Psychobiography can be viewed as the re-writing of an individual‟s life story previously undetected. In general, it consists of a combination of two central elements: biography and psychological theory, which aim to explain the particular individual‟s psychological development. This particular study serves to explore the extraordinary life of renowned singer and songwriter, Ian Kevin Curtis (1956-1980), who died by suicide at the early age of 23. The basis for this investigation will take the form of notable biographical accounts of the subject‟s life, together with the application of Thomas Joiner‟s (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide which identifies factors that lead to suicidal ideation - in an attempt to understand the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide. In doing so, Adler‟s (1929) theory of Individual Psychology was applied to the life of Curtis in an attempt to build on Joiner‟s theory. This led to the concept of control being introduced and contributed to the development of an intake form to identify those at risk for suicide. It is hoped that exploring the psychological circumstances that contributed to Curtis‟s suicide and their interpretation by the subject will bring about an understanding of the risk factors that may induce suicide and, by extension, will highlight the relevance of this psychobiographical study as a tool for investigating and promoting preventative measures concerning suicide. The psychobiographical data collection and analysis for this research thesis will be guided by Yin‟s (2003) theory of „analytic generalisation‟ which uses a theoretical framework in selecting relevant data which develops a matrix as a descriptive framework for organising and integrating that data, and Alexander‟s (1988) analytical model which focuses on lifting out themes through principal identifiers of salience.

Orientador: Ana Gabriela Sálvio / Banca: Luciana Patrícia Abbade / Banca: Luiz Augusto Marcondes Fonseca / Resumo: Introdução: O melanoma cutâneo é o mais agressivo dos cânceres de pele. Sua incidência vem aumentando em todo o mundo e vários fatores têm sido atribuídos a este aumento. Estudos sobre o melanoma cutâneo com base em dados de registros populacionais são escassos no Brasil. Objetivos: Descrever os coeficientes de incidência (1996-2011) por melanoma cutâneo na cidade de Jaú, segundo: sexo, ano de diagnóstico, faixa etária, localização anatômica, estadio e tipo histológico. Descrever os coeficientes de mortalidade (1996-2011) por melanoma cutâneo na cidade de Jaú, segundo: sexo, ano do óbito e faixa etária. Analisar a tendência dos coeficientes de incidência (1996-2011), segundo: ano de diagnóstico, sexo e estadio. Analisar a tendência dos coeficientes de mortalidade (1996-2011) por melanoma cutâneo na cidade de Jaú, segundo: ano do óbito e sexo. Métodos: Foram analisados 162 casos novos de melanoma cutâneo diagnosticados no período de 1996 a 2011 fornecidos pelo Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional de Jahu e 39 óbitos por melanoma cutâneo ocorridos entre 1996 e 2011 fornecidos pelo Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade do Ministério da Saúde (SIM-MS). Foram calculados os coeficientes bruto e padronizado de incidência e de mortalidade, foi analisada a tendência destes coeficientes através do modelo de regressão. Resultados: O coeficiente médio de incidência (1996-2011) para o sexo feminino foi de 5,1 por 100.000 e para o sexo masculino foi de 4,8 por 100.000. Ambos não apresentaram tendência de crescimento ou queda no período (estabilidade). O coeficiente médio de mortalidade (1996-2011) para o sexo feminino foi de 1,4 por 100.000 e para o sexo masculino foi de 2,2 por 100.000, ambos também não apresentaram tendência de crescimento ou queda. Os coeficientes de incidência para os casos diagnosticados na fase inicial da doença, estadio 0, apresentaram tendencia de crescimento (r2=0,73; ... / Abstract: Introduction: The cutaneous melanoma is the most aggressive of the skin cancers. Its incidence is increasing all over the world and many factors are being assigned to this increase. Studies on cutaneous melanoma based on population-based registries are scarce in Brazil. Objectives: Describe the incidence rates (1996-2011) by cutaneous melanoma in the city of Jaú, according: sex, year of the diagnosis, age, anatomic location, stage and histological type. Describe the mortality coefficients (1996-2011) by cutaneous melanoma in the city of Jaú, according: sex, year of death and age. Analyze the tendency of the incidence coefficients (1996-2011), according: year of diagnosis, sex and stage. Analyze the tendency of the mortality coefficients (1996-2011) by cutaneous melanoma in the city of Jaú, according: year of death and sex. Methods: 162 new cases of cutaneous melanoma diagnosed in the period from 1996 to 2011 were analyzed and they were provided by the Population-Based Cancer Registry of Jaú and 39 deaths by cutaneous melanoma occurred between 1996 and 2011 provided by the Mortality Information System of the Ministry of Health (SIM-MS). The crude and the standardized coefficients of incidence and mortality were calculated, the tendency of those coefficients were analyzed through the regression model. Results: The average incidence coefficient (1996-2011) for the feminine sex was 5.1 from 100,000 and for the masculine sex was 4.8 from 100,000. Both didn't present tendency of increasing or decreasing in the period (stability). The average mortality coefficient (1996-2011) for the feminine sex was 1.4 from 100,000 and for the masculine sex was 2.2 from 100,000, both also didn't present tendency of increasing or decreasing. The incidence coefficients for the cases diagnosed in the initial phase of the disease, stage 0, presented growing tendency (r2=0.73; p=0.03) and the cases of stage I and II, presented decreasing tendency (r2=0.98; ... / Mestre

Abstract Statistical methods are an essential part of the published dental research. It is important to evaluate the use of these methods to improve the quality of dental research. In the first part, the aim of this interdisciplinary study is to investigate the development of the use of statistical methods in dental journals, quality of statistical reporting and reporting of statistical techniques and results in dental research papers, with special reference to time-to-event methods. In the second part, the focus is specifically on time-to-event methods, and the aim is to demonstrate the strength of time-to-event methods in collecting detailed data about the development of oral health. The first part of this study is based on an evaluation of dental articles from five dental journals. The second part of the study is based on empirical data from 28 municipal health centres in order to study variations in the survival of tooth health. There were different profiles in the statistical content among the journals. The quality of statistical reporting was quite low in the journals. The use of time-to-event methods has increased from 1996 to 2007 in the evaluated dental journals. However, the benefits of these methods have not been fully adopted in dental research. The current study added new information regarding the status of statistical methods in dental research. Our study also showed that complex time-to-event analysis methods can be utilized even with detailed information on each tooth in large groups of study subjects. Authors of dental articles might apply the results of this study to improve the study protocol/planning as well as the statistical section of their research article. / Tiivistelmä Tilastolliset tutkimusmenetelmät ovat olennainen osa hammaslääketieteellistä tutkimusta. Menetelmien käyttöä on tärkeä tutkia, jotta hammaslääketieteen tutkimuksen laatua voitaisiin parantaa. Tämän poikkitieteellisen tutkimuksen ensimmäisessä osassa tavoite on tutkia erilaisten tilastomenetelmien ja tutkimusasetelmien käyttöä, raportoinnin laatua ja tapahtumaan kuluvan ajan analysointimenetelmien käyttöä hammaslääketieteellisissä artikkeleissa. Toisessa osassa osoitetaan analysointimenetelmien vahvuus isojen tutkimusjoukkojen analysoinnissa. Ensimmäisen osan tutkimusaineiston muodostavat viiden hammaslääketieteellisen aikakauslehden artikkelit. Toisen osan tutkimusaineiston muodostivat 28 terveyskeskuksessa eri puolella Suomea hammashoitoa saaneet potilaat. Lehdet erosivat toisistaan tilastomenetelmien käytön ja tulosten esittämisen osalta. Tilastollisen raportoinnin laatu oli lehdissä puutteellinen. Tapahtumaan kuluvan ajan analysointimenetelmien käyttö on lisääntynyt vuosien 1996–2007 aikana. Tapahtumaan kuluvan ajan analysointimenetelmät mittaavat seuranta-ajan tietystä aloituspisteestä määriteltyyn päätepisteeseen. Tämän väitöksen tutkimukset osoittivat, että tapahtumaan kuluvan ajan analysointimenetelmät sopivat hyvin isojen tutkimusjoukkojen analysointiin. Menetelmien hyötyä ei ole kuitenkaan vielä saatu täysin esille hammaslääketieteellisissä julkaisuissa. Tämä tutkimus antoi uutta tietoa tilastollisten tutkimusmenetelmien käytöstä hammaslääketieteellisessä tutkimuksessa. Artikkelien kirjoittajat voivat hyödyntää tämän tutkimuksen tuloksia suunnitellessaan hammaslääketieteellistä tutkimusta.

M.Ed. / A number of studies has shown that adult education is a matter of great concern in South Africa, and the Northern Province has been earmarked as one of the regions with which needs thorough redressing and restitution of equality. This is because this region is constituted of rural areas characterised by poverty, unemployment and lack of proper housing and infrastructure. Many adults, most of hem middle-aged, and teenagers are illiterate because they either missed out on school or dropped out of school. It therefore becomes important that, given the situation in the province, ABET centres and relevant programmes be established and provided in order to fight against illiteracy. The literature shows that good provision in adult education should go hand in hand with the identification and assessment of the needs of adult learners. Whatever investigation is made on the needs of adult learners, the social and cultural background of the learner should be considered because it is the context which guides and influences expression of their needs. This suggests that appropriate methods for conducting ABET needs assessment should be selected and used - methods which will adapt to the background of the adult learners. The aim of this study, therefore, is to describe the process of conducting a needs assessment for the development of a programme for adult learners using the hermeneutic-dialectic methodology, and simultaneously assessing the viability of this methodology for developing appropriate needs assessment instruments in rural areas of South Africa. This study was approached from a constructivist (interpretive) perspective. This perspective is one which asserts that there exists multiple realities which are socially constructed. Within this perspective, the hermeneutic-dialectic methodology is suggested as a way of conducting research. Using this methodology as a framework, the open interview method was used in order to elicit constructions of participants. It became evident that the hermeneutic-dialectic methodology may be one of the appropriate methodologies which can be used for conducting needs assessment in rural areas. This is because the methodology adapts to the social and cultural background of the adult learners.

M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Reading is a complex activity which is of the utmost importance for successful progress in mainstream education, but which is seldom fully understood by professionals in the field of education. It is also an ability which is often problematic for children to master. The purpose with this study was to gain a better understanding of the reading process and to explore the reasons why some children fail to learn to read effectively. The research was based upon the following research questions: what constitutes beginning reading; how these problems manifest in the reading behaviour of the child with reading problems; and how the child with reading problems describes his knowledge about reading. The first aim of the study was to establish what the nature of reading is, how it develops in beginning readers (in the junior primary phase) and what the possible causes of reading problems are. This was achieved by an analysis of reviewed literature, emphasising the child as a system whereby his inner world is in interaction with the world around him. The additional aim was to conduct a qualitative analysis was undertaken in which the reading actions of two eight year old readers were presented and analyzed by means of a protocol analysis. The data of the two early readers were compared and the following categories of their reading actions identified: the mechanics of reading. construction of meaning and metareading knowledge. It was argued that these categories are interrelated in the sense that the one influences the other to such an extent that they cannot be separated for purposes of teaching reading skills. The mechanics of reading seems to be the foundation of meaning construction as it was apparent that the readers could not answer the comprehension questions when they were unable to recognise the words. This promotes a "back to basics" approach of teaching reading. On the other hand it also came to light that the readers could read certain words, but did not understand them due to the fact that they did not comprehend the context thereof and clearly had not constructed schema in the domain previously. The levels of functioning of the two readers were explained by using comparative matrices which indicated that they function on pre-conceptual and systematic conceptual levels, that is below the level that could be expected for their reading age group. Arguing from the findings of the research it was evident that teachers, as well as therapists concerned with reading remediation, probably address reading problems without fully understanding what the act of reading entails. Furthermore, school curricula which have the teaching of reading skills as objective could adopt a "back to basics" approach whereby phonics teaching and the accompanying emphasis on word recognition could be the point of departure. Thereafter comprehension and meta-reading aspects could be emphasised. It is, however, extremely important to keep in mind that each of these components of the teaching of reading, namely phonic recognition, word recognition, comprehension and meta-reading are not seen in isolation, but that the interaction of these aspects is understood and taught.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The complex nature of problems that the world is currently facing necessitates the emergence of new ways of producing knowledge relevant for dealing with these challenges. These challenges are multi-faceted and must be broken down into a variety of components as well as serially managed in order to ensure that a suitable plan of action can be formulated. A key aspect of dealing with these complex issues is through the integration of knowledge from a variety of disciplinary sources. Higher education institutions, through research, have the capability to elucidate the necessary disciplinary options from which these issues can be resolved. One approach that can be exploited in academia is transdisciplinary research. Transdisciplinary research integrates the best available knowledge sources and creates a platform from which researchers can create ownership of the problems and provide options for solving them. With this in mind, strategies that enhance transdisciplinary at academic institutions have become essential. One such strategy that can be employed is coopetition. Coopetition is a strategy that combines both cooperation and competition. This strategy is derived from the belief that competitors can benefit from one another if they collaborate and eliminates the traditional mindset that deters competitors from working together. However, before coopetition can be formalised, it is important to identify whether researchers are willing to adopt the behaviour required for it. Thus, this research, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) model, aims to identify whether researchers possess the behavioural intent towards the adoption of coopetition, which can foster a culture of transdisciplinary research. The study elaborates on the attitudes, norms and perceived self-efficacy of actively engaged researchers from two higher education institutions (one private, the other public) in South Africa. The attitudes, norms and perceived self-efficacy were then used to compute a behavioural intent score. The analysis occurred on two levels: within the institution, and across institutions. The results revealed that actively engaged researchers at these two institutions possess a moderately high likelihood of engaging in coopetitive relationships despite the extent to which individuals are influenced by norms being low. This study concludes with suggestions of future research with regards to enhancing coopetition and transdisciplinary research.

During the last few years, much effort has been devoted to measuring the ability of sport teams, as well as that of the individual players. Much research has been on the game of cricket, and the comparison, or ranking, of players according to their abilities. This study continues preceding research using an optimization approach, namely, a binary integer programme, to select an SA domestic Pro20 cricket team.

‘Rapid review’ is an accelerated evidence synthesis approach that has emerged to meet the needs of knowledge users in healthcare settings who require timely input to support evidence-informed policy and practice questions. Although use of rapid reviews continues to expand, there is a paucity of research on this topic. This thesis addresses three identified knowledge gaps: 1) To address the lack of an established definition for rapid reviews, a modified Delphi process was used to pursue expert consensus on the defining characteristics of rapid reviews and an operational definition; 2) To further our understanding of the prevalent opinions and perceptions towards rapid reviews, a Q methodology was used to characterize the viewpoints of research producers and knowledge users; and, 3) To extend our knowledge on the characteristics, conduct and reporting quality of rapid reviews, compliance with currently accepted checklists (AMSTAR, PRISMA) was explored in a sample of recent rapid reviews.

Orientadora: Leilah Santiago Bufrem / Banca: Ely Francina Tannuri de Oliveira / Banca: Nair Yumiko Kobashi / Banca: Elias Sanz Casado / Banca: Fabi oMascarenhas e Silva / Resumo: Esta tese considera os Estudos Métricos da Informação como um interdomínio estabelecido entre a Ciência da Informação (CI) e outros campos do conhecimento, em que o conhecimento gerado depende da amálgama dos conhecimentos oriundos de ambos os campos. Pondera-o, também, como um campo em vias de institucionalização no Brasil. Identifica a produção periódica científica desse interdomínio manifesto entre a CI e a Medicina, consubstanciado nos Estudos Métricos da Informação, a fim de compreender suas configurações relacionais. Apresenta a questão de pesquisa: como se estabelecem as relações entre os domínios da CI e da Medicina, materializadas pelos Estudos Métricos da Informação no Brasil? Como objetivo geral, reconhece teórica e empiricamente como se configuram as relações representadas pelo interdomínio de Estudos Métricos da Informação entre CI e Medicina no Brasil. Defende como pressuposto a necessidade de visualizar, na prática empírica, o potencial metacientífico da CI, de modo especial, sua vertente investigativa no domínio de Estudos Métricos da Informação. Opta pela Medicina para consolidação e aplicação da concepção de interdomínio, não somente pela relevância social desse campo e do expressivo volume de sua produção científica, mas, de modo especial, por suas contribuições ao desenvolvimento das primeiras pesquisas que consolidaram o uso de fontes de informação científica no Brasil. Utiliza como corpus de análise, um conjunto de 132 artigos extraídos da Scopus, produz... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This thesis considers Metric Studies of Information as an inter-domain that can be established between Information Science (IS) and other different knowledge fields, where the knowledge generated depends on the amalgamation of knowledge from both fields.It also considers the metric studies of information as a field that becomes its institutionalization in Brazil. It identifies the scientific literature of this inter-domain in order to understand the relational configurations between Information Science and Medicine by Metric Studies of Information. It presents the research question: How can be established the relation between IS and Medicine through Metric Studies of Information in Brazil? The study aims to recognize theoretically and empirically how the relationships represented by the inter-domain of Metric Studies of Information between IS and Medicine, in Brazil, are established and configured. It argues about the need to visualize, as empirical practice, the IS meta-scientific potential, in particular, its investigative aspect in the field of Metric Studies of Information. It opts for Medicine to apply and consolidate the inter-domain concept, not only for the social relevance of this field and the significant volume of its scientific production, but, in particular, for its contributions to the development of the early research that consolidated the use of scientific information sources in Brazil. It uses as the analysis corpus a collection of 132 articles, extracted fro... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Resumen: Esta tesis considera los Estudios Métricos de Información como un interdominio que puede ser establecido entre la Ciencia de la Información (CI) y otros campos del saber, donde el conocimiento generado depende de la fusión de los conocimientos de ambos los campos. Además, considera los Estudios Métricos de Información como un nuevo campo en vías de institucionalización en Brasil. En el siguiente trabajo se identifica la producción periódica científica de este interdominio manifiesto entre la Ciencia de la Información y la Medicina y materializado en los Estudios Métricos de Información. La pregunta de investigación que orienta el trabajo es: ¿Cómo se establecen las relaciones entre los dominios de CI y Medicina a través de los Estudios Métricos de Información en Brasil? El objetivo general de la investigación es reconocer teórica y empíricamente cómo se configuran las relaciones representadas por el interdominio de Estudios Métricos de Información entre CI y Medicina en Brasil. Defiende como presupuesto la necesidad de visibilizar, en la práctica empírica, el potencial metacientífico de la Ciencia de la Información, de manera especial, sus esfuerzos para llevar a cabo la investigación en el dominio de estudios métricos de información. Opta por la Medicina para la consolidación y aplicación de la concepción de interdominio, no sólo por la relevancia social de este campo y del expresivo volumen de su producción periódica científica, sino que especialmente por sus contribuciones... (Resumen completo clicar acceso eletrônico abajo) / Doutor

Purpose: To show the necessity of distinguishing several patterns of drug prescribing that may lead to co-medication. It is demonstrated how these different patterns can be investigated using large databases containing pharmacy data or reimbursement data. Methods: Two examples illustrate how the particular pattern of co-medication studied will influence the reported proportion of patients having co-medication, the use of antidepressants among people using anticonvulsants, and the use of antihistamines among people receiving penicittines. Results: Depending on definition and period considered, the percentage of anticonvulsant users co-medicated with antidepressants ranged from 5.8% (95%CI 5.0%, 6.8%) to 14.5% (95%CI 13.2%, 15.9%) in 2000. Comparing 2002 with 2000, the ratio of proportions ranged from 1.3 to 2.1. The percentage of people who received penicillines and were co-medicated with antihistamines ranged from 0.5% (95%CI 0.4%, 0.6%) to 9.7% (95%CI 9.3%,10.2%) in 2000. Comparing 2002 with 2000, the ratio of proportions ranged from 1.2 to 1.6. Conclusion: The co-medication patterns investigated yielded clinical as well as statistically significant different estimates. The estimates differed up to a factor 2.5 for the drugs usually prescribed for long periods, and a factor 12 for drugs prescribed for short periods. Hence, we propose to distinguish the patterns 'co-prescribing', 'concomitant medication,' and 'possibly concurrent medication.' The research question determines the co-medication pattern of interest, and the drug and disease under study determine the time window.