster drugs are facing the period of patent cliffs and patents of many of them are due to expire in the next 5 years, places an urgency for better, cheaper and more efficient bioproduction processes, as well as the development of novel drugs and biosimilars. To address to this issue, application of the Quality by Design paradigm that was introduced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is of paramount importance. Medical values and safety of monoclonal antibodies have been reported to rely on the carbohydrate structures that are attached to the mAb N-linked glycosylation site on each constant region. Fc-N-linked glycosylation is considered as a critical quality attribute (CQA) of these therapeutic proteins under the scope of Quality by Design. It was also reported that different bioprocess conditions during recombinant mAb production directly impact glycan compositions and their distribution on the molecules, although the mechanism behind this change is not fully understood. This lack of understanding limits process design and optimisation. To address this issue we examined the effect of mild hypothermia (32oC) and the different recombinant expression systems on mAb N-linked glycosylation, using experiments, flux balance analysis (FBA) and mechanistic modelling to identify resulting differences in cell metabolism. A defined mathematical model that mechanistically and quantitatively describes CHO cell behaviour and metabolism, mAb synthesis and its N-linked glycosylation profiles before and after the induction of mild hypothermia in SGE and TGE expression systems was also constructed, which we believe is the first quantitative model that relates mild hypothermia and TGE system to the four elements mentioned above. Not only does the model aid understanding of the way bioprocess conditions affect product quality, it also provides a platform for bioprocess design, control and optimisation in industry and helps the implementation of the Quality by Design principles. Results obtained from our computational studies suggested glycosyltransferases to be the key players for changes observed among different bioprocess conditions, based on results obtained from this thesis we then manipulated the expression of galactosyltransferase in particular, through a proof-of-concept experiment using miRNAs.

This research takes a social constructivist approach to investigate the relationship between people’s perceptions of disaster risk and their responses in disaster-prone cities of the Global South. This is important because the effects of risk perceptions on the ways that people respond to disaster risk remains unclear and has been labelled ‘weak’ within the disaster studies literature. Furthermore, this lack of clarity has contributed to the marginalisation of people at risk from contributing to interventions that address disaster risk, which this research finds problematic. Therefore, a better understanding of how people perceive their risk and how this shapes their responses would help inform more effective and multi-scalar interventions to address disaster risk. The research takes place in three adjacent neighbourhoods of Cochabamba city, Bolivia. Within this ‘case site’, the house is used as a methodological tool to investigate how people’s risk perceptions shape their responses to disaster risk. In particular, the research explores how risk perceptions influence the way people design and construct self-build houses in order to reduce their risk of a disaster. The focus on housing construction represents a novel way of exploring the relationship between risk perceptions and disaster risk-reduction behaviour. The research takes place in the context of persistent, low-intensity natural hazards that are linked to disaster risk which incrementally increases over time. This marks a shift away from the many studies that investigate rapid-onset, extreme hazards that quickly overwhelm people’s capabilities and which are associated with crisis and urgency. Additionally, the research is concerned with small-scale disasters, which again marks a shift away from the disaster studies literature which principally focuses on large-scale disasters that result in many casualties, large economic loss and which affect a large geographical area. The research ultimately shows that whether a risk perception is high or low is not the most important factor; rather, it is an individual’s awareness and understanding of disaster risk that encourages long-term and anticipatory strategies that require significant investments in the house. Furthermore, the research argues that research which describes the relationship between risk perceptions and responses as ‘weak’ forecloses the nuances and complexity of human behaviour in disaster-prone contexts because it does not capture the subtle yet important ways that risk perceptions shape responses.

Approximately 40 years after HIV was first identified it remains a major global health issue. Stigma is one of the most pervasive barriers to HIV prevention and treatment. Research shows how power, identity, and space are key concepts that shape stigma. Against this background, this thesis brings these concepts into conversation with one another to build an original analytical framework. This framework is used to investigate how HIV-related stigma is produced and experienced, and the implications stigma has for healthcare access. The research is placed in the disruptive context of a disaster, where power, identity, and space may shape stigma over a shortened period of time. Data were collected over six months in 2018 in Lilongwe city, Malawi. A mixed-methods approach (semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) was applied across two urban settlements - Kawale and Mtandire - that had recently been affected by rapid-onset floods. 114 semi-structured interviews were completed with a diverse range of participants, including people living with HIV, key populations, HIV-negative people, representatives of social institutions, healthcare workers, and community leaders. The original framework for stigma enables this thesis to unearth new insights into how stigma is produced, expressed, and experienced. The research makes several key contributions. First, it presents a novel analytical framework, which can be applied to other stigmatised attributes and contexts in future research. Second, this research reveals how HIV-related stigma is socially produced within social institutions to enforce compliance with public health guidance. Third, the findings confirm that, once produced, stigma narratives are not universally experienced in the same way. How stigma is expressed and experienced is influenced by the multiple layers of a person's identity and how their identity interacts with the space in which they are located. Fourth, this research discovers how rapid changes to physical and social spaces, in disaster contexts, exacerbate stigma and hinder people's healthcare access. This emphasises how stigma-based HIV prevention campaigns are largely counterproductive to public health goals. Fifth, this research challenges representations of stigmatised people as passive victims. The findings reveal how people have agency to strategically avoid and/or resist their stigmatisation. These strategies are shaped by social processes relating to power, identity, and space, and have important implications for healthcare access. Based on these findings, this thesis makes key recommendations for HIV and stigma reduction policies. In particular, people-centred and context-specific interventions are recommended to achieve progress towards global HIV targets.

The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was introduced into mainland China in 1982 and Renmin University of China was one of the first Chinese business schools to start MBA education. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the MBA degree programs for Chinese career managers. However during this time in mainland China, international accreditation of MBA degree programs was not in place and there was no evaluation model utilized for quality assurance of those programs especially their assessment practices. Thus the situation merited further research to develop such a model. This study initially investigated the assessment practices of a 2-year part-time MBA degree program in China. To complete this program, the candidates had to study 17 core subjects plus 3-out-of-6 elective subjects and conduct an action research project leading to a master thesis and a viva. The assessment practices of these subjects, theses and viva were analyzed both from the perspectives of the candidates and the examiners and this formed the basis of the research and evaluative data. In this research, the Student Learning Experiences (SLE) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) of the MBA candidates were collected as well as the perceptions and views of the internal and external examiners. The “quality” of the subject program through the study of the candidates’ theses and performance in the viva against the criteria of the Asia International Open University (Macau) and the assessments made by its examiners were also investigated. A pilot study by means of Pearson and ANOVA Analysis revealed that the students (n = 1,074) of the subject program had favorable Student Learning Experiences on the learning and research processes but less favorable Student Learning Experiences on the appraisal process. From 2007 to 2008, the author further sampled 331 candidates from 20 higher education institutions within mainland China. Those candidates, who attended the viva, had the Student Learning Experiences that was studied in this research. From the perspectives of the candidates, the subject program provided favorable Student Learning Experiences particularly the action research and the viva voce. The author explored the candidates’ Student Learning Experiences on the research or assessment processes and analyzed their Student Learning Outcomes through the thesis supervisors and examiners. In the sampling period, the author held 23 focus group interviews with all the available examiners and the registrars. To add value to the interpretive part of this study, the author further analyzed the sampled candidates’ Student Learning Experiences and Student Learning Outcomes (n = 331) with the aid of Pearson’s Analysis, ANOVA, Dunnett’s tD Test, S-N-K Test and Tukey HSD Test (n = 67). Qualitative and quantitative data analysis disclosed that the less favorable Student Learning Experiences of the candidates was partially attributed to the marking variances of the thesis supervisors and the thesis examiners. The former regarded the assessment task of marking the thesis as a norm-referenced assessment while the latter regarded it as a criteria-referenced or an objective-referenced assessment. Findings of the statistical tests on the marking variances showed that the thesis supervisors were more lenient than the examiners in the assessment task. Focus group interviews revealed that the examiners wished to maintain key characteristic of formative and summative as well as diagnostic assessment in the marking processes. It is difficult for any assessment to have three characteristics. Nevertheless, it might not be impossible for a management education program to have an integrated assessment program that could do the work of these types of assessment. This study identified nine areas for improvements. They included (1) Scope of Action Research, (2) Compilation of Thesis, (3) Reflection of Candidates, (4) Pre-Notification of Assessments, (5) Elimination of Marking Variances, (6) Change of Assessment Process, (7) Transformation of Students, (8) Benchmarking of Student Learning Outcomes, and (9) Development of Management Learning Styles. Based on the results of this research, a program evaluation model for quality assurance of an MBA program is proposed. This model is based on the identified needs to assure the quality of a management education program through robust assessment practices that measure whether the program can achieve the desired Student Learning Outcomes. This model also includes quality assurance tools to measure the Student Learning Experiences in the program. With due consideration of Student Learning Outcomes and Student Learning Experiences, the assessment practices should give a more holistic view of the educational quality of the program. However, such a model should be applied in an integrated manner. Recommendations for its application are detailed in the last chapter of this dissertation. The proposed model contributes to the wide body of knowledge in “program evaluation”; and also enhances the knowledge base of educators who wish to cultivate effective career managers in mainland China. Thus, this research also makes an important contribution to the professional practices of management education.

An Asian governmental organization of over 5,000 staff once employed a Performance Management System that was characterized by the adoption of ‘Core-Competency’ and ‘Forced Distribution’ Approaches. The former Approach assumed that a menu of ‘Core-Competency’ was applicable and relevant to the performance appraisals of the employees in the same rank regardless to their respective job settings. The latter Approach aimed to regulate the distribution of Overall Performance Ratings in every Annual Performance Appraisal Exercise. To ensure adoption of these Approaches, ‘Assessment Panel’ was also integrated as ‘Appraisal Cop’ into the subject Performance Management System. Besides, the Performance Appraisal Forms and ‘Assessment Panel’ were featured by multi-raters and collective assessments in performance appraisal. After two years of implementation, it was the right time to evaluate the effectiveness of these Approaches in managing performance. This Action Research revealed that the senior management of the subject organization had the determination to enhance its human resources functions. A Performance Management System was formalized in the hope of better managing the human resources of the subject organization. However, the concept of Performance Management System within the subject organization apparently remained on Performance Appraisal. Obviously, the inventor(s) of the subject System believed that a Performance Appraisal Form bearing the signatures of an Appraising Officer, a Countersigning Officer and a Reviewing Officer would be more justified and defendable. Furthermore, Performance Appraisals regulated by an ‘Assessment Panel’ would be seen to be fair and more convincing. However, Performance Appraisal in the subject organization was sometimes instrumentalized by a form signed by multi-raters. Those people involved in the appraisal processes appeared to be bound by a bureaucratic mechanism. Some of them were even trapped in a false belief of ‘Forced Distribution’. To achieve the ultimate mission of a formalized Performance Management System, Performance Management Cycle should be developed. It came to light that Performance Management Cycle should be regarded as the essence of such a formalized Performance Management System. It could highlight the communicative and interactive components of an effective Performance Management System. Furthermore, ‘Assessment Panel’ should not act as an ‘Appraisal Cop’ in performance appraisal. Instead, it would be better for the ‘Assessment Panel’ to play an arbitrary role in performance appraisals or intervene into the Performance Management System as an appeal mechanism. In addition, appraisal training of 5Ws and 1H should be promoted within the subject organization. Either the appraisers or the appraisees need training thus facilitating their communication and interaction in the process(es) of performance management. Human Resources Management practitioners may find the findings and recommendations of this Action Research of immense value in managing effective performance.

Coal-derived asphaltenes and preasphaltenes from a coal liquefaction residue from the H-Coal (Illinois No. 6 Coal) Process were separated by solvent extraction. The asphaltenes were further fractionated by gel permeation chromatography and chemical means into fractions of different molecular size and chemical nature. The asphaltenes and preasphaltenes were characterized by elemental analysis, vapor pressure osmometry, proton NMR and neutron activation analysis. The size and shape of the asphaltene and preasphaltene miscelles in solution were determined from small angle X-ray scattering measurements and the effects of concentration, asphaltene characteristics and molecular weight, solvent properties and agitation established. The size was determined from the scattered intensity as a function of angles. The X-ray analysis of model asphaltene compounds (o-phenylphenol, and quinoline) in solution showed that only the associated micelles scatter X-rays. The associated micelles were found to be around 29-38 (ANGSTROM). They were best fit statistically as spherical micelles. The higher the concentration of the asphaltene molecules that would associate, the greater the intensity and the greater the numbers of associated micelles. Hydrogen bonding solvents like m-cresol were found to disperse the asphaltenes and preasphaltenes while decalin promoted association, yielding more micelles and micelles of bigger size. The higher molecular weight asphaltenes with their higher heteroatom content and greater aromaticity yielded larger micelles. Asphaltenes exist as a floc under certain conditions as was evidenced by the ultrasonic agitation data. The colloidal behavior of the coal-derived asphaltenes and preasphaltenes was discussed. Heteroatom content, metal content and aromaticity are major contributing factors for association of asphaltenes and preasphaltenes in solution. Hydrogen bonding and (pi)-(pi) bonding are important in the initial association stage of asphaltenes and preasphaltenes while London-Van der Waal's attraction is more prominent in the final association stage.

This study investigates the determinants of status achievements in education and occupation, focusing on status-relevant consequences of differential fertility. Specifically, an analysis is conducted of the relationship between family structure and children's status achievement in Taiwan, a country undergoing rapid social change. Using path analysis, this study attempts to measure the magnitude and direction of the influences of family structure and background variables on children's status achievements and to explain the mechanisms involved. Applying multi-level analysis, this study tries to systematize the nature of the dependence of siblings' status achievement on the family. Employing analysis of variance, this study produces an intraclass correlation to measure the degree of resemblance among siblings on education and occupation. The path analysis indicates that the relationship between family size and children's education varies from one age cohort to another and is significant only for children below age 35. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that the trade-off between quality and quantity of children varies with the stage of social change. Father's education and children's age are found to be the most important predictors of children's education; while the effect of the proportion of male siblings in the family on children's education varies by sex and age cohort. Mean birth interval and birth order are also found to significantly affect children's education. Education is the most important predictor for occupational status of employed males and variables of social origins are found to influence occupational status in an indirect manner through education. The results of multi-level analysis indicate that family exerts much greater effect on siblings' status achievements than do personal characteristics. About onel-half of the variance explained by family membership can be accounted for by a set of simple family background variables. Within each size sibling group, siblings show a substantial degree of resemblance in education and occupational status. Intraclass correlation measured by the family factor is substantially larger than that measured by the birth order. Overall, the family structure and background variables explain only a small proportion of variance in the level of homogeneity from one sibling group to another.

The expedient introduction of emerging construction technologies into practice is one of the most effective methods for improving product quality and decreasing costs. For advanced technology to be incorporated in the construction industry, it must first be identified and evaluated during the design and construction planning phases. However, the industry still lacks an efficient system for the rapid identification and evaluation of potential technology solutions. Even though information proliferates, it is too unstructured to be readily used at a moment's notice. This lack of organization, when coupled with the natural human tendency to stay with the tried and true, is probably the major cause of the slow rate of technology transfer and adaptation in the construction industry. The situation can obviously be improved by providing the industry with a sufficient information management system. This system must have a convenient user interface and an integrated data structure which encompasses all the technology information that might be required for planning and design decisions, while satisfying the users' needs for various degrees of detail at different design and planning stages. The research proposes a construction technology information system (CTIS) that can meet the above requirements. The semantic data model (SDM) is used for representing the conceptual schemata of construction technology information. It is a first attempt to explicitly specify the technologies and their relationships using an object-oriented approach. There are several benefits to this approach: it is easy to construct a hierarchical structure that can satisfy the various needs at different design and planning stages and a huge, integrated information system can readily be developed by identifying technology objects and their relationships. A CTIS prototype developed in this research demonstrates the sufficiency of the object-oriented approach. The prototype was implemented using a hypertext-structured database system which also adheres to the object-oriented concept. Objects are used to store all possible forms of data types, including text, graphics, etc., and relationships are regarded as explicit links which let users search and browse the "information space". Due to its modularity, future extensions of the system can be done easily.

This study investigates the UNIX? make command and its related systems. An extended system built upon the make command and named "makec" is designed and implemented. Makec supports the functions of creating makefiles and checking makefiles. The makefiles created by makec can be used for project maintenance without any modification. Some version 7 UNIX system makefiles were checked by makec and were found to be in error. These results indicate the potential importance of makec.

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of dietary arginine on mammary gland development in gravid and nongravid rats. Dietary arginine ranged from 0% to 0.75%. All rats were weighed and euthanized within 8 h after parturition. Both mature and nongravid rats fed arginine-free diets remained in positive nitrogen balance but lost body weight. However, as little as 0.15% dietary arginine increased nitrogen retention nearly 3-fold and prevented weight loss. Number of pups born and their birth weight were not affected by dietary arginine. Consumption of an arginine-free diet during gestation significantly reduced mammary gland weight and mammary gland weight as a percent of body weight. Depression in mammary gland weight was associated with depressed significantly mammary RNA and DNA concentrations. However, the RNA:DNA ratio was not affected by dietary arginine. Increased mammary mass and nucleic acid content was not attributed to increased feed intake, since feed intake of gestating rats increased only 35% while arginine intake increased by 300%. Restricting feed intake by pair-feeding resulted in body weight loss; however, mammary gland mass and nucleic acid content were significantly higher than that of rats fed an arginine free diet. Arginase and S-adenosyl-L-decarboxylase activities were not affected by dietary arginine concentration. Arginine level significantly affected ornithine decarboxylase activity, but the effect was inconsistent. There was a high correlation between ornithine decarboxylase activity and RNA concentration. Restricting arginine or feed intake during early gestation followed by excess intake of arginine or feed resulted in compensatory growth of rat mammary glands. Arginine requirement for nongravid and gravid rats based upon nitrogen retention and body weight gain was estimated to be 0.21% and 0.55%, respectively. This study demonstrated that dietary arginine is required for optimal mammary gland development during gestation. It appears that the effect of arginine is not mediated directly via ornithine decarboxylase.