South Africa’s rates of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders are among the highest in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2016, the estimated 12-month prevalence for any psychiatric disorder was 16.2%, or approximately 9.1 million individuals. Despite these elevated rates of psychiatric morbidity, access to mental health treatment is poor: only 27%...
A significant portion of material science research is concerned with understanding theway that defects affect the properties materials. In the field of thermoelectrics introducingor removing point (0D), dislocation (1D), grain boundary (2D), or precipitate (3D) defectsare popular methods for altering a materials thermoelectric efficiency. Herein I discussdifferent studies conducted during...
Formed through self-assembly of polynuclear node clusters and multitopic organic linkers, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of three-dimensional crystalline materials. Due to their exceptional porosity, high surface areas, amenability to construction, chemical diversity, uniformly arrayed metal-containing nodes, and highly modular nature, MOFs are an ideal class of materials for...
Pragmatic language refers to the use of language in social contexts and encompasses a broad range of verbal and nonverbal skills, which are critical to effective communication (Berko-Gleason & Bernstein-Ratner, 2009; Mey, 1993). Difficulties in pragmatic communication are a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Similar deficits are also...
This dissertation explores the design and evaluation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies for people with aphasia. Humans use speech and language to communicate their thoughts and opinions as well as express their individuality, autonomy and agency (George Armitage Miller 1951; Ahearn 2001). Speech and language are important tools...
This thesis focuses on two research topics: investigating dynamically generated seismic structures at the topmost outer core and studying dynamically triggered seismic events in the Earth’s crust. Earth’s liquid-iron outer core convects vigorously and contains buoyant light elements that accumulate at the top of the outer core. Modeling of seismic...
Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are a major source of gynaecologic morbidity in reproductive age women and are characterised by the excessive deposition of a disorganised extracellular matrix, resulting in rigid benign tumours. Clinically, leiomyoma patients usually present with pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, as well as heavy cyclic and non-cyclic bleeding. Curative...
This dissertation argues that network television was a vehicle for the promotion and enactment of female intellectualism in the US during the period directly following World War II. Beginning in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, network television included among its offerings programs that were designed to appeal to...
Despite the overall decline in the prevalence of cigarette use in the United States, the prevalence of menthol cigarette use is rising. Menthol cigarette use has been associated with greater difficulty in quitting smoking and increased dependence, which can be due to the cognitive enhancing and rewarding effects of nicotine....
Due to the unprecedented sensitivity of the Advanced LIGO--Virgo network, in less than ~5 years the field of gravitational-wave astrophysics has evolved from speculating about the properties of compact binary mergers to having an observed population that facilitates astrophysical inference. These observations encode information about their progenitor stellar systems ---...