The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the longest and most violent conflicts in modern history. The language used to represent this important conflict in the media is frequently commented on by scholars and political commentators (e.g., Ackerman, 2001; Fisk, 2001; Mearsheimer & Walt, 2007). To date, however, few studies in the field of applied linguistics have attempted a thorough investigation of the language used to represent the conflict in influential media outlets using systematic methods of linguistic analysis. The current study aims to partially bridge this gap by combining methods and analytical frameworks from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Corpus Linguistics (CL) to analyze the discursive representation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in American, Arab, and British media, represented by CNN, Al-Jazeera Arabic, and BBC respectively. CDA, which is primarily interested in studying how power and ideology are enacted and resisted in the use of language in social and political contexts, has been frequently criticized mainly for the arbitrary selection of a small number of texts or text fragments to be analyzed. In order to strengthen CDA analysis, Stubbs (1997) suggested that CDA analysts should utilize techniques from CL, which employs computational approaches to perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of actual patterns of use occurring in a large and principled collection of natural texts. In this study, the corpus-based keyword technique is initially used to identify the topics that tend to be emphasized, downplayed, and/or left out in the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in three corpora complied from the news websites of Al-Jazeera, CNN, and the BBC. Topics –such as terrorism, occupation, settlements, and the recent Israeli disengagement plan—which were found to be key in the coverage of the conflict—are further studied in context using several other corpus tools, especially the concordancer and the collocation finder. The analysis reveals some of the strategies employed by each news website to control for the positive or negative representations of the different actors involved in the conflict. The corpus findings are interpreted using some informative CDA frameworks, especially Van Dijk’s (1998) ideological square framework.

In response to the presence of health disparities among a diverse population of older adults, creating culturally competent health care services has emerged as a possible method to help reduce and eventually eliminate inequalities in health care. However, little information exists concerning the effectiveness of cultural competence, and even less is known about how culturally competent clients perceive their providers to be. This dissertation examined a number of indicators related to cultural competence, including the predictors of client-provider racial/ethnic concordance, client perceptions of the interpersonal sensitivity of their health care providers, and the overall satisfaction with care reported by older Non-Hispanic White, African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian American adults. In order to accomplish these aims, three related studies were conducted, all drawing on data from the Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health Care Quality Survey. The first study focused on the factors that predicted racial/ethnic concordance between clients and their health care providers. The second study examined several factors that can affect the clients’ perception of their providers’ interpersonal sensitivity, including client-provider racial/ethnic concordance. The third and final analysis utilized the outcome variables from the two previous studies, in addition to the client-level variables, to determine which factors predicted satisfaction with care received. The results show that the factors that predicted client-provider racial/ethnic concordance and perceived interpersonal sensitivity varied across the four groups. In addition, perceived interpersonal sensitivity was a significant predictor of satisfaction with care for all four of the groups. The findings from this dissertation contribute to a broader understanding of racial/ethnic differences in client-provider racial/ethnic concordance, perceptions of interpersonal sensitivity, and overall satisfaction with care among older adults from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Background Non-adherence to evidence based secondary prevention medicines (SPM) by coronary heart disease (CHD) patients limits their expected benefits and may result in a lack of improvement or significant deterioration in health. This study explored self-reported non-adherence to SPM, barriers to adherence, and the perception that patients in West Yorkshire have about their medicines in order to inform practice and improve adherence. Methods In this cross-sectional study a specially designed postal survey (The Heart Medicines Survey) assessed medicines-taking behaviour using the Morisky Medicines Adherence 8 items Scale (MMAS-8), a modified version of the Single Question Scale (SQ), the Adherence Estimator (AE), Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire(BMQ) and additional questions to explore practical barriers to adherence. Patients were also asked to make any additional comments about their medicines-taking experience. A purposive sample of 696 patients with long established CHD and who were on SPM for at least 3 months was surveyed. Ethical approval was granted by the local ethics committee. Results 503 (72%) patients participated in the survey. 52%, 34% and 11% of patients were prescribed at least four, three and two SPMs respectively. The level of non-adherence to collective SPM was 44%. The AE predicted that 39% of those had an element of intentional non-adherence. The contribution of aspirin, statins, clopidogrel, beta blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) to overall non-adherence as identified by the SQ scale was 62%, 67%, 7%, 30%, 22% and 5%, respectively. A logistic regression model for overall non-adherence revealed that older age and female gender were associated with less non-adherence (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.94, 0.98; OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.34, 0.93; respectively). Specific concern about SPM, having issues with repeat prescriptions and aspirin were associated with more non-adherence (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.18; OR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.26, 4.90, OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.17). Other variables were associated with intentional and non-intentional non-adherence. 221 (44%) patients elaborated on their medicines-taking behaviour by providing additional comments about the need for patient tailored information and better structured medicines reviews. Conclusions The Medicines Heart Survey was successful in revealing the prevalence of self-reported non-adherence and barriers to adherence in our population. Healthcare professionals should examine specific modifiable barriers to adherence in their population before developing interventions to improve adherence. Conducting frequent structured medicines-reviews, which explore and address patients' concerns about their medicines and healthcare services, and enable them to make suggestions, will better inform practice and may improve adherence.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Dans les différents domaines de la statistique descriptive, les données se présentent sous forme de nuages de points; sur ceux-ci, on est souvent amené à faire des études de proximité ou, plus généralement, de similarité, permettant de faire des analyses de structure. Il en est ainsi en analyse de concordance où il s'agit d'apprécier le degré d'accord entre d observateurs évaluant le même ensemble de n sujets au moyen d'une échelle de valeurs possibles prises par une variable (on peut généraliser le problème à plusieurs variables).

No description available.

Introdução: Comparados com pacientes bipolares com episódios maníacos/hipomaníacos e depressivos, os que apresentam estados mistos tendem a curso mais grave da doença, início mais precoce, ocorrência mais frequente de sintomas psicóticos, maior risco de suicídio, altas taxas de comorbidade e tempo maior para remissão. Portanto, medidas objetivas de avaliação desses estados são necessárias. Objetivo:Avaliar a concordância entre três pares formados por uma de três escalas de mania (Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS) ou Clinician-Administered Rating Scale for Mania (CARS-M)) e uma de depressão (21-item Hamilton Depression) na avaliação da resposta a estabilizadores do humor em pacientes mistos. Método:Sessenta e oito (n=68) consecutivos pacientes ambulatoriais bipolares Tipo I e II com sintomatologia mista pelo DSM-IV-TR e pelos critérios de Cincinatti foram incluídos nesse estudo aberto de 8 semanas entre 2010 e 2014 foram randomizados para receberem em monoterapia, ácido valproico, carbamazepina ou carbonato de lítio. Resultados: O padrão de resposta (diminuição de, pelo menos, 50% em uma das escalas de mania e na de depressão) foi muito semelhante: 21-HAM-D + YMRS = 22,1%, 21-HAM-D + BRMS = 20,6% e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M = 23,5%; p < 0,368). Os resultados referentes à concordância de resposta revelam valores de kappa bastante altos: 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + CARS-M , Kappa = 0,87; 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0,78 e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0,91 (p < 0,001). Conclusões:O presente estudo sugere que qualquer uma das três escalas de mania utilizadas (YMRS, BRMS, CARS-M) pode ser associada à 21-HAM-D na avaliação da resposta em bipolares mistos. / Background: Compared with patients with bipolar disorder who exhibit pure manic/hypomanic or depressive episodes, the presence of mixed mood states is associated with a more severe course of illness, younger age of onset, more frequent ocurrence of psychotic symptoms, major risk of suicide, higher rates of comorbidities and longer time to achieve remission. Therefore, objective avaliation of these states are necessary. Objective: To evaluate the concorccance amog three pairs of three scales (Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS) or Clinician-Administered Rating Scale for Mania (CARS-M)) and a depression scale (21-item Hamilton Depression) in the assessment of response to humor stabizator drugs in mix bipolar patients. Methods: Sixty eight (n=68) consecutive bipolar type I and II outpatients with mixed sitomatology accordint to DSM-IV-TR and Cincinatti Criteria were included in these 8 weeks open-trial, from 2010 through 2014, to, randomly, receive monotherapy valporic acid, carbamazepine or lithium carbonate. Results: The response answer (decrease of, at least 50 %, in one of the mania and depression scales) were very similar: 21-HAM-D + YMRS = 22.1%, 21-HAM-D + BRMS = 20.6% e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M = 23.5%; p < 0,368). The kappa values were : 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + CARS-M , Kappa = 0.87; 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0.78 e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0.91 (p < 0,001). Conclusions: The present study suggests that any of the three mania scales used (YMRS, BRMS, CARS-M) may be associated to 21-HAM-D in the assessment of the response o bipolar patients.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Encontrar caminhos para ensinar a concordância verbal a candidatos ao provimento de vagas no Serviço Público, a despeito de seu desconhecimento da estruturação sintática do português, tornou-se meta de trabalho e, portanto, baldrame para esta Dissertação de Mestrado em Língua Portuguesa. Consideraramse questões de provas de concursos públicos das principais bancas examinadoras cuja análise, comparada ao resultado das pesquisas com textos discentes orais e escritos, permitiu traçar as linhas de atuação didática com turmas competitivas. Com a apreciação dos dados da pesquisa, percebeu-se a necessidade de ensinar não apenas o que os alunos não sabem, mas analisar e refletir sobre aquilo que eles pensam que sabem, para que possam se interessar de fato em ser orientados a descobrir e dominar as diversas modalidades da língua e assim ampliarem seus horizontes lingüísticos e socioculturais. Esta dissertação traça planos de ação semiótico-funcionais a fim de garantir aos alunos a escolha das ferramentas certas, que lhes permitam enfrentar os múltiplos desafios, propostos pela condição de competidores, com alguma segurança. Busca-se, em última análise, propor a implantação de uma metodologia nova e especial nas aulas preparatórias, com recursos eficientes para capacitar esses sujeitos, independentemente de suas deficiências escolares pregressas. Essa é uma meta cuja consecução exige um olhar ampliado e obrigatório do docente pelos certames do concurso, para sustentar uma teoria gramatical mais produtiva ao desenvolvimento das capacidades de leitura de questões de prova e escritura de redações / Finding ways to teach verbal concordance to the candidates aiming at filling the vacancies in Public Service, despite their being unaware of the syntactic structure of Portuguese has become a goal of my work and, therefore, the basis for this Dissertation regarding the Master Degree in Portuguese Language. It has been taken into account the analysis of questions of prior examinations considering the main examining boards as compared to the results taken from researches from students essays either written or oral to elaborate ways to act didactically with competitive groups. With the analysis of the research data, it has been noticed the need to teach not only what the students dont know but also to analyze and reflect on what they think they already know, so that they can be really interested in being oriented on how to discover and master the various ways of the language and by doing this, open up their linguistic, social and cultural horizons. This dissertation outlines semiotic and functional action plans in order to give the students the choice of the right tools, the ones that will allow them to face multiple challenges offered by their condition as competitors, with a relative degree of safety. It is being searched ultimately to suggest the introduction of a new special methodology in preparatory classes with profuse resources to enable these subjects, regardless of their previous scholastic deficiencies. The success of this goal demands a magnified and mandatory look on the part of the teacher at the disputes of the contest, to give support to a grammatical theory which is more productive in relation to the development of the ability to read the questions on examinations and the writing of essays

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Encontrar caminhos para ensinar a concordância verbal a candidatos ao provimento de vagas no Serviço Público, a despeito de seu desconhecimento da estruturação sintática do português, tornou-se meta de trabalho e, portanto, baldrame para esta Dissertação de Mestrado em Língua Portuguesa. Consideraramse questões de provas de concursos públicos das principais bancas examinadoras cuja análise, comparada ao resultado das pesquisas com textos discentes orais e escritos, permitiu traçar as linhas de atuação didática com turmas competitivas. Com a apreciação dos dados da pesquisa, percebeu-se a necessidade de ensinar não apenas o que os alunos não sabem, mas analisar e refletir sobre aquilo que eles pensam que sabem, para que possam se interessar de fato em ser orientados a descobrir e dominar as diversas modalidades da língua e assim ampliarem seus horizontes lingüísticos e socioculturais. Esta dissertação traça planos de ação semiótico-funcionais a fim de garantir aos alunos a escolha das ferramentas certas, que lhes permitam enfrentar os múltiplos desafios, propostos pela condição de competidores, com alguma segurança. Busca-se, em última análise, propor a implantação de uma metodologia nova e especial nas aulas preparatórias, com recursos eficientes para capacitar esses sujeitos, independentemente de suas deficiências escolares pregressas. Essa é uma meta cuja consecução exige um olhar ampliado e obrigatório do docente pelos certames do concurso, para sustentar uma teoria gramatical mais produtiva ao desenvolvimento das capacidades de leitura de questões de prova e escritura de redações / Finding ways to teach verbal concordance to the candidates aiming at filling the vacancies in Public Service, despite their being unaware of the syntactic structure of Portuguese has become a goal of my work and, therefore, the basis for this Dissertation regarding the Master Degree in Portuguese Language. It has been taken into account the analysis of questions of prior examinations considering the main examining boards as compared to the results taken from researches from students essays either written or oral to elaborate ways to act didactically with competitive groups. With the analysis of the research data, it has been noticed the need to teach not only what the students dont know but also to analyze and reflect on what they think they already know, so that they can be really interested in being oriented on how to discover and master the various ways of the language and by doing this, open up their linguistic, social and cultural horizons. This dissertation outlines semiotic and functional action plans in order to give the students the choice of the right tools, the ones that will allow them to face multiple challenges offered by their condition as competitors, with a relative degree of safety. It is being searched ultimately to suggest the introduction of a new special methodology in preparatory classes with profuse resources to enable these subjects, regardless of their previous scholastic deficiencies. The success of this goal demands a magnified and mandatory look on the part of the teacher at the disputes of the contest, to give support to a grammatical theory which is more productive in relation to the development of the ability to read the questions on examinations and the writing of essays

Introdução: Comparados com pacientes bipolares com episódios maníacos/hipomaníacos e depressivos, os que apresentam estados mistos tendem a curso mais grave da doença, início mais precoce, ocorrência mais frequente de sintomas psicóticos, maior risco de suicídio, altas taxas de comorbidade e tempo maior para remissão. Portanto, medidas objetivas de avaliação desses estados são necessárias. Objetivo:Avaliar a concordância entre três pares formados por uma de três escalas de mania (Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS) ou Clinician-Administered Rating Scale for Mania (CARS-M)) e uma de depressão (21-item Hamilton Depression) na avaliação da resposta a estabilizadores do humor em pacientes mistos. Método:Sessenta e oito (n=68) consecutivos pacientes ambulatoriais bipolares Tipo I e II com sintomatologia mista pelo DSM-IV-TR e pelos critérios de Cincinatti foram incluídos nesse estudo aberto de 8 semanas entre 2010 e 2014 foram randomizados para receberem em monoterapia, ácido valproico, carbamazepina ou carbonato de lítio. Resultados: O padrão de resposta (diminuição de, pelo menos, 50% em uma das escalas de mania e na de depressão) foi muito semelhante: 21-HAM-D + YMRS = 22,1%, 21-HAM-D + BRMS = 20,6% e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M = 23,5%; p < 0,368). Os resultados referentes à concordância de resposta revelam valores de kappa bastante altos: 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + CARS-M , Kappa = 0,87; 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0,78 e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0,91 (p < 0,001). Conclusões:O presente estudo sugere que qualquer uma das três escalas de mania utilizadas (YMRS, BRMS, CARS-M) pode ser associada à 21-HAM-D na avaliação da resposta em bipolares mistos. / Background: Compared with patients with bipolar disorder who exhibit pure manic/hypomanic or depressive episodes, the presence of mixed mood states is associated with a more severe course of illness, younger age of onset, more frequent ocurrence of psychotic symptoms, major risk of suicide, higher rates of comorbidities and longer time to achieve remission. Therefore, objective avaliation of these states are necessary. Objective: To evaluate the concorccance amog three pairs of three scales (Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Bech-Rafaelsen Mania Scale (BRMS) or Clinician-Administered Rating Scale for Mania (CARS-M)) and a depression scale (21-item Hamilton Depression) in the assessment of response to humor stabizator drugs in mix bipolar patients. Methods: Sixty eight (n=68) consecutive bipolar type I and II outpatients with mixed sitomatology accordint to DSM-IV-TR and Cincinatti Criteria were included in these 8 weeks open-trial, from 2010 through 2014, to, randomly, receive monotherapy valporic acid, carbamazepine or lithium carbonate. Results: The response answer (decrease of, at least 50 %, in one of the mania and depression scales) were very similar: 21-HAM-D + YMRS = 22.1%, 21-HAM-D + BRMS = 20.6% e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M = 23.5%; p < 0,368). The kappa values were : 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + CARS-M , Kappa = 0.87; 21-HAM-D + YMRS X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0.78 e 21-HAM-D + CARS-M X 21-HAM-D + BRMS, Kappa = 0.91 (p < 0,001). Conclusions: The present study suggests that any of the three mania scales used (YMRS, BRMS, CARS-M) may be associated to 21-HAM-D in the assessment of the response o bipolar patients.