Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are a common comorbidity in veterans seeking treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). However, little is known regarding the mutual influence of PTSD and CMP in this population. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from a randomized clinical trial evaluating a stepped care intervention for CMP in Iraq/Afghanistan veterans (ESCAPE), this dissertation examined the relationships between PTSD and CMP along with other factors including depression, anxiety, catastrophizing and health-related quality of life. The Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis was conducted to identify key factors associated with baseline PTSD besides CMP severity. A series of statistical analyses including logistical regression analysis, mixed model repeated measure analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and cross-lagged panel analysis via structural equation modeling were conducted to test five competing models of PTSD symptom clusters, and to examine the mutual influences of PTSD symptom clusters and CMP outcomes. Results showed baseline pain intensity and pain disability predicted PTSD at 9 months. And baseline PTSD predicted improvement of pain disability at 9 months. Moreover, direct relationships were found between PTSD and the disability component of CMP, and indirect relationships were found between PTSD, CMP and CMP components (intensity and disability) mediated by depression, anxiety and pain catastrophizing. Finally, the coexistence of PTSD and more severe pain was associated with worse SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores. Together these findings provided empirical support for the mutual maintenance theory.

Jury Président : Gilles Bibeau Directeur : Patrice Brodeur Membre du jury : Harith Al-Dabbagh Examinateur externe : Dominique Avon / À l’égard du lien entre le religieux et le politique, le XIXe siècle a été marqué par le rétablissement de grandes questions et par la mise en oeuvre de sujets innovateurs dans la pensée égyptienne par les grandes figures de al-Nahḍah (Renaissance), alors que le XXe siècle a été empreint d’une forte polarisation entre les courants du réformisme musulman, de l´islamisme holiste activiste et du libéralisme humaniste musulman. Maintenant, qu’en est-il des prises de position adoptées par les intellectuels égyptiens contemporains (2011-2015) à ce sujet ? Quelles sont leurs principales expressions de la conception de l’État au prisme de ce lien ? En quoi ces orientations courantes reflètent-elles des continuités, des évolutions ou des ruptures dans la conception de l’État par rapport à la pensée égyptienne moderne (1805-2010) ? Pour pouvoir donner des pistes de réponses à ces questions, les principaux travaux et interventions de 22 intellectuels seront étudiés et analysés, et ce, autour de la conception de l’espace public, de la source de légitimité et de la légifération, toujours au prisme du lien entre le religieux et le politique. Il s’agit principalement d’intellectuels qui, malgré leurs apports et leur influence sur la scène intellectuelle égyptienne actuelle, sont quasi absents de la littérature, surtout française et anglaise. Et c’est par le biais d´une approche interdisciplinaire, appliquée et critique que leurs discours seront examinés. / With respect to the relationship between the religious and the political, the 19th century was marked by the resituating within Egyptian thought of innovative questions and subjects by the great figures of the Al-Nahdah (Renaissance), while the 20th century was characterized by a pronounced polarization between Muslim reformism, activist holistic Islamism and Muslim humanistic liberalism. What of the positions of contemporary Egyptian intellectuals (2011-2015) in this regard? What are their primary expressions of conceiving the state through the prism of the relationship under discussion? How do these current approaches reflect continuities, evolutions or ruptures in conceiving the state with regard to modern Egyptian thought (1805-2010)? To propose avenues for answering these questions, the principal works and other contributions of 22 intellectuals will be studied and analyzed taking into consideration the conception of public space, of the State’s source of legitimacy and legislation, again viewed through the prism of the relationship between the religious and the political. Most of these intellectuals are virtually absent from the literature – especially the French and English – despite their contributions and their influence on the contemporary Egyptian intellectual scene. Their discourses will be examined using an interdisciplinary, applied and critical approach.

This study examines the factors to consider in establishing an effective tax Ombudsman in South Africa. It seeks to establish how the democratic protection institutions such as the South African Public Protector and the South African Human Rights Commission and the Courts created in terms of the 1996 Constitution vis-à-vis the ways the South African Revenue Service‟ (hereinafter referred to as SARS) new court rules and Service Monitoring Offices safeguard and protect taxpayers rights against SARS‟ administrative abuses. The researcher reviews and analyses literature gathered from the following sources: the Australian and Canadian tax Ombudsman, the United Kingdom‟s tax adjudicator, the South African motor industry Ombudsman, the South African banking services Ombudsman, the South African Public Protector, the Tax Administration Act (28 of 2011) (hereinafter referred to as the TAA), the South African Constitution (108 of 1996), and other popular scientific articles and reports on the introduction of the tax Ombudsman in South Africa. The findings reveal the core factors that underscore the establishment of an effective tax Ombud in South Africa to include: independence, neutrality, credible review process and confidentiality. Other auxiliary factors with regard to the appointment of the tax Ombud are: leadership skills, honesty, integrity and courage. Furthermore, the provisions of the TAA, in relation to the appointment of the tax Ombud‟s funding, staffing, location, and powers with particular reference to cost recovery and disclosure of taxpayers‟ confidential information, impede on the tax Ombud‟s independence. It also emerged from this study that the independence of the tax Ombud‟s office is being over-emphasised, leaving other pertinent issues of equal importance, such as education and publicity, unattended to. The recommendations for this study revolve on the tax Ombud‟s appointment, budget and recruitment of its own staff, building a reputation of independence through public education and the power to recover costs. / MCom (South African and International Taxation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study examines the factors to consider in establishing an effective tax Ombudsman in South Africa. It seeks to establish how the democratic protection institutions such as the South African Public Protector and the South African Human Rights Commission and the Courts created in terms of the 1996 Constitution vis-à-vis the ways the South African Revenue Service‟ (hereinafter referred to as SARS) new court rules and Service Monitoring Offices safeguard and protect taxpayers rights against SARS‟ administrative abuses. The researcher reviews and analyses literature gathered from the following sources: the Australian and Canadian tax Ombudsman, the United Kingdom‟s tax adjudicator, the South African motor industry Ombudsman, the South African banking services Ombudsman, the South African Public Protector, the Tax Administration Act (28 of 2011) (hereinafter referred to as the TAA), the South African Constitution (108 of 1996), and other popular scientific articles and reports on the introduction of the tax Ombudsman in South Africa. The findings reveal the core factors that underscore the establishment of an effective tax Ombud in South Africa to include: independence, neutrality, credible review process and confidentiality. Other auxiliary factors with regard to the appointment of the tax Ombud are: leadership skills, honesty, integrity and courage. Furthermore, the provisions of the TAA, in relation to the appointment of the tax Ombud‟s funding, staffing, location, and powers with particular reference to cost recovery and disclosure of taxpayers‟ confidential information, impede on the tax Ombud‟s independence. It also emerged from this study that the independence of the tax Ombud‟s office is being over-emphasised, leaving other pertinent issues of equal importance, such as education and publicity, unattended to. The recommendations for this study revolve on the tax Ombud‟s appointment, budget and recruitment of its own staff, building a reputation of independence through public education and the power to recover costs. / MCom (South African and International Taxation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Iraq is a country of great cultural significance as it is where civilization first began. As a result of its lengthy occupation, it is virtually one large archaeological site. In spite of numerous warnings to the governments of both the United States and the United Kingdom, no efforts were made to protect the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad when the American-led coalition unlawfully invaded Iraq. Indeed, orders were given not to interfere with the looting. During the occupation that followed, the United States failed to take steps to protect Iraqi cultural property. In terms of international law, it was obliged to protect Iraq’s cultural property. The United States also chose to exacerbate its unlawful conduct by occupying archaeological sites and damaging them further by illegal construction. As a result many significant sites have been irreparably damaged or destroyed. Their conduct was the result of complete indifference to the Iraqi cultural heritage. Although their actions render them iin breach of international law, it is unlikely that the United States will ever be prosecuted for its actions. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

Text in Afrikaans / Abstracts in Afrikaans, English and seSotho / Die ikoniese konsep van die spelende mens (homo ludens) - soos verwoord deur Johan Huizinga – verkry opnuut trefkrag weens ʼn hedendaagse bekoring met virtuele spel. Nel (2014; 2015a; 2015b), Burger (2013), Viljoen (2011; 2013), Anker (2011) en Barnes (2014) bevind dat die eietydse fassinasie met ludieke spel uitdrukking vind in die narratiewe struktuur van verskeie Afrikaanse literêre tekste. Hierdie navorsingsverslag fokus op drie kritieke ontwikkelingsfases van spel: pre-Huizinga, Huizinga en post-Huizinga. Rigtinggewende antieke Griekse spelkonsepte van Heraklitus en Plato, waarop voortgebou is deur Huizinga (1949; 1951), asook die revisionistiese idees van Caillois (1961) word benut as teoretiese steierwerk vir ʼn lesing van die literêre speldiskoers in Klimtol (Van Heerden 2013); Afstande (Sleigh 2010) en Sirkusboere (Loots 2011). Die beskrywing en interpretasie van spelmerkers lei daartoe dat nie net die narratiewe struktuur ín die romans nie, maar ook die romans sélf, as vorm van kultuurskeppende spel beskou kan word. / Due to contemporary fascination with virtual games, the seminal concept of the playing person (homo ludens) − as articulated by Huizinga – has regained prominence. Nel (2014; 2015a; 2015b), Burger (2013), Viljoen (2011; 2013), Anker (2011) and Barnes (2014) observe a preoccupation with ludics in the narrative structure of various Afrikaans literary texts. This report focuses on three critical developmental stages of play: pre-Huizinga, Huizinga and post-Huizinga. Classic hypotheses by Heraclitus and Plato that manifested in Huizinga's (1949; 1950) notions on the play-element in culture as well as revisionist ideas by Caillois (1961) will be utilised as theoretical framework for an exploration of the ludic discourse in Klimtol (Van Heerden 2013), Afstande (Sleigh 2010) and Sirkusboere (Loots 2011). The description and interpretation of various play markers signify that not only the narrative structure of the novels, but the novels themselves, might be regarded as ludic play that shapes culture. / Ka ntlha ya kgatlhego ya ga jaana ya metshamekopono, mogopolo wa boitshimololedi wa motho yo o tshamekang (homo ludens) - jaaka o tlhalositswe ke Huizinga – o boetse o botlhokwa. Nel (2014; 2015a; 2015b), Burger (2013), Viljoen (2011; 2013), Anker (2011) le Barnes (2014) ba ela tlhoko metshamekwane ya popego ya puo mo dikwalong di le mmalwa tsa Afrikaans. Pegelo eno e totile dikgato di le tharo tsa botlhokwa tsa go gola ga motshameko: pele ga Huizinga, ka nako ya Huizinga le morago ga Huizinga. Tiori ya tlelasiki ya ga Heraclitus le Plato e e tlhageletseng mo megopolong ya ga Huizinga (1949; 1950) e e malebana le elemente ya motshameko mo setsong gammogo le megopolo ya poeletso ya ga Caillois (1961) di tlaa dirisiwa jaaka letlhomeso la tiori go sekaseka puisano e e ka ga motshamekwane mo Klimtol (Van Heerden 2013), Afstande (Sleigh 2010) le Sirkusboere (Loots 2011). Tlhaloso le thanolo ya batlhami ba ba farologaneng ba metshameko e bontsha gore fa se fela popego ya kanelo ya dipadi e e bopang setso, mme dipadi ka botsona di ka tsewa e le metshamekwana e e bopang setso. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)

This thesis examines the genesis, maintenance, and failure of rigid and exclusionary societal models present in William Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County. Yi- Fu Tuan's analysis of the concepts space and place serves as the foundational theoretical framework by which human spatiality may be interpreted. Combining Tuan's observations and architectural analysis with Edouard Glissant's concepts of atavistic and composite societal models allows for a much broader consideration of various political ideologies present in the South. Following this, it becomes necessary to apply a postcolonial lens to areas of Faulkner's literature to examine how these societal models are upheld and the effects they have on characters in both Reconstruction and post- Reconstruction eras. Within Absalom, Absalom! and The Sound and the Fury, Faulkner showcases an aspect of southern history that allowed this societal model to flourish, how this model affected those trapped within it, and its ultimate failure for future generations. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Thesis (MTech(Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / Pharmaceuticals have been formulated to influence physiological systems in humans, animals, and microbes but have never been considered as potential environmental pollutants by healthcare professionals. The human body is not a barrier to chemicals, but is permeable to it. Thus after performing their in-vivo functions, pharmaceutical compound introduced into the body, exit mainly via urine and faeces. Sewage therefore contains highly complex mixtures of chemicals in various degrees of biological potency. Sewage treatment works including those in South Africa, on the other hand, are known to be inefficient in removing drugs from sewage and consequently either the unmetabolised pharmaceutical compounds or their metabolites emerge in the environment as pollutants via several trajectories. In the environment, the excreted metabolites may even undergo regeneration to the original parent molecule under bacterial influence, resulting in “trans-vivo-pharmaceutical-pol ution-cycles”. Although all incinerators are known to generate toxins such dioxins and furans from the drugs they incinerate, all the medicines disposed by the hospitals under research, were incinerated, as the preferred option of disposal. The incineration process employed was found to be environmentally unsafe. Expired and unused medicines which the general public discard as municipal solid waste become landfilled. Because many landfill sites are not appropriately engineered, the unwanted drugs landfilled therein, leach into the surrounding ground water, which is the influent source of water treatment plants. Water treatment plants, including those in South Africa, are also inefficient in eliminating pharmaceutical compounds, releasing them in sub-therapeutic concentrations into potable tap water as pollutants, the full effects of which are yet to be determined.

The objective of this research was to estimate the radiological impact on various non-human biotas by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant radiation release resulting from Japan's tsunami in March 2011 consistent with the recent recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Soil concentration data given by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (MEXT) were used to approximate doses to various organisms. Cumulative doses and dose rates were plotted in ArcGIS 10, geographic information system (GIS) software, and Kriging interpolations were performed between the sampling points. The conclusion of this preliminary investigation that there appears to be the potential for adverse biological impacts of the studied biota; however, the magnitude of the impact will require further investigation. / Graduation date: 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyze the events that occurred throughout the Egyptian Revolution from January 2010 to February 2010 through pragmatic humanism. Tweets will be looked at from the book Tweets from Tahrir to show how the process unfolded. Building on the previous research, the tweets will be looked at through the lens of pragmatic humanism. The study will show how individuals can better the world they live in by experimenting with different methods and adapting to any failures they may encounter. The study will also show how the reach of the individual has become faster and further than previously possible. The elements of pragmatic humanism will be broken down into five main tenets. The study will take a thematic approach in analyzing the tweets through the perspective of the particular tenet. The study will also show the power of individual desires when they are able to combine with the social context of the time. The advent of Twitter has allowed individuals to test and experiment with hypotheses much quicker than before and allows them to make monumental changes to their reality in a much shorter period of time. / Graduation date: 2013