39 research outputs found
Redescription and redefinition of the genus Chiltana Shakila-Mushtaq & Akbar, 1995 (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Dictyopharidae, Dictyopharini), with description of a new species from Pakistan
No full textThe genus Chiltana Shakila-Mushtaq & Akbar, 1995 is redescribed and redefined based on the types and new material from Pakistan. Chiltana includes two species, C. acarinata sp. n. and C. baluchi Shakila-Mushtaq & Akbar, 1995 (the type species), both from Chiltan, Balochistan, Pakistan. A key to the species of the genus is provided. Nomenclatorial remarks on original publication, author, and date of Chiltana are given
A study of RNA synthesis and its control in isolated macronuclei from Tetrahymena
No full text1. Using the initiation inhibitors rifamycin AF/013 and heparin, it has been shown that isolated macronuclei from Tetrahymena are not capable of reinitiating RNA synthesis in vitro in the absence of cytoplasm. However, they do appear to be able to elongate RNA chains that were initiated in vivo.
2. Macronuclei were found to be able to synthesize discrete species of RNA under standard assay conditions. These RNA species have been characterised so far only in terms of their sizes. The species of RNA which have been observed on gel electrophoresis are 25S, 17S, 15-8S and 4-5S, together with one or two additional minor species.
The 15-OS broad band, tentatively identified as mRNA, was only observed as a discrete peak in experiments in which nuclei were incubated in the presence of heparin. The other peaks have S values similar to ribosomal RNAs (25S, 17S and 5S) and transfer RNA (4S) as characterised in iri vivo experiments.
3. It has been shown that Tetrahymena contains separate pools of free and template engaged RNA polymerase I and II. The size of these pools depends on the physiological state of the cells (growth conditions). Macronuclei from starved cells had 17% of the transcriptional activity of those from exponential cells, but it was shown that the former nuclei had a greater ratio of free to engaged RNA polymerase than the latter.
4. RNA synthesis in isolated macronuclei from exponential cells was stimulated on addition of cytoplasmic extract from rapidly dividing Tetrahymena cells. The stimulation was not very great and amounted to only 35% above control. However, RNA synthesis in macronuclei isolated from starved Tetrahymena cells was stimulated 100% by cytoplasmic extract from exponential cells.
It was also shown that RNA synthesis in isolated macronuclei could be stimulated by the cytoplasmic extracts obtained from Xenopus oocytes and chick embryo. The extent of stimulation in this case was about 80%.
It was concluded that at least some of the factors stimulating nuclear transcription were not species specific
The effects of unaided augmentative and alternative communication interventions on communication in children with autism spectrum disorders : a scoping review
No full textMini Dissertation--(MAugmentative and Alternative Communication)--University of Pretoria, 2023.Background: There is growing evidence regarding the benefits of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems in facilitating communication development in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Various reviews have been conducted on the effectiveness of AAC intervention for children with developmental disabilities and specifically ASD. However, previous reviews were limited in terms of reporting on the effect of unaided AAC interventions on the communication of children with ASD.
Methods: The primary aim of this scoping review was to describe the evidence regarding the effects of unaided AAC interventions on communication in children with ASD. The review included a quality appraisal of the studies and a description of the effects of unaided AAC interventions.
Results: Sixty-two studies were included in this scoping review. The studies were described in terms of three groups of effects: (i) the effect of unaided AAC interventions on expressive language, (ii) the effect of unaided AAC interventions on receptive language, and (iii) the effect of unaided AAC interventions on social communication. Furthermore, the studies were described in terms of number of publications, study designs, participant characteristics, unaided AAC interventions, intervention outcomes, and quality appraisal.
Conclusions: Unaided AAC interventions offer meaningful improvements in expressive language, receptive language, and social communication skills for children with ASD. This scoping review provides valuable preliminary evidence and suggests promising results about the support of unaided AAC interventions towards the communication skills of children with ASD.The financial assistance of the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences, in collaboration with the South African Humanities Deans Association, towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NIHSS and SAHUDA.Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC)MAugmentative and Alternative CommunicationUnrestrictedFaculty of HumanitiesSDG-04: Quality Educatio
Assessing the stock market volatility for different sectors in Malaysia by using standard deviation and EWMA methods
No full textTest-retest reliability of the Picture My Participation Instrument
No full textMini Dissertation (MAAC)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Introduction: People who have disabilities are often deprived of opportunities to be involved in daily life situations. While research attempts to explore the participation patterns of individuals with disabilities, there is a paucity of studies that have obtained the personal opinions of participation from children with intellectual disabilities, and none that have obtained personal opinions (self-reports) from children living in low- to middle-income (LAMI) countries. Reasons for this are thought to be the lack of measures and methods available for obtaining self-reports from children with intellectual disabilities. The Picture my Participation (PMP) instrument has been developed for use in LAMI countries and when used with the Talking MatsTM framework, ensures that the views of children with intellectual disabilities can be obtained. This study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability of the PMP instrument.
Methods: Sixteen children aged 12 to 17 years with intellectual disabilities and their primary caregivers took part in this study. Each participant pair was required to complete the Picture My Participation survey twice in a space of two weeks. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Spearman’s rank order were used to measure internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
Results and conclusions: While the questionnaire yielded high alpha values, indicating high internal consistency, the values for test-retest reliability were incomparable due to a small sample size and limited data. Further study is required with a larger and more diverse data sample.This research forms part of an international project jointly funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF)/ STINT. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF/ STINT.Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC)MAACUnrestricte
A person-centred AAC intervention to support interpersonal interaction in persons with dementia : an exploratory study
No full textThesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020.Background: The current mandate in dementia research is to develop interventions that are evidence-based and person-centred. However, person-centred augmentative and alternative communication interventions in dementia are limited. Method: A multimethod research design was conducted in three Phases. Phase one reviewed current research evidence to inform the development of a person-centred intervention. Phase two developed a person-centred augmentative and alternative communication intervention package with four components, (a) elements of person-centred care; (b) an electronic conversational support; (c) augmentative and alternative communication outcomes; and (d) an outcome measure. Phase three tested the feasibility of these four components by considering them in two ways (phase 3A and phase 3B). In 3A, Q-methodology was employed to obtain professionals’ viewpoints. In 3B, a case study was used to test the feasibility of the researcher’s implementation of an electronic conversational support with a participant with dementia and the scoring reliability of an outcome measure developed in this study. Results: Q-methodology results revealed professional views on (i) person-centred authorship, (ii) person-centred language style using supportive strategies (iii) adapted participatory methods with persons with dementia in their interventions. Case study results indicated that an electronic conversational support could be reliably implemented. Inter-rater reliability was not at an acceptable level for the multimodal domain of an outcome measure developed in this study. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of using person-centred scaffolding strategies and exploring the potential of adapted participatory methods to develop and implement evidence-based, person-centred interventions in persons with dementia.Sponsor 1: National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS), in collaboration with the South African Humanities Deans Association (SAHUDA). Opinions expressed in this report and conclusions arrived at are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NIHSS and SAHUDA.
Sponsor 2: Andrew W. Mellon FoundationCentre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC)PhDUnrestricte
Renewable energy usage in the telecommunication sector of Bangladesh: Prospect and progress
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