Thesis (doctoral) -- Universität Marburg, 1931. / Vita. Bibliography: p. 74-80.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / This research aimed to investigate the factors related to the functioning of Community Health Committees in Nelston MandelaBay Municipality. It intended to elicit information on factors which promote and inhibit their effective functioning. It used the qualitative research methods of focus group discussions, concluded with a sample of Community Health Committee members, and in depth, individual interviews with key informants. The contents of the transcriptions of all focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews were analysed so as to identify the recurring themes and key suggestions.The findings indicated that Community Health Committees are not functioning as per their original intention and that relevant policies have not been accurately translated into practice. / South Africa

Peat from a treeless "barrens" of the forest-tundra transition has been studied by the method or pollen analysis. The frequencies of various fossil pollens at successively greater depths of the peat deposits have been determined and presented in pollen diagrams, whose use is discussed in the study or the characteristics, vegetational history and development of the terrain. Illustrated with photographs of the terrain and photomicrographs of microfossils. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Vulnerability to adverse health outcomes can be intrinsic (e.g. illnesses, disability, frailty, genetics) or extrinsic (e.g. physical and social environments). The contribution of social factors to extrinsic vulnerability in older adults is the subject of this thesis. Social vulnerability is the degree to which a person’s overall social situation leaves them susceptible to further insults, either health-related or social. This thesis begins with an exploration of how various social factors are associated with health and can be considered to contribute to a holistic concept of social vulnerability. Using a social ecology perspective, seven domains of social vulnerability (engagement, contextual socio-economic status, social support, living situation, self-esteem, mastery, and relations with others) are defined. A social vulnerability index is then developed, in which social factors from all of these domains are combined into a single index, allowing the complexity of social circumstances experienced by older people to be embraced. Social vulnerability, defined using this index, is then studied in relation to health, and is found to be associated with frailty, mortality and cognitive decline. The important impact of social vulnerability on the survival of the fittest older adults (those who are not at all frail) is studied as a special case. How social vulnerability changes over time is then examined using a transitions model based on a parametric Markov chain, with the finding that older people tend to accumulate social deficits over time, but that, importantly, this relentless accumulation of social problems is not a universal experience. The thesis then turns to consideration of frontal lobe cognitive function as a possible mechanism for the association between social vulnerability and health, given the importance of the frontal lobes to social interaction in humans. It finds that the most socially vulnerable people have impaired performance on tests of frontal lobe cognition, but that performance on non-frontal tasks is not similarly associated. The findings presented in this thesis support the importance of social factors for health of older people, and suggest that the social vulnerability index shows potential as a measure which embraces the complexity of older adults’ social circumstances while reducing dimensionality.

No description available.

A study was made of the post-fire development of several heathland community types in an -attempt to quantify and model the variations found in this development. Stands of various ages were subjected to experimental burning, and fire temperatures and severity were assessed. Fire severity was found to increase with stand age until the mature phase of Calluna, with a subsequent decline in the degenerate phase.Studies of the post-fire regeneration indicated that regrowth was more rapid and more diverse in stands which were young when burnt. Analyses of seed stores, substrates left by fire, and the ability of Calluna to regenerate vegetatively indicated that the potential of the vegetation to regenerate after fire decreased with stand age. Model analyses suggested that the age and composition of a stand before fire determined the initial floristic composition set up after fire, and this then determined the rate and direction of post-fire development.Chemical interactions between heathland species were investigated, and it was found that several species produced substances capable of inhibiting the growth or germination of other plants.Markov models were used to study the post-fire succession, but gave good predictions of development only for simple systems in which all the major species recolonised rapidly after fire. Statistical analyses indicated that the development shown by Calluna-Eriophorum bog after fire fits with the assumptions of a homogeneous first-order Markov chain.It was concluded that the vegetation development following fire is a complex probabilistic process of small-scale interactions between vegetation patches. The burning of old Calluna stands was considered to be unwise in terms of both management and conservation aims.

Background: As military women enter roles directly related to combat, they will have greater risk of injury. The present study examined the prevalence of mental health conditions among female service members one year postinjury, and analyzed factors which may place women at risk for mental health concerns and lower quality of life (QOL). Methods: A total of 1,012 U.S. servicewomen who sustained combat-related injury in Iraq and Afghanistan were identified from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database (EMED). Injury severity was calculated and QOL scores were collected from a subset of the women. Injury severity, military occupation, branch of service, age, rank, marital status, number of deployments, initial treatment facility, and environment of care were collected as predictor variables. The Military Health System Data Repository was queried for mental health International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th Revision codes occurring within one year postinjury. Results: Within the first year postinjury, 404 women (40%) were diagnosed with mental health conditions. The most common were posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (n = 203, 20%), depressive disorders (n = 123, 12.1%), adjustment disorders (n = 92, 9.0%), and anxiety disorders (n = 81, 8.0%). Logistic regression identified that women with minor or moderate injuries had lower odds of mental health diagnoses. Occupation categories of combat support and communications predicted fewer mental health issues. Enlisted women had increased risk of mental health issues. Linear regression showed that officers had higher QOL compared with enlisted women 0.055 (95% CI, 0.005-0.183), p<.05. Women serving in the Air Force had higher QOL postinjury 0.119 (95% CI, .055-.183), p<.000. An independent samples t-test showed that women with mental health diagnoses postinjury (M = 0.46, SD = 0.12) had significantly lower QOL scores (range 0-1) compared to those without mental health diagnoses (M = 0.52, SD = 0.13), t(3.46), p <.05. Conclusions: These findings showed that PTSD, depression, adjustment disorder, and anxiety comprise the most prevalent mental health diagnoses in this population. QOL is significantly lower in injured women with mental health issues after injury. Further research is needed to discover strategies for maintaining optimum health in this population.

No description available.

SOMATIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FEMALE FIGURE SKATERS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Objectives: The aim of the thesis is to find out specific somatic characteristics and somatotypes of female figure skaters in the Czech Republic. Subsequently relationships between measured somatic characteristics and normative of general population, and relationships between actual data and previous studies of female figure skaters are being examined. Methods: We use somatometric measurements to determine selected somatic characteristics (weight, height, eg.). We use the Heath-Carter method of somatotyping. Results: Female figure skaters are smaller than general population of the same age. In terms of physical height, one half of figure skaters is above population average while second half is under the average of population. Female figure skaters in this study are taller and heavier than figure skaters in previous study (Šelingerová, 1988) and they are more endomorphic. Prevailing somatotype is mesomorphic endomorph. Keywords: figure skating, somatic characteristics, somatotype, Heath-Carter method