Abstract This study comprised three parts: a cross-sectional survey of 826 high school students, a 7-year follow-up survey of the same sample, and a MRI study of a subgroup (n=31) of the follow-up study population. Firstly, the aims of the study were to determine the prevalence and incidence of neck and shoulder pain (NSP) in populations 15-18 and 22-25 years old, and to evaluate sociodemographic factors, body size measurements, psychological factors and leisure time activities as possible associated and predictive factors of NSP. Secondly, the aim was to find out whether structural changes of the cervical spine detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were associated with NSP in young adults. The results showed the prevalence of self-reported weekly NSP in 15- to 18-year-old adolescents to be 17%, and in seven years, the prevalence of weekly NSP had increased to 28%. After seven years, the six-month incidence of occasional or weekly NSP was 59% among those asymptomatic at baseline. In the cross-sectional study, female gender, low physical activity, hobbies which statically load the upper extremities, low intensity of physical exercise, self-assessed moderate physical condition and psychosomatic symptoms and depressive mood were associated with a high prevalence of NSP, and sports which dynamically load the upper extremities were associated to a low prevalence of NSP. Symptoms in adolescence were associated with a high prevalence of NSP seven years later. Activity in sports, which dynamically load the upper extremities in adolescence, was associated with a low prevalence of NSP in adulthood. Of all variables in the study, psychosomatic symptoms were most congruently associated with a high prevalence of NSP, and psychosomatic symptoms in adolescence also predicted NSP in adulthood. In the MRI study, disc degeneration and anular tears of the cervical spine were common in asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects. Disc herniations were the only abnormal finding that was significantly more common in symptomatic subjects.

My dissertation studies three problems that threaten our functional explanatory practices. The first study, The Normativity Problem and Theories of Biological Function, attempts to explain how it is that biological tokens can perform their functions better or worse, and can retain their functions even when not currently performing them. Etiological theories can try to account for the normativity of functions by cumulative selection or by their contributions to fitness. I argue that neither strategy succeeds. Systemic theories hold that functions are the causal contributions of systemic components to the overall capacities of their containing systems. At first glance, systemic theories do not explain the normativity of functions either. I argue that adding a feedback condition to systemic theories can account for the normativity of functions. The second study, The Malfunction Problem and the Functional Individuation of Biological Traits, attempts to dissolve an apparent paradox about how, if biological traits are functionally individuated, it is possible for an organism to possess a biological trait that malfunctions. The malfunction problem articulates the apparent paradox: A ‘malfunctioning’ trait token seems to no longer belong to its functional type and hence cannot malfunction. I show that distinguishing between the functional type that a token instantiates and the current performance of its function dissolves the paradox. The third study, The Necessitation Problem and the Causal Relevance of Functional Properties, attempts to address a vacuity worry about causal explanation that seems to arise when a property referred to by a causal explanation is individuated by its very effects. Since functional properties are individuated by their functions, and functions are effects, it is hard to see how the ascription of functional properties can play an explanatory role. For the relevant explanations seem to be vacuous: the property that purportedly explains the effect is just the property of having that very effect. I argue that causally relevant functional properties are individuated by historical effects, whereas the effects that they causally explain are current. Since the effects individuating causally relevant properties are distinct from the effects that are causally explained, the vacuity worry does not arise. / Philosophy

Submitted by GUILHERME APARECIDO FIM JÚNIOR null (guilhermejunior10@hotmail.com) on 2016-02-17T01:43:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTAÇÃO__Versão final_PRONTA.pdf: 1645895 bytes, checksum: 10c9b401bd06621d8b3c2c0f30593583 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-02-17T16:39:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 fimjunior_ga_me_jabo.pdf: 1645895 bytes, checksum: 10c9b401bd06621d8b3c2c0f30593583 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-17T16:39:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fimjunior_ga_me_jabo.pdf: 1645895 bytes, checksum: 10c9b401bd06621d8b3c2c0f30593583 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-17 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Objetivou-se estabelecer a etiologia infecciosa da mastite subclínica ovina em duas diferentes fases de lactação e a frequência desta enfermidade nas diferentes raças. Além disso, buscou-se definir as características diagnósticas da contagem de células somáticas (CCS) para o diagnóstico da mastite subclínica ovina, adotando diferentes classes de contagens de CCS, assim como estabelecer um valor de triagem para a CCS como método diagnóstico. O trabalho experimental foi realizado em um rebanho formado por 407 ovelhas das raças Santa Inês, Texel, Ile de France e Dorper, localizado na Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste em São Carlos, São Paulo. O California Mastitis Testis (CMT) foi realizado para o diagnóstico preliminar da mastite. Após a antissepsia dos tetos, amostras de leite foram colhidas no início de lactação e ao desmame, em duas parições consecutivas para confirmação da etiologia infecciosa da doença por meio de análises microbiológicas e para a determinação da CCS. Para cada uma das raças os valores de CCS foram divididos em quatro classes. O total de 1457 metades mamárias foi investigado, das quais 203 (13,9%) apresentaram mastite subclínica. Estafilococos coagulase-negativos (ECN) foram os agentes etiológicos com maior ocorrência isoladamente e em associação, 58,1% e 60,6%, respectivamente, seguidos por Streptococcus spp. (19,7%). Dentre os ECN, a espécie encontrada com maior frequência foi Staphylococcus xylosus (87,7%). A raça Santa Inês apresentou significativamente maior número de casos de mastite subclínica (p<0,05). Boas e ótimas concordâncias para associação entre CMT e CCS foram obtidos paras todas as raças, exceto Ile de France. Diferentes pontos de corte para CCS foram determinados para as raças estudadas em ambas as fases de lactação. Maiores valores de sensibilidade e especificidade para a CCS foram obtidos para as raças Ile de France e Dorper na lactação, enquanto ao desmame destacaram-se as raças Texel e Dorper. Não houve concordâncias ideais ao comparar as reações de CMT e CCS para a triagem da mastite subclínica. Os resultados do teste variaram de acordo com a raça ovina. A CCS pode ser utilizada para triagem da mastite subclínica em ovelhas de corte de acordo com a prevalência da doença em cada raça, auxiliando técnicos e produtores a melhorar o controle da enfermidade nos rebanhos. / This study aimed to establish the infectious etiology of subclinical mastitis in two different stages of lactation and the frequency of this disease in different breeds sheep. Furthermore, we sought to define the diagnostic characteristics of somatic cell count (SCC) for the diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in these sheep breeds, adopting different classes of SCC, and establish a screening value for SCC as diagnostic method. The experimental work was carried out in a herd composed of 407 sheep of Santa Inês, Texel, Ile de France and Dorper breeds, located in the Embrapa Southeast Livestock, São Carlos, São Paulo. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) was performed for a preliminary diagnosis of mastitis. After antisepsis of the teats, milk samples were collected in early lactation and weaning in two consecutive calvings for confirmation of infectious etiology of the disease by microbiological analysis and the determination of SCC. For each breed, CCS values were divided into four classes. We investigated 1,457 mammary glands, from which 203 (13.9%) had subclinical mastitis. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) were the etiological agents with higher occurrence isolated or in an association, 58.1% and 60.6%, respectively, followed by Streptococcus spp. (19.7%). Among the CNS, the most frequent species was Staphylococcus xylosus (87.7%).The Santa Inês breed had a significantly higher number of cases of subclinical mastitis (p < 0.05). Good and excellent concordances to the association between CMT and SCC were obtained for all breeds except Ile de France. Different cutoff points to SCC were determined for the studied breeds in both stages of lactation. Higher sensitivity and specificity of SCC cutoff points were obtained for the Ile de France and Dorper breeds during lactation, where as weaning stood out the Texel and Dorper breeds. There were no complete concordances to compare CMT and SCC reactions to the screening of subclinical mastitis. The test results varied according to the breed of sheep. The SCC can be used for screening of subclinical mastitis in sheep according to the prevalence of the disease in each breed, assisting technicians and producers to improve the control of the disease in herds. / FAPESP: 2013/23054-9

Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia is a unique mass gathering event that attracts approximately 3 million pilgrims from around the globe. This diverse pilgrim population coupled with the nature of the performed activities raise major public health concerns in the host country with potential global implications. Although gastroenteritis and diarrhea are common among the pilgrims performing Hajj, the microbial etiologies of these infections are still unknown. We used molecular and antigenic approaches to identify the main pathogens associated with Hajj diarrhea. 544 fecal samples from pilgrims suffering from diarrhea whilst performing Hajj during three consecutive seasons (2011-2013) and 99 control samples from 2011 were screened for 16 pathogens that include bacterial, parasitic and viral etiologies that are commonly associated with diarrheal infections. At least one of the screened pathogens could be detected in 42% (n=228) of the samples from the diarrheal cases. Bacteria were the main agents detected in 83% (n=189) of the positive samples, followed by viral and parasitic agents detected in 6% (n=14) and 5% (n=12) respectively. We have also standardized a 16S-based metagenomic approach to identify the gut microbiome in diarrheal cases and non-diarrheal controls in 76 samples. Also, we have standardized a shotgun metagenomics protocol for the direct characterization (diagnosis) of enteric pathogens without cultivation. This approach was used successfully to identify viral (adenovirus) and bacterial causes of Enterotoxigenic E. coli diarrhea from Hajj samples. The findings in this study fill in clear gaps in our knowledge of the etiologies associated with diarrheal infections during Hajj. Foodborne bacteria were the major contributors to Hajj-diarrheal infections. This was coupled with the increased incidences of antimicrobial resistance loci associated with the identified bacteria. These findings would help the public health policy makers to develop and introduce appropriate public health measures to improve the food safety during Hajj.

South Africa is perceived as a violent society, with an average murder rate significantly higher than in the rest of the world. The family is a core system within the broader community and is traditionally seen as a safe environment. The reality, however, is that a high percentage of all murders is committed by someone known to the family or a member of a family or household. The aim of the research was to understand the child who commits family murder. The researcher wanted to determine the contributing individual and systemic factors that led to murder and whether a sample specific profile of such a child could be compiled. A qualitative research design was followed and qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. A phenomenological approach was used to investigate the phenomenon without possible personal or theoretical prejudice. Documents on nine cases were studied and interviews were conducted with experts in the field. The main findings of the study relate to weak or no attachment to the primary caregiver. The weak attachment as well as the accumulated individual and environmental stressors led to feelings and perceptions of rejection. A safe and supportive family environment was often absent, and in several cases the children presented with a desire to escape their circumstances, for instance through alcohol and drug abuse. The child’s emotional needs were not acknowledged and these children were not supported adequately when they experienced loss. Family dysfunction, which included abuse and extreme parenting styles, were apparent. The accumulated stressors often led to feelings of anxiety and aggression. Interpersonal relationship problems were noted. In two of the cases the characteristics of conduct disorder was identified. The individual and systemic stressors that accumulated over several years ultimately resulted in family murder. When children commit family murder, there is often only one victim. However, in this study there was more than one victim in six of the cases. / Suid-Afrika word as ’n gewelddadige samelewing beskou, met ’n gemiddelde nasionale moordsyfer wat beduidend hoër is as in die res van die wêreld. Die familie is kernsisteem binne die breëre gemeenskap en word tradisioneel as veilige sisteem beskou. Die realiteit is egter dat ’n groot persentasie moorde in Suid-Afrika deur ’n kennis, familielid of lid van ’n huishouding gepleeg word. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die kind as oortreder van familiemoord beter te verstaan. Die navorser wou bepaal watter individuele en sistemiese faktore aanleiding gee tot familiemoord en of steekproef-spesifieke profiel vir sodanige kinders saamgestel kon word. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is gevolg en kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding is vir data-analise gebruik. ’n Fenomenologiese benadering is gebruik om die verskynsel sonder moontlike vooropgestelde persoonlike of teoretiese idees te ondersoek. Die dokumente van nege gevalle is in-diepte bestudeer en onderhoude is met kundiges gevoer. Die hoofbevindinge was dat die kind wat familiemoord pleeg dikwels swak of geen band met die primêre sorggewer gehad het. Die swak band asook die akkumulatiewe individuele en omgewingstressors het gelei tot gevoelens en persepsies van verwerping. Geborge huislike omstandighede het dikwels ontbreek. In sekere gevalle het die kinders van ontvlugting gebruik gemaak, wat onder andere dwelm- en alkoholmisbruik ingesluit het. Die kind se emosionele behoeftes is in die meerderheid gevalle grotendeels misken en verlies is in verskeie gevalle nie toereikend hanteer nie. Gesinswanfunksionering, wat mishandeling en ekstreme ouerskapstyle ingesluit het, was opvallend. Akkumulatiewe stressors het dikwels gevoelens van angs en onderliggende aggressie tot gevolg gehad. Interpersoonlike verhoudingsprobleme was opmerklik. Kenmerke van gedragsafwyking was in twee gevalle opgemerk. Die akkumulatiewe individuele en sistemiese gebeure het oor jare plaasgevind en veroorsaak dat die kind uiteindelik familiemoord gepleeg het. In die geval waar ’n kind familiemoord pleeg is daar dikwels net een slagoffer, maar in ses van die gevalle wat in die studie ondersoek word, was daar meer as een slagoffer. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Athletes may be at increased risk for developing disordered eating and pathogenic weight control behaviors due to pressure for their bodies to look a certain way and perform at a high level (Sundgot-Borgen & Torstveit, 2004). Petrie and Greenleaf (2013) proposed a psychosocial model to explain the development of athletes’ disordered eating behaviors. Specifically, they suggested that unique weight/body pressures of the sport environment, general societal pressures about attractiveness, internalization of societal appearance ideals, body dissatisfaction, drive for muscularity, negative affect, and dietary restraint combine and contribute to the development of bulimic symptomatology. The aim of the current study is to test the Petrie and Greenleaf model in a large, nation-wide, diverse sample of male collegiate athletes. Participants were male collegiate athletes (N = 731; Mage = 19.91, SD = 1.50) representing 17 sports and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisions I, II, and III. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire and measures designed to assess their experiences of the above constructs. Structural equation modeling was used to test the pathways proposed in the Petrie and Greenleaf (2013) etiological model. Results suggest that sport pressures, such as those from coaches and teammates about weight, the importance of appearance, and looking good in a uniform, are significant factors in understanding disordered eating among male collegiate athletes. These pressures were related directly to all other variables in the model, including increased body dissatisfaction, experiencing more negative emotions, restricting caloric intake, and engaging in behaviors to increase muscularity. In the end, it was these variables – negative affect, drive for muscularity, dietary restraint, and body dissatisfaction– that explained over 30% of the variance in the athletes’ bulimic symptomatology.

Purpose: The relation between the causal attributions of individuals with panic disorder (PD) and their health outcomes remains relatively unexplored. Therefore we examined 1) the relationship between participants’ etiological beliefs about PD and baseline demographic and clinical characteristics and 2) whether participants’ etiological beliefs about PD predicted compliance, clinical response, and side effect profiles with the treatments they were assigned. Method: The study included 251 participants. A series of multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate the relationship between participants’ causal attributions, measured by the Etiological Model Questionnaire, and their baseline characteristics. To determine whether these beliefs predicted treatment outcome, logistic and linear regressions were conducted. Results: Our results revealed that participants with a family history of psychiatric illnesses were more likely to endorse biological etiological beliefs whereas those with a younger age, comorbid psychiatric disorders, and a history of suicide attempts were more likely to attribute their illness to psychological causes. Participants experiencing impairment in family life endorsed both psychological and environmental causal beliefs, while those reporting higher fear of body sensations and agoraphobic cognitions were more likely to attribute their illness to biological and psychological causes. With regards to treatment outcome, results indicated that participants who endorsed psychological and environmental etiological beliefs experienced more severe symptoms 12 weeks following treatment; irrespective of the type of treatment they received. Implications: The consideration of individuals’ causal attributions might help health-care professionals better assist clients by communicating a more balanced perspective of the causes of PD and deliver interventions that are in line with clients’ individual beliefs.

No description available.

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar como os determinantes socioeconômicos contextuais influenciaram na produção e no fortalecimento de tendências criminogênicas, entre os municípios da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, mediante a utilização de análises multivariadas entre anos de 1991 e 2000. Buscamos construir um modelo empírico causal para avaliar as questões indicadas e também captar em que medida as transformações qualitativas que a criminalidade vem sofrendo - em decorrência de mudanças macro-estruturais de caráter mais amplo - têm penetrado nos municípios da RMPA. Para tanto, nos servimos de técnicas estatísticas de análise de regressões múltiplas para captar nexos causais entre as variáveis independentes e dependentes em modelos longitudinais. Também utilizamos alguns modelos transversais para os referidos anos, com o objetivo de perceber as covariações entre as variáveis selecionadas. Os resultados obtidos nas regressões foram interpretados a partir de uma série de perspectivas teóricas que tratam do fenômeno da criminalidade. Para avaliar os dados obtidos utilizamos, principalmente, a perspectiva da transição etiológica da criminalidade. A análise tem como suas variáveis dependentes às taxas de apenados por delitos selecionados. Dentre os resultados que alcançamos podemos indicar a constatação da relação entre uma forma nova da desorganização social e o avanço de grupos criminosos. Contudo, os resultados obtidos devem servir principalmente para a ampliação de estudos de mesmo perfil teórico e metodológico. / The goal of this research is to examine the influence that contextual socioeconomic factors had in producing and strengthening criminogenic tendencies among municipalities in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, by means of multi-varied analyses for the years between 1991 and 2000. We sought to build a causal empirical model to evaluate the issues listed and also to determine the extent to which the qualitative changes that crime has been undergoing - as a result of macro-structural changes of a broader nature - have penetrated the municipalities in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area. To this end, we employed statistical techniques of multiple regression analysis to determine causal links between independent and dependent variables in longitudinal models. We also used some transversal models for the years in question in order to perceive the covariations between the selected variables. The results obtained in the regressions were interpreted from a number of theoretical perspectives that address the phenomenon of crime. To evaluate the data we mainly used the perspective of the etiological transition of crime. The dependent variables of the analysis are the conviction rates for selected crimes. Among the results we came to, we can confirm the relationship between a new form of social disorganization and the advancement of criminal groups. However, the results obtained should serve mainly to increase further studies of the same theoretical and methodological profile.

The reported speech is a fundamental component in children's fictional narratives, fulfilling a representational role of an utterance another in a given utterance (Bakhtin and Voloshinov, 1995). In studies on the production of this type of text written by young scribes in the school, Boré (2009, 2010) points to the importance of dialogue, signaling it as an element capable of acting as an "engine" of the invention, boosting the deployment of storytelling and writing. However, while recognizing the relevance of these investigations conducted by the author, speech development reported in their written statements proves to be a subject still little explored in the context of language acquisition, especially if you look from the perspective of analysis involving the comparison between different languages . Based on these assumptions – they also bring a strong link with the theoretical postulates related to Bakhtin's notions of dialogism and polyphony, and studies in the field of speech reported – developed by Authier-Revuz – and anchored, even in a contribution theoretical and methodological arising Genetics Textbook – from which we conceive of writing as a process – and Enunciation Linguistics, in this work, we are dedicated to investigating the differences and similarities regarding the presence of reported speech found in manuscripts of short stories etiological invented by dyads newly literate students at a school in Brazil and one from France. These manuscripts were collected from the immersion of both groups of students in reading this particular genre – which also known as "origin tale", consists of a fictional narrative that seeks to explain the origin of beings, properties, nature phenomena, etc. (Cascudo, 2006) – and the realization of didactic proposals and similar textual production, made in the classroom of each school in both countries. This expedient gathered more than 80 productions, among which we selected 34 students of French and 37 Brazilians to be analyzed here and, from them, describing the ways in which these students belong, in their texts, this type of discourse, dialogue represented. Our observations suggest, therefore, that such a discursive element is present in more than half the number of manuscripts produced by both the French and the Brazilian students. However, the latter employ it in his tales with a significantly higher frequency than the first. In turn, the reported speech form that predominates in the composition of narratives, both for students and for those of Brazil in France, is the direct discourse (DD), which seems to confirm the hypothesis raised by the theoretical framework assumed in this work, namely: the dialogical structure represented the DD would be reminiscent of dialogic inner speech that would allow these young clerks set up a fictional universe. Thus, we believe it is possible for these students to supplement their storytelling skills. / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Alagoas / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O discurso reportado é um componente fundamental nas narrativas ficcionais infantis, cumprindo um papel de representação de uma enunciação outra em uma dada enunciação (BAKHTIN e VOLOSHINOV, 1995). Em estudos voltados para a produção escrita deste tipo de texto por jovens escreventes no âmbito escolar, Boré (2009, 2010) aponta a importância do diálogo, sinalizando-o como elemento capaz de atuar enquanto “motor” para a invenção, impulsionando o desdobramento da narrativa e da escritura. Entretanto, embora se reconheça a relevância destas investigações realizadas pela autora, o desenvolvimento do discurso reportado em suas manifestações escritas revela-se uma temática ainda muito pouco explorada no âmbito da aquisição da linguagem, sobretudo se olhada sob uma perspectiva de análise que envolva a comparação entre línguas diferentes. Com base nestes pressupostos – que trazem ainda uma forte ligação com os postulados teóricos bakhtinianos relacionados às noções de dialogismo e de polifonia, e com estudos no campo do discurso reportado desenvolvidos por Authier-Revuz – e ancorados, ainda, em um aporte teórico-metodológico advindo da Genética de Textos – desde o qual concebemos a escritura como um processo – e da Linguística da Enunciação, neste trabalho, nos dedicamos a investigar as diferenças e as semelhanças no que toca à presença do discurso reportado encontradas em manuscritos de contos etiológicos inventados por díades de alunos recém-alfabetizados em uma escola do Brasil e outra da França. Tais manuscritos foram coletados a partir da imersão de ambos os grupos de alunos na leitura deste gênero em particular – o qual, também conhecido como “conto de origem”, consiste em uma narrativa ficcional que busca explicar a origem de seres, propriedades, fenômenos da natureza, etc. (CASCUDO, 2006) – e da realização de propostas didáticas e de produção textual semelhantes, efetuadas na sala de aula de cada uma das escolas nos dois países. Deste expediente reunimos mais de 80 produções, dentre as quais selecionamos 34 dos alunos brasileiros e 37 dos franceses para serem aqui analisadas e para, a partir delas, descrevermos os modos através dos quais estes alunos inserem, em seus textos, este tipo de discurso, o diálogo representado. Nossas observações indiciam, portanto, que tal elemento discursivo está presente em mais da metade do conjunto de manuscritos produzidos, tanto pelos alunos franceses quanto pelos brasileiros. Porém, estes últimos o empregam em seus contos com uma frequência significativamente maior que os primeiros. Por sua vez, a forma de discurso reportado que predomina na composição das narrativas, tanto para os alunos do Brasil quanto para os da França, é o discurso direto (DD), o que parece confirmar as hipóteses levantadas pelo quadro teórico assumido neste trabalho, qual seja: a estrutura dialogal do DD representado seria uma reminiscência do discurso interior dialógico que permitiria a estes jovens escreventes criarem um universo ficcional. Assim, acreditamos, é possível para estes alunos ampliarem a sua capacidade narrativa.