The focus of the study is equal treatment and equality work in preschool where the aim of the study was to increase knowledge about what experiences and knowledge there are among the preschool´s educators based on two different preschool manager´s areas. It is a qualitative study where the method has been to interview six individual educators, from five different preschools in two different principal areas in a municipality in central Sweden. The result shows that equality work is carried out at all the participating preschools, by existing equal treatment plans. The results also show how the knowledge about the equal treatment work of the interviewees is varied. All the interviewed teachers are aware of that the work has to be done by law, but the deeper understanding of its meaning in the practical work was variable. The results of the study also show how equal treatment work is a continuous work in which all of the profession should be included. It also appears that it is important with locally adapted plans, for them to be used and be seen as a supportive tool for the educators in the practical work. An important point to lift from the study's conclusion is how the educators' knowledge of equal treatment is important for reporting abusive treatment by violation reports, as otherwise this can be avoided due to uncertainty and thereby creating a problem for the equal treatment work.

Background: Since the 1980’s incidents of workplace violence have been recognised as a serious problem within social care. It has been found to be particularly rife within residential settings and children’s homes in particular have been found to be one of the most violence-prone settings. And yet, there is a lack of literature on the prevalence and psychosocial impact of workplace violence on staff in residential units for looked after and accommodated children (LAAC). Method: Given the limited literature on residential childcare workers a systematic review was conducted on research of violence towards social workers in child and family services to achieve a better understand of violence within child and family social care generally. An empirical study was also conducted with staff of Local Authority residential units within Central Scotland. The aim of the empirical study was to explore staffs’ experience of workplace violence perpetrated by LAAC in residential settings, using the qualitative methodology Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Results: The systematic review showed that studies were mostly of medium methodological quality; verbal aggression towards social workers in child and family services was common place; physical violence was comparatively rare; and that all forms of violence impacted on wellbeing and practice. The empirical study had similar findings, but also provided new insights into how staff cope with workplace violence, particularly in the context of young peoples’ life experiences. Conclusion: Violence perpetrated by LAAC in residential units appeared to be lessening and a move towards more behaviour management was aiding staff to better understand the roots of violence. This in turn was found to help staff cope better with the emotional impact of violence. Management need to be mindful of the impact violence has on staff and continue providing training programs to better equip staff to understand violence and support LAAC to manage their aggression.

Epistemology in its contemporary post-modern ethos is generally believed to be inseparably hinged upon language. This of course ensures a major paradigm shift in the disciplined human conceptions of reality. It has been stated and is widely acknowledged that the Kantian Noumenal barrier has, in this recent shift, been proved to be looming far closer than it was ever previously considered. This new barrier to the world of ‘objective absolutes’ comprises a barrier of semantics and syntax, and calls for a radical restructuring of all the human sciences. There is surely no discipline in the humanities that can claim immunity to this colossal shift in epistemology, and theology (particularly of the Evangelical variety) is no exception to the rule. The impact of post-modern epistemological assumption upon contemporary Evangelicalism presents to those who adhere to this school’s position, a profound challenge. Conservative Christians, who hold to the propositional universality and the objectivity of biblical truth, find in the post-modern ethos little sympathy and no rational justification granted for their ‘metaphysical objectivity’. A major challenge therefore to Evangelical Christianity at the present time is this: Is there, in the light of the challenge of post-modern epistemology, any reasonable justification for continuing to adhere to the evangelical claim that God has spoken in unchanging propositional terms that are universally valid and binding? It would seem that in this regard many evangelicals are feeling pressured. Evidence of the pressure of this challenge can readily be found either in the growing contemporary evangelical tendency towards advocating a more cooperative attitude to the post-modern ethos, or in the reactionary theology of schools of thought like the Spiritual Warfare Movement. The writings of Clive Staples Lewis (1898 – 1963) have been proven effective in the countering of negative challenges to Christian faith for the past sixty years. Lewis, as an apologist, in the opinion of many intellectual searchers, positively and convincingly countered modernistic objections to faith in his own time. Modernistic assumptions prevailed in the Western world in Lewis’ day that tended to discredit a rational belief in the supernatural. Lewis was widely held to be an effective apostle to counter this modernistic scepticism. It is the conviction of the present writer that C. S. Lewis apologetics can be just as effectively utilised today in addressing post-modern challenges, as it was fifty years ago used to answer the questions raised by modernism. Lewis in all of his Christian writings, reveals an underlying epistemology that I believe (because it is based firmly upon Christian orthodoxy), has stood the test of time. The apologetics of C. S. Lewis may serve to answer post-modern challenges just as rationally as it did modernism. In this thesis, Lewis’ underlying epistemology will be examined. This will comprise the first part of my work. The second part of the thesis deals with the post-modern epistemological challenge to Evangelicalism as a world-view. The final part of this thesis consists of a dialogue between the most common post-modern challenges to evangelical thinking, and rationally compelling answers thereto that are found in Lewis’ writings. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / Unrestricted

Monitoring the impact of anthropogenic activities, particularly in industrial regions, requires ecological screening tools and frameworks that provide a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem responses to environmental changes. Biological indicators, organisms like algae, insects, fish, and sentinel mammals, are critical for assessing ecosystem health, particularly in areas of high industrial activity. The aim of this thesis was to identify a cross-species biomarker that can assess organismal health and environmental stress across various species, organs, and biological matrices. A range of biological systems and signaling pathways related to xenobiotic metabolism, energy homeostasis, immune responses, and stress adaptation were explored, leading to the identification of the Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway, which consumes 60-90% of tryptophan in vertebrates. Tryptophan and its metabolites play key roles in diverse physiological processes, including cell growth and maintenance, immunity, disease states, and the coordination of adaptive responses to environmental and dietary cues. This adaptive response suggests that kynurenine-tryptophan ratio (KTR) may serve as a marker for exposure to a variety of environmental stress conditions, including toxicants, nutrient scarcity, predatory stress, and habitat loss—stressors that are prevalent in areas of high industrial activity. In recent years, the KTR is increasingly recognized as a sensitive biomarker in human diseases induced or exacerbated by stress; however, its role in environmental exposure and wildlife health remains unexplored. This thesis explores the question of whether KTR can be utilized as a cross-species biomarker for environmental stress or environmental exposure to toxicants, particularly focusing on the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR). In vitro studies with mammalian hepatocytes exposed to polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs): benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and a Bitumen Water Accommodated Fraction (BitWAF) demonstrated that KTR increases were driven by elevated kynurenine levels, indicating disruption of tryptophan metabolism via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Further studies using acid extractable organics from Oil Sands Process-Affected Water (OSPW), Naphthenic Acid Fraction Components (NAFCs) showed metabolic reprogramming, including altered glucose and fatty acid uptake and mitochondrial dysfunction, mediated through PPARα activation and upregulation of Tdo2, the enzyme responsible for kynurenine production. In vivo studies of longnose and white suckers from the AOSR were conducted to assess the relationship between KTR and CYP1 enzyme activity (EROD). These studies revealed species-specific responses, with an inverse correlation between KTR and EROD in longnose suckers and a direct correlation in white suckers. These findings validate KTR as a biomarker for environmental exposure in wildlife, with significant implications for monitoring ecosystem health. Collectively, this work demonstrates the potential of KTR as a novel biomarker for environmental toxicology, offering a valuable tool for assessing organismal stress across species in response to environmental contaminants. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Human activities, especially industrial operations, can significantly impact the environment. To monitor these effects, scientists use various tools and organisms to assess ecosystem health. This research introduces a new approach to measuring environmental stress in wildlife by focusing on two key molecules: tryptophan and kynurenine. These molecules are part of a conserved biological pathway that helps all organisms manage stress, repair cells, adapt to their environment, and maintain overall health. Tryptophan, an essential amino acid, is broken down into kynurenine, and the balance between them— known as the kynurenine-tryptophan ratio (KTR)—can indicate the level of stress an organism is experiencing. This thesis investigates whether KTR can detect environmental stress caused by industrial activity, particularly from petroleum-derived chemicals in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR). In laboratory experiments, mammalian liver cells were exposed to oil sands compounds and complex mixtures from oil sands wastewater. These compounds changed KTR, showing that the liver’s stress response was activated, and tryptophan metabolism was disrupted. The study also found that these chemicals affected cellular energy use and the way cells process fats and sugars. Furthermore, we examined fish species in the AOSR: longnose and white suckers. Results showed that KTR varied depending on the species and the location of exposure. In white suckers, KTR increased in response to stress, while in longnose suckers, it decreased, indicating species-specific responses to environmental changes. Overall, our findings suggest that KTR could serve as a useful tool for measuring environmental stress in different species and ecosystems, especially in areas affected by anthropogenic or industrial activity. Understanding how KTR changes in response to pollution can help scientists better monitor and protect wildlife and ecosystem health.