Nutritional communication research helps with public health promotion, government dietary intervention and future outlooks for the dietetics profession. This research explores the way health professionals target niche population groups to educate on nutrition. The phenomenological methodology and the Communication Accommodation theory framework guided interviews with 10 Arab-speaking females diagnosed with type II diabetes or prediabetes. The findings reveal eight major underlying themes: language, socio-economic impact, level of integration/adaption to new environment, role of religion in life, health is a personal responsibility, role of family/specific family members, role of health professional and views on the Canadian food/culture. Ultimately, dietary acculturation of the sample group is influenced by level of English language proficiency, health literacy, exposure to health information and cultural values.

This study aims to understand young women's attitudes and experiences regarding pornography and to provide a broader understanding of how young women relate to pornography. Itis also interpreted how young women reason about pornography from a power and gender perspective. The study is a qualitative interview study based on six interviews with women aged 20-30 years. Theories that have been used are Yvonne Hirdman's theory of gender systems and gender contracts, John H. Gagnon & William Simon's theory of sexual scripts and Norbert Elias' theory of shame. The results of the study show that there is a shame in consuming pornography as a young woman, as the societal perception is that women do not consume pornography. Furthermore, young women are ambivalent in their attitudes towards pornography, they highlight both positive and negative aspects of pornography. What seems to affect and complicate young women's pornography consumption is all the use of violence and dominance against women. There is also an ambivalence to the porn industry, where the knowledge of the actors' conditions makes it difficult to consume pornography with a good concisiousness. Finally, it can be stated that pornography provides young women with problematic ideals and norms that tend to affect them to a greater or lesser extent.

Foraging forms the cornerstone of an animal’s life-history. An individual's foraging success shapes the demography and health of a population. Understanding key facets of maternal foraging behaviour are crucial to get a holistic picture of both regional and local environmental factors that drive foraging behaviour. This study aimed to measure the maternal foraging behaviour of a marine top predator, the Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis), from Marion Island (MI) over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Arctocephalus tropicalis females from MI have one of the longest duration foraging trips for the species. They are most similar to conspecifics at temperate Amsterdam Island, but differ considerably from those at subantarctic Îles Crozet and Macquarie Island. Hitherto, no diving data existed for MI females. I illustrate how their diving behaviour is more similar to individuals from Îles Crozet despite their differences in foraging trip parameters. Together with Îles Crozet, MI females have one of the deepest mean diving depths (34.5 ± 2.2 m , 45.2 ± 4.8 m summer and winter respectively) and longest dive durations (70.2 ± 3 s , 104.3 ± 7.8 s summer and winter respectively) for the species. In summer, females follow the diel vertical migration of their myctophid prey. Counter intuitively, during the winter, females performed short and shallow crepuscular dives, possibly foraging on different prey. Considering that these individuals dive in deep waters, this is most likely related to myctophids occupying lower depths in the water column during winter. At dusk and dawn they are inaccessible to diving fur seals. At-sea data from multiple foraging trips per female illustrated that females have both a colony- and individual preferred foraging direction which varied seasonally. Individuals travelled consistently in the same direction regionally, but locally appear to track prey in a heterogeneous environment. The few trips in the winter to the west of MI suggest that this is a short-term response to varying prey availability rather than a long-term foraging tactic. Six years of observer-based attendance cycle data were used to augment telemetry data. Multi-state mark-recapture models were used to determine the probability of a female being missed when she was present (detection probability). Attendance data were corrected accordingly. Neither El Niño (EN) nor anomalous seasurface temperature (SSTa) influenced any of the attendance cycle parameters, as foraging trip duration is a poor predictor of weak environmental change. Only season and pup sex had a significant impact on female provisioning rates. Foraging trip duration was longer during winter than during summer. Females spent a higher percentage of time on land when they had female pups rather than male pups. Although observational attendance data remain useful it ideally requires concomitant data on pup growth, production and female body condition to elucidate changes in female provisioning rates. Temporally, season had the most influence on female foraging behaviour. Spatially, it appears that a lack of prominent local bathymetrical features overshadows MI's favourable position in the productive Polar Frontal Zone. Arctocephalus tropicalis females from MI work harder at foraging than at any other island population of conspecifics. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Zoology and Entomology / Unrestricted

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The aim of this thesis was to clarify the influence of the stress on the adrenergic and muscarinic receptors in the heart and in the lungs. Research was perform on rat hearts and lungs and on the hearts and lungs of the CRH KO mice. First, we assessed mRNA levels of all α- and β-adrenergic receptor and muscarinic receptor subtypes. Subsequently, we performed the radioligand-binding studies to determine densities of these receptors. We identified all three α1-adrenergic receptor subtypes in the rat lungs. In the lungs of WT mice, we found that the amount of α1-adrenergic and muscarinic receptors was sex-dependent. Densities of the former were higher in females and those of the latter were higher in males. There was no difference between males and females in β-adrenergic receptor density. As for CRH KO mice, the basal densities of studied receptors were lower than in CRH WT mice (except β1-adrenergic receptors in females). The main purpose of the thesis was to detect the immobilization-induced changes in the studied receptors in the kontrol (WT) and CRH KO mice. Short-term and long-term immobilization caused decrease in all α1-adrenergic receptor subtypes in females, whereas only α1A-adrenergic receptors decreased in males. The amount of β1-adrenergic receptors decreased in males and remained without...

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Sport activities are important and helpful for the general development of its participants without unfairness. Women have the same right as men to take part in the sports activities, but women face challenges of inequality throughout the world. The South African female football team has been competing at a high level and have become inspirational role models for many women and girls. Internationally, football and sport has revealed a positive effect on highlighting issues related to gender in sport. This includes a chance for women to earn self-esteem and confidence, have constructive interactions with men, and challenge unequal gender norms. However, little is known about the experiences of female footballers in institutions of higher learning with regards to some of the challenges. Therefore, this study aims to explore challenges experienced by female footballers at a HEI in the Western Cape. This study will use a qualitative method to explore a case of female footballers at a higher education institution in the Western Cape. Data was collected from 10 female footballers in two focus group discussions, as well as key informant interviews with the sport managers, sport officer and coaches of the football team. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the data. To ensure confidentiality and anonymity, the respondents were given codes/ pseudonyms instead of using their real names. All data was treated with the strictest confidentiality and all ethics protocols have been observed. The interviews were transcribed by the researcher while raw data was coded and clustered into categories and themes as they emerge from the data. The main finding of this study reveals that there is inadequate funding for women’s football. In addition to receiving less support than that their male counterparts, there appears to be a negative attitude towards female footballers.

Thesis ( M.A.( Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / This study presents qualitative findings on lived experiences of migrant female youth in Musina, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Studies reveal that young females, more especially those from the African continent, migrate to foreign countries in large numbers for better livelihoods. A growing number of women, African women in particular, migrate more than ever to meet their own or their families’ economic needs. Some, of course, flee from wars and mostly migrate for better living conditions. Several studies show that many of these women migrate to South Africa. This is because South Africa is amongst the continent’s most popular destinations for Africa’s female migrants. Upon their arrival in South Africa, studies reveal that migrant female youth are faced with a vast number of challenges such as poverty and exclusion from accessing basic services. It is from this background that this study sought to explore lived experiences of migrant female youth in Musina. Nine female migrant youth accommodated by a church shelter in Musina were purposively and conveniently selected to participate in the study. Semi-structured face to face interviews were used to purposefully collect data that saturated at participant number 9. Thematic data analysis was used with the assistance of the Nvivo software to manage and organise data. The narrative theory was used in the study as it allowed the researcher insight and understanding when migrant female youth narrated their experiences and challenges they encounter as migrants in a foreign country. Findings reveal that many female migrant youths illegally migrate to South Africa in search of better livelihoods that are unavailable in their countries of origin. Furthermore, findings indicated that migrant female youth find themselves living in extreme poverty in the host country. However, the female youth employ various coping strategies for their sustainable livelihoods. They also experience exclusion from accessing healthcare services and face blatant xenophobia in the hands of local South Africans. It can therefore be concluded that migrant female youth face a number of challenges in their everyday lives as migrants in South Africa. It could also be helpful to integrate South Africa’s basic service delivery to include services for female migrant youth. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

The late second and early third decades of life are critical periods for bone health due to the attainment of peak bone mass during this time, yet little is known about relationships between lifestyle factors and bone health among young-adult females. Therefore, anthropometric, body composition, and nutritional variables were examined in relation to bone mineral density (BMD) and biochemical markers of bone turnover in a group of 60 healthy, young-adult females aged 18 to 25 years. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), fat-free soft tissue mass (FFST), and fat mass had statistically significant and positive associations with BMD. Mean daily dietary protein, magnesium, and iron intakes had statistically significant and negative associations with BMD. A second study compared dietary intake, BMD, and biochemical markers of bone turnover in young-adult females with chronic dieting habits to nondieters. Anthropometric and body composition variables between chronic dieters and nondieters were not statistically different; however, chronic dieters had statistically significantly lower average daily dietary intakes of energy, macronutrients, and selected micronutrients compared to nondieters. Chronic dieters had statistically significantly higher whole body (WB) BMD compared to nondieters. Moderate effects were observed for WB, lumbar spine, trochanter, and total proximal femur BMD such that chronic dieters possessed greater BMD compared to nondieters. It appears that among young-adult females, total body weight, particularly FFST mass, has an important association with BMD. Although nutritional inadequacies among young-adult females raise concerns, overconsumption of nutrients may increase the likelihood of nutrient-nutrient interactions that may have a less than optimal impact on BMD. Future investigations of dietary intake and BMD among young-adult females are warranted. / Master of Science

Relational aggression includes manipulative behaviors such as gossiping, spreading rumors, or practicing exclusion to intentionally destroy a peer's social reputation. Aggressive behaviors such as those found in relational aggression contribute to unsafe school environments. Research on relational aggression has increased in recent years, yet there is minimal research on relational aggression among African American adolescent females. The research questions were What is social workers' understanding of relational aggression? and How do social workers' cultural awareness and general understanding of African American females' relationships and interpersonal connections impact their ability to connect with their clients in the therapeutic relationship? The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore social workers' perceptions of relational aggression and African American females' social relationships and assess the impact of social workers' perceptions on their ability to connect with clients and provide effective therapeutic services. Relational cultural theory constituted the study's theoretical framework. Data were collected using a qualitative online synchronous focus group with six social workers who provide therapeutic services to female African American teenagers in the school setting. Purposeful sampling was used to determine the number of participants. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes from interview data. Findings from this study revealed a mischaracterization of relational aggression in relation to bullying. The findings also revealed that social worker's cultural awareness and general understanding of African American females assisted them in being able to connect with the subpopulation in the therapeutic relationship.

African American women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields throughout the United States. As the need for STEM professionals in the United States increases, it is important to ensure that African American women are among those professionals making valuable contributions to society. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of African American young women in relation to STEM education. The research question for this study examined how experiences with STEM in K-10 education influenced African American young women's academic choices in their final years in high school. The theory of multicontextuality was used to provide the conceptual framework. The primary data source was interviews. The sample was composed of 11 African American young women in their junior or senior year in high school. Data were analyzed through the process of open coding, categorizing, and identifying emerging themes. Ten themes emerged from the answers to research questions. The themes were (a) high teacher expectations, (b) participation in extra-curricular activities, (c) engagement in group-work, (d) learning from lectures, (e) strong parental involvement, (f) helping others, (g) self-efficacy, (h) gender empowerment, (i) race empowerment, and (j) strategic recruitment practices. This study may lead to positive social change by adding to the understanding of the experiences of African American young women in STEM. By doing so, these findings might motivate other African American young women to pursue advanced STEM classes. These findings may also provide guidance to parents and educators to help increase the number of African American women in STEM.