In view of the rapid decrease in the number of students opting to train as teachers and the increasing numbers of teachers leaving the profession; the teaching profession in South Africa is indeed what Duke (1984) termed “imperilled”. While quantitative research identifies remuneration to be the foremost factor attributed to the dissatisfaction of teachers in South Africa as elsewhere; the main purpose of this study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of remuneration. Nine qualified women teachers aged between 25 and 35 years of age, who had been teaching for at least two years and less than ten, volunteered to take part in this study. The sample was drawn from government schools in a suburban part of Johannesburg. This research was based on the information gathered from a short biographical questionnaire followed by in-depth, semi-structured interviews. A process of language sensitive thematic content analysis was employed in order to analyse the data from the interviews. The research indicates that in the decision to enter the teaching profession, notions of the perception that teaching is a vocation predominate. An emphasis on the related intrinsic rewards to be gained from teaching was found to receive greater focus than monetary concerns on entering the profession. The participants expressed that women are more likely to enter the teaching profession while even though men may share the passion to teach, they are seriously deterred by the poor levels of remuneration. The participants explained that as the contexts of their lives changed, so too did their perceptions of remuneration, often resulting in an increasing emphasis on the importance of better remuneration to meet their and their families’ financial needs. Related to this, it was found that as South African teachers were exposed to an almost overwhelming number of challenges, the participants began to experience fewer intrinsic rewards which seemed to impact negatively on their perceptions of remuneration. Thus of the nine participants, only two indicated their long-term commitment to the teaching profession whereas the remaining seven all had plans to leave the profession in search of better remuneration.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver metodologia para avaliação da dissolução intrínseca (DI) de amostras de albendazol (ABZ) e mebendazol (MBZ), empregando-se o método de disco rotativo. Inicialmente foi realizada a caracterização físico-química dos fármacos, empregando-se os ensaios de termogravimetria (TG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), difratometria de raios X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), densidade verdadeira, área superficial e tamanho de partícula, para sete amostras de ABZ e oito de MBZ. Com as análises de DRX e DSC foi possível verificar a presença dos polimorfos I e II, além de outras estruturas cristalinas nas amostras de ABZ. Em relação ao MBZ foi possível identificar os polimorfos A, C e a mistura destes polimorfos. Mediante o ensaio de solubilidade, verificou-se que as amostras que possuem o polimorfo C foram as mais solúveis nos meios de HCl 0,1N e suco gástrico. Finalmente, desenvolveu-se a metodologia para a avaliação da DI de ABZ e MBZ. Para avaliar o impacto das condições de ensaio na DI, escolheu-se uma amostra de ambos fármacos, que foi submetida a diferentes ensaios conforme delineamento experimental ortogonal de Taguchi do tipo L9(34). Verificou-se que tanto para o ABZ quanto para o MBZ, a variável que apresentou maior impacto na velocidade de dissolução intrínseca (VDI) foi o meio de dissolução. Dessa maneira, selecionaram-se as condições para a realização dos ensaios comparativos entre as amostras (diferentes fornecedores). Observou-se que as amostras que apresentam o polimorfo II (ABZ) e o C (MBZ) são aquelas que mostraram maiores valores de VDI. As condições empregadas para o estudo da VDI das amostras dos fármacos permitiram evidenciar diferenças entre os polimorfos demonstrando que a técnica de dissolução intrínseca é viável na caracterização das formas polimórficas de ABZ e MBZ. / The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating the intrinsic dissolution (ID) of samples of albendazole (ABZ) and mebendazole (MBZ), employing the rotating disk method. Initially, a physicochemical characterization of seven samples of ABZ and eight samples of MBZ was carried out through thermogravimetric tests (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as evaluations of true density, surface area and particle size. With the XRD and DSC analyses, it was possible to ascertain the presence of polymorphs I and II, as well as other crystalline structures in the ABZ samples. With regards to MBZ, it was possible to identify polymorphs A and C, as well as a mixture of these polymorphs. With the execution of a solubility test, it was ascertained that the samples with polymorph C were the most soluble in the HCl 0.1N and gastric acid media. Finally, a methodology for the evaluation of the ID of ABZ and MBZ was developed. In order to evaluate the impact of the test conditions on ID, samples of both drugs were chosen, which were then subjected to different tests, according to the L9 (34) Taguchi experimental orthogonal array. It was ascertained that for both ABZ and MBZ, the variable with the greatest impact on the intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) was the dissolution medium. Accordingly, the conditions for the execution of comparative tests between the samples were selected (different suppliers). It was observed that the samples that presented the polymorph II (ABZ) and C (MBZ) were also those that presented the greatest IDR values. The conditions employed for the IDR study of the drug samples enabled differences between the polymorphs to be ascertained, thus demonstrating that the intrinsic dissolution technique is viable for the characterization of polymorphic forms of ABZ and MBZ.

This mixed-methods study looked at the relationship between self-determined motivation and strength improvements in an off-season strength and conditioning program. The Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI; Ryan, 1982), which assesses motivation according to the tenets of Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) measured self-determined motivation in this study. Strength was measured by the Epic Strength Index (ESI; Epley, 2004), which factors the amount of weight lifted along with the bodyweight and gender of the athlete to determine a strength index. Strength improvement was measured as the difference between ending and beginning ESI scores. The participants consisted of one-hundred-twenty-seven male and female athletes ranging between 14-22 years of age and representing a variety of sports including several multi-sport athletes. Each participant was tested in the Power Clean, Bench Press, and Squat at the beginning and end of the program as part of their regular training program. During the second week of the program, the athletes completed the IMI. The amount of weight each athlete lifted in each of the three weightlifting exercises was computed by the ESI yielding an individual strength index for each lift, along with a total score for all three lifts. Correlation and regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between self-determined motivation and strength improvements. The average of all IMI scores independently predicted 50.65% of the variance in strength improvements. Correlation analysis also showed significant relationships for gender and age on ESI improvements, in that females and younger athletes tended to improve more. When a regression analysis accounting for the effects of gender and age on strength improvements was performed, Self-determined motivation still predicted 49.54% of the improvements. At the conclusion of the study, eight of the athletes participated in qualitative interviews. The eight participants represented two male and two female participants from both the top and bottom quartiles of average IMI scores. The qualitative interviews from the work of Hassandra, Goudas, and Chroni (2003) and Vazou, Ntoumanis, and Duda (2005) who used qualitative analysis to study differences in motivational patterns of secondary physical education students and 14 to 16 year-old athletes respectively. The interview questions were formulated to determine factors that affected the initial decision to participate in the program, as well as to discern differences among the top and bottom quartiles participants. The qualitative analysis revealed many similarities and some differences between those in the top and bottom quartiles of motivation. Athletes in both categories mentioned motivation for improvement as the prime reason for participation and as a rewarding aspect of the program. Also common to both groups of athletes was the important role of teammates and coaches in deciding to participate in this program. The main difference between the top and bottom quartiles was in the discussion of "least enjoyed aspects of the program" and "difficulties of the program". While those in the top quartile of motivation reported to that they mostly liked the program and mentioned only transportation as a difficulty of the program, those in the bottom quartile provided a wide variety of responses to these questions.

O objetivo geral desse trabalho foi o de analisar os fatores intrínsecos associados ao risco de quedas entre os idosos residentes no Município de São Paulo no ano de 2000. Para alcançar tal objetivo foram utilizados os dados referentes à população idosa do Estudo SABE (Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento) Brasil, obtidos junto aos idosos residentes na zona urbana do Município de São Paulo, no ano de 2000. Utilizou-se a análise multivariada, o que permitiu uma abordagem analítica dos dados, considerando-se o comportamento per si e na presença das demais variáveis estudadas. Os cruzamentos dessas variáveis com a queda foram realizados separadamente, por sexo e idade, utilizando-se a ponderação amostral e o teste de associação de Rao Scott. Para identificar o risco de morte para as variáveis idade, sexo e queda, foram utilizadas a análise de sobrevida e as curvas de sobrevida de Kaplan Meier. Com essa pesquisa, concluiu-se que quanto mais longeva for a pessoa, maior o número de fatores intrínsecos relacionados à ocorrência de quedas. Por isso, a importância de novos estudos envolvendo os fatores intrínsecos para futuras prevenções de quedas nos idosos. Além disso, foi possível verificar, com as curvas de sobrevida de Kaplan Méier, o risco elevado de morte nos idosos que sofreram queda ou com idade avançada, principalmente para o sexo feminino. / The objective of this study was to analyze the intrinsic factors associated with risk of falls among the elderly living in São Paulo in 2000. For this purpose we used the data on the elderly population in the study SABE ( Health, Welfare and Ageing)- Brazil obtained the elderly living in the urban area of São Paulo in 2000. We used multivariate analysis, which allowed for an analytical data, considering the behavior itself and in the presence of others. The intersections of these variables with the fall were performed separately by sex and age using the weighted sample and the test of association Rao-Scott. To identify the risk of death for the variables age, sex and fall-was used survival analysis and survival curves of Kaplan Meier. With this research it was found that the more a person is long-lived, the greater the number of intrinsic factors related to falls. Hence the importance of new studies involving the intrinsic factors for future preventions of falls in the elderly. Moreover, it was possible to verify, with the survival curves of Kaplan Meier, the increased risk of death in elderly people suffered falls or with advanced age, especially for females.

Today's society is on several levels dependent on organizations and their maintaining of work and production which demands that people can find motivation to do tasks within their workrole. This study will examine how employees in for-profit organizations is motivated to fulfill their working tasks. The purpose of this study will be answered partly by examining how employees experience motivation but also adding how employers perceive the experienced motivation. This is a qualitative comparative case-study which in addition to the central purpose also answers if there are differences and similarities about work motivation between an organization within the public and private sector. The study proceeds from several themes which is based on previous research and theory and uses a theoretical framework “intrinsic and extrinsic motivation” to delimit the study. The results shows that work motivation is something subjective and that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect motivation in different ways. The themes that were chosen proved to be of importance although the study illuminate that they affect people in different ways in various situations. The results of this study proved that there were many similarities between the public and private sector in what motivates employees.

This thesis defends the claim that reason-giving is a discrete type of speech act (of an expressive kind) that has a distinctive value. It further argues that this value is best understood in terms of recognition, rather than justification, and that it is intrinsic to reason-giving. Its main aim is to argue against the commonly-held view that the main, sometimes the only, value to reason-giving lies in its capacity to provide justification (and in the related claim that if reasons cannot justify, then reason-giving has no value). The argument presented is intended to support that recognition (of a certain type) is a value that reason-giving has independently from any other value that it might or might not have – including justification; and hence, that reason-giving has a certain distinctive value that is not predicated upon a capacity for actually achieving justification. In particular, this thesis argues, based on speech act theory and on the concept of recognition, that this value is best understood as consisting in the expression of a particular type of recognition for the other. To establish this claim, in chapter one, it begins by setting out the standard view: that the value of reason-giving lies in its capacity to justify, and analyses some of the moves that have been made in the literature when the connection between reason-giving and justification breaks down. In chapters two to four, it uses speech act theory to analyse the acts of arguing and reason-giving, and to argue that reason-giving is a discrete speech act that has features in common with but is not reducible to arguing. Finally, in chapter five, it defends the claim that reason-giving has an intrinsic value, and that this value is best understood as an expressive value: namely, the expression of recognition for the other as a rational being (which is a valuable feature of the other’s humanity); and that it has this value regardless of whether the reasons in question are “good” from a justificatory standpoint.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver metodologia para avaliação da dissolução intrínseca (DI) de amostras de albendazol (ABZ) e mebendazol (MBZ), empregando-se o método de disco rotativo. Inicialmente foi realizada a caracterização físico-química dos fármacos, empregando-se os ensaios de termogravimetria (TG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC), difratometria de raios X (DRX), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), densidade verdadeira, área superficial e tamanho de partícula, para sete amostras de ABZ e oito de MBZ. Com as análises de DRX e DSC foi possível verificar a presença dos polimorfos I e II, além de outras estruturas cristalinas nas amostras de ABZ. Em relação ao MBZ foi possível identificar os polimorfos A, C e a mistura destes polimorfos. Mediante o ensaio de solubilidade, verificou-se que as amostras que possuem o polimorfo C foram as mais solúveis nos meios de HCl 0,1N e suco gástrico. Finalmente, desenvolveu-se a metodologia para a avaliação da DI de ABZ e MBZ. Para avaliar o impacto das condições de ensaio na DI, escolheu-se uma amostra de ambos fármacos, que foi submetida a diferentes ensaios conforme delineamento experimental ortogonal de Taguchi do tipo L9(34). Verificou-se que tanto para o ABZ quanto para o MBZ, a variável que apresentou maior impacto na velocidade de dissolução intrínseca (VDI) foi o meio de dissolução. Dessa maneira, selecionaram-se as condições para a realização dos ensaios comparativos entre as amostras (diferentes fornecedores). Observou-se que as amostras que apresentam o polimorfo II (ABZ) e o C (MBZ) são aquelas que mostraram maiores valores de VDI. As condições empregadas para o estudo da VDI das amostras dos fármacos permitiram evidenciar diferenças entre os polimorfos demonstrando que a técnica de dissolução intrínseca é viável na caracterização das formas polimórficas de ABZ e MBZ. / The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology for evaluating the intrinsic dissolution (ID) of samples of albendazole (ABZ) and mebendazole (MBZ), employing the rotating disk method. Initially, a physicochemical characterization of seven samples of ABZ and eight samples of MBZ was carried out through thermogravimetric tests (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as evaluations of true density, surface area and particle size. With the XRD and DSC analyses, it was possible to ascertain the presence of polymorphs I and II, as well as other crystalline structures in the ABZ samples. With regards to MBZ, it was possible to identify polymorphs A and C, as well as a mixture of these polymorphs. With the execution of a solubility test, it was ascertained that the samples with polymorph C were the most soluble in the HCl 0.1N and gastric acid media. Finally, a methodology for the evaluation of the ID of ABZ and MBZ was developed. In order to evaluate the impact of the test conditions on ID, samples of both drugs were chosen, which were then subjected to different tests, according to the L9 (34) Taguchi experimental orthogonal array. It was ascertained that for both ABZ and MBZ, the variable with the greatest impact on the intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) was the dissolution medium. Accordingly, the conditions for the execution of comparative tests between the samples were selected (different suppliers). It was observed that the samples that presented the polymorph II (ABZ) and C (MBZ) were also those that presented the greatest IDR values. The conditions employed for the IDR study of the drug samples enabled differences between the polymorphs to be ascertained, thus demonstrating that the intrinsic dissolution technique is viable for the characterization of polymorphic forms of ABZ and MBZ.

O objetivo geral desse trabalho foi o de analisar os fatores intrínsecos associados ao risco de quedas entre os idosos residentes no Município de São Paulo no ano de 2000. Para alcançar tal objetivo foram utilizados os dados referentes à população idosa do Estudo SABE (Saúde, Bem-Estar e Envelhecimento) Brasil, obtidos junto aos idosos residentes na zona urbana do Município de São Paulo, no ano de 2000. Utilizou-se a análise multivariada, o que permitiu uma abordagem analítica dos dados, considerando-se o comportamento per si e na presença das demais variáveis estudadas. Os cruzamentos dessas variáveis com a queda foram realizados separadamente, por sexo e idade, utilizando-se a ponderação amostral e o teste de associação de Rao Scott. Para identificar o risco de morte para as variáveis idade, sexo e queda, foram utilizadas a análise de sobrevida e as curvas de sobrevida de Kaplan Meier. Com essa pesquisa, concluiu-se que quanto mais longeva for a pessoa, maior o número de fatores intrínsecos relacionados à ocorrência de quedas. Por isso, a importância de novos estudos envolvendo os fatores intrínsecos para futuras prevenções de quedas nos idosos. Além disso, foi possível verificar, com as curvas de sobrevida de Kaplan Méier, o risco elevado de morte nos idosos que sofreram queda ou com idade avançada, principalmente para o sexo feminino. / The objective of this study was to analyze the intrinsic factors associated with risk of falls among the elderly living in São Paulo in 2000. For this purpose we used the data on the elderly population in the study SABE ( Health, Welfare and Ageing)- Brazil obtained the elderly living in the urban area of São Paulo in 2000. We used multivariate analysis, which allowed for an analytical data, considering the behavior itself and in the presence of others. The intersections of these variables with the fall were performed separately by sex and age using the weighted sample and the test of association Rao-Scott. To identify the risk of death for the variables age, sex and fall-was used survival analysis and survival curves of Kaplan Meier. With this research it was found that the more a person is long-lived, the greater the number of intrinsic factors related to falls. Hence the importance of new studies involving the intrinsic factors for future preventions of falls in the elderly. Moreover, it was possible to verify, with the survival curves of Kaplan Meier, the increased risk of death in elderly people suffered falls or with advanced age, especially for females.

This dissertation examines anew the value of wilderness and arguments used in defense of its preservation. The rationale for the examination is the force of the moral argument against policies of preserving wilderness areas, based upon their negative impact on the welfare of sentient life. This argument is accordingly dubbed the ‘Objection from Welfare’ (OFW). The dissertation’s central contention is that an adequate defense of wilderness preservation must be grounded in a value possessed by wilderness areas that generates at least as strong a reason to protect them as the OFW generates to oppose them. At present, no such rational, secular defense exists. Chapter One rehabilitates the idea of wilderness as the natural world maximally free from human intervention, and then disarms five persistent objections to this idea, arguing that it poses no insurmountable philosophical difficulties. Chapter Two argues that concern for animal welfare generates a pro tanto moral reason to oppose wilderness (i.e., OFW), thus demonstrating that wilderness preservation is ethically more complicated than is typically allowed. Chapters Three and Four argue that no justifiable ascription of intrinsic value to wilderness supports a nonanthropocentric conception of its value and that, consequently, a defense of wilderness simply as wilderness (wilderness qua wilderness) must be anthropocentric. According to this argument, wilderness’ distinctive value qua wilderness is ironically the anthropocentric value of a worldly domain maximally other-than-human. Neglect of this value is, it is shown, a common shortcoming of philosophical arguments for wilderness preservation. Chapter Five considers the extent to which wilderness’ distinctive value generates reasons to dispute the OFW effectively. In this regard, an analogy is drawn between bioethics and environmental ethics, i.e., between Michael Sandel’s defense of the gifted character of human nature and a defense of wilderness qua wilderness. Yet, while the analogy with Sandel’s notion of giftedness enhances an anthropocentric valuation of wilderness, it does not yield reasons strong enough to reject the OFW. Finally, I suggest that a fundamental defense of wilderness may require a spiritual or religious valuation of wilderness such that the moral force of the OFW could be suspended without being rejected. / 2020-12-11T00:00:00Z

Water quality and river/stream ecosystems are important for all living creatures. To protect human health, aquatic life and the surrounding ecosystem, a considerable amount of time and money has been spent on sampling and monitoring streams and rivers. Water quality monitoring and analysis can help researchers predict and learn from natural processes in the environment and determine human impacts on an ecosystem. Measurements such as temperature, pH, nitrogen concentration, algae and fish count collected along the network are all important factors in water quality analysis. The main purposes of the statistical analysis in this thesis are (1) to assess the relationship between the variable measured in the water (response variable) and other variables that describe either the locations on/along the stream network or certain characteristics at each location (explanatory variable), and (2) to assess the degree of similarity between the response variable values measured at different locations of the stream, i.e. spatial dependence structure. It is commonly accepted that measurements taken at two locations close to each other should have more similarity than locations far away. However, this is not always true for observations from stream networks. Observations from two sites that do not share water flow could be independent of each other even if they are very close in terms of stream distance, especially those observations taken on objects that move passively with the water flow. To model stream network data correctly, it is important to quantify the strength of association between observations from sites that do not share water.