Millions of children throughout the world suffer from some form of nutritional insufficiency resulting- in a retardation of their physical and mental development. Recently results of behavioural studies have suggested that inclusion of a programme of psycho-social stimulation in the management and treatment of such children might cause enhancements in their mental development. However, the morphological effects of a period of sensory stimulation on neural development in previously undernourished subjects have largely remained uninvestigated. Experiments described in this Thesis were designed to attempt such an investigation using the laboratory rat as the animal model. Rats were undernourished during their brain growth spurt period and then raised either in enriched or isolated environmental conditions. The enriched environmental condition consisted of a group of twelve male rats living together in a large cage containing a set of stimulus objects called "toys". The isolated environmental condition consisted of a single rat living in a small opaque cage which did not contain any toys. A parallel set of well-fed rats was raised in identical environmental conditions. The experiments were carried out on four separate occasions. At the end of the period of environmental modification various gross and microscopic characteristics of the brain were analyzed. These analyses included measurements of brain weights, forebrain dimensions and cortical depths. Stereo- logical procedures at the light microscopic level were used to estimate nuclear diameters and numerical densities of neurons and glial cells as well as neuronal perikarya.1 volumes in the visual cortex. At the electron microscopic level synaptic disc diameters, synaptic numerical densities and synapse-to- neuron ratios were estimated in visual cortical layers II and III. Results of these analyses suggested that environmental enrichment caused significant increases in forebrain weights and lengths as well as deficits in neuronal numerical densities particularly in the upper third of the visual cortex. It also produced significant increases in synaptic disc diameters and synapse-to-neuron ratios in cortical layers II and III. These changes were seen both in well-fed and previously undernourished rats Measurements of cortical depths and estimates of neuronal nuclear diameters, perikaryal volumes and glial cell numerical densities did not show consistent effects of environmental treatment. This latter finding is in contrast to several previously published results. Possible reasons for this are discussed. Results of the two-way analysis of variance tests on data combined from both nutritional groups indicated that the interaction between nutrition and environment was not significant for any of the measurements carried out. This suggested that the cerebral changes seen in both nutritional groups were similar in magnitude as well as direction. These results provide experimental evidence for the morphological basis of the rehabilitative potentials of sensory stimulation for previously undernourished subjects. This may have implications for designing a programme of therapy for children who have suffered an episode of earlylife malnutrition.

thesis report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the Degree of Masters in Nursing Science Johannesburg, 2014 / Shortage of human resources is a major problem which has become an international emergency that in recent years has caused substantial international attention and concern. Mid-level medical workers were introduced internationally, in Africa and recently in South Africa as a strategy to overcome health workforce challenges and improve access to essential health services, as well as achieve the health related targets of the Millennium Development Goals. Mid-level workers in South Africa are called Clinical Associates. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the PHC nurses’ perception of the Clinical Associate role. A qualitative, contextual, exploratory and descriptive design was used to explore and describe the PHC nurses’ opinions and thoughts concerning the role the clinical associates would play in the health care system; and to obtain an understanding of how the PHCNs see the feasibility of working with these newly introduced health workers. A purposive convenient sampling was used to select participants who were most likely to offer information required in the study. The study findings show that PHC nurses had insufficient knowledge regarding who Clinical Associates are and what their role is. Although to some extend the PHC nurses acknowledged the important role the Clinical Associates would play, the PHC nurses expressed more concern related to their professional status. The concerns included matters like: who would be senior between the Clinical Associate and the PHC nurses taking into consideration the level of education and training of Clinical Associates versus that of nurses; who would take orders from whom between Clinical Associates and PHC nurses. Another worry was the possibility of clinical associates taking over the PHC nurses roles.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning och litteratur som behandlar controllerns professionella yrkes-roll beskriver den tekniska rollen, där controllerns administrativa och funktionalistiska roll i organisationen står i fokus. Rollen kan beskrivas vidare med hjälp av sociologisk rollteori där rollskapande och rollåterskapande är två centrala begrepp.Problem: Utifrån tidigare forskning har vi formulerat tre frågor i syfte att förstå controllerns yrkesroll utifrån ett socialt rollperspektiv: Vad betyder begreppet controller och vad säger teori och tidigare forskning att en controller bör göra? Vad är controllerns roll i praktiken och hur skapas yrkesrollen? På vilket sätt går controllerns rollskapande att förklara med hjälp av rollteori?Metod och teori: Vi tillämpade en fenomenologisk tolkande metod i denna studie, då vi valde att fokusera på controllern som individ. Utifrån sociologisk rollteori ur ett multipelt perspektiv analyserar vi rollbegreppet, i syfte att få kunskap om hur individer skapar mening i den värld de lever i. Vi använder oss av tre rollteorier av tre välkända författare inom sociologisk roll-teori för att vidare tolka controllerns roll bortom den tekniska beskrivningen. Teori nummer ett ger en ritualistisk beskrivning av en roll som gör det enklare att verbalisera performativa handlingar och genom det koppla språket till akt. Teori nummer två beskriver funktionaliteten av en roll, hur beteende påverkas av en viss funktion och hur handlingarna styrs av externa normer. Teori nummer tre ger en beskrivning av roll som påverkas av individers grupptill-hörighet. Tillhörigheten i en grupp formar rollen genom den ömsesidiga kommunikationen.Studiens resultat: Genom vår studie kan vi dra slutsatser om controllerns yrkesroll, med hjälp av sociologisk rollteori ur ett multipelt perspektiv. Den praktiska rollen, det vill säga control-lerns handlingar (backstage), skiljer sig från hur controllerns vill att andra ska uppfatta denne (frontstage). Vi kan visa att controllerns rollskapande också kan ske utifrån rutiner i organisa-tionen. Då alla organisationer och individer skapar olika rutiner för handlingar leder det till att olika yrkesroller skapas. / Program: Civilekonomprogrammet

This dissertation is an ethnographic and genealogical study of leftist feminist subjectivity in the wake of the Islamic Revival in contemporary Morocco. It draws on two years (2004-2006) of field research amongst founding members of the Moroccan feminist movement whose activism emerged out of their immersion in and subsequent disenchantment with leftist and Marxist politics in the early 1980s. Based on ethnographic observations and detailed life histories, it explores how Moroccan feminists of this generation came to be constituted as particular kinds of modern leftist subjects who: 1) discursively construct "tradition" as a problem, even while positively invoking it and drawing on its internal resources; 2) posit themselves as "guardians of modernity" despite struggling with modernity's constitutive contradictions; and 3) are unable to parochialize their own normative assumptions about progress, modernity, freedom, the body, and religion in their encounter with a new generation of women who wear the hijab. How and why a strong commitment to ideas associated with modernity, with women's rights and with the left is seen as necessitating a condemnation and disavowal of "traditional" and of non-secular ways of being is one of the main themes animating this project. If I pay particular attention to the affective, visceral and embodied nature of these repudiations, it is to argue that modern political subjectivity operates not simply at the level of ideas but at a more complex register that is made manifest by the difficulties entailed in inter-subjective and inter-generational engagements. At the same time I draw inspiration from the work of feminist scholars and political theorists to argue for a more generous and unthreatened relationship to difference — one that is able to reconcile itself both with the past (tradition) and with the future (new generations). By analyzing the conundrums and aporias of contemporary Moroccan leftist feminist politics, this dissertation seeks to participate in thinking about modernity and feminism in non-teleological ways, and to contribute to an anthropology of modern power and of leftist/progressive political subjectivity.

Studies of the transformation of Iranian society after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and its impact on the position of the Iranian woman have revealed that three and a half decades of efforts by the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) to institutionalize an archaic image of the ideal Muslim woman have produced results contrary to what was intended. The expansion of women's education in post-revolutionary Iran identified as an unintended consequence of the revolution has been empowering women against the IRI's misogynistic ideology. A feminist movement based on the evolution of female consciousness and an unprecedented solidarity among previously divided secular and religious women has emerged as another medium of resistance. This study augments the research in this field by examining modifications in the education system following the revolution. A critical content analysis of elementary school textbooks issued by the Pahlavi and the IRI assesses the way in which each regime sought to impart its gender ideology to young girls. The eradication of coeducation and institution of single-sex schooling at the pre- university level is investigated as a factor in combating the constraints imposed by patriarchal laws on the female population. The conclusion is offered that the IRI may have unwittingly undermined its own agenda for women in promulgating such seemingly outdated decrees. Finally, this dissertation examines women's publications of the Pahlavi and IRI periods, emphasizing the pioneering role of one particular feminist publication in presenting a universal feminist ideology.

Recently Sandra Bem, a psychologist at Stanford University has written about the importance of developing a conception of mental health which is free from culturally imposed definitions of masculinity and femininity. She believes that defining certain behaviors as appropriate only for women and other behaviors as only appropriate for men is restricting and debilitating for both sexes. This sex-typing of behaviors has led to masculinity being associated with assertiveness and dominance, pragmatism, problem solving and task orientation, and a concern for one's individuality, whereas femininity is associated with emotional sensitivity and concern for the welfare of others, the seeking of harmony between oneself and others, and passivity. This study looks at the relationships between masculinity, femininity, anxiety and empathy. Specifically of concern is whether “Androgyny”, a new sex role, seems to be less debilitating and restricting than the traditional “Masculine” and “Feminine” roles as measured by anxiety and empathy scores. The sex role categories of Bem which are used in this study are derived from the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The categories are: 1) “Masculine" referring to someone scoring high in masculinity and low in femininity, 2) “Feminine” referring to someone scoring high in femininity and low in masculinity, 3) “Androgynous” referring to someone scoring high in both masculinity and femininity, and 4) “Undifferentiated” referring to someone scoring low in both masculinity and femininity. All the masculine-feminine (M-F) scales referred to in the following studies give measures corresponding to Bem's categories of “Feminine” and “Masculine”. In traditional M-F scales scoring high in femininity is equivalent to a “Feminine” sex role and scoring high in masculinity is equivalent to a "Masculine" sex role. The reason for this is that traditional M-F scales are structured so that masculinity and femininity are opposite poles on the same dimension and therefore as one moves toward greater femininity one also moves away from masculinity and vice versa. Bem’s inventory, however, is constructed so that masculinity and femininity are orthogonal dimensions. This allows for the development of two other possible sex roles: “Androgynous” and “Undifferentiated”. No predictions will be made about the latter category.

Studies suggest the need for landscapes of contemplation is as real as ever, despite the seeming lack of spaces designed to provide the possibility of transcendent connection. Reintroducing commonly held physical attributes and characteristics of contemplative spaces, repeated through space and time, is a fundamental and necessary way to reflect renewed interest in and need for integrated ways of knowing in the landscape. This study ultimately shows that the contemplative powers of a site exist on a spectrum and reinforces the belief that every landscape architecture project can successfully incorporate some degree of contemplative design, the individual benefits of which can be great, and as a community continue to be explored. Case studies of three sites reveal that certain combinations of criteria seem to have the potential of being more effective than others. This study contributes to the overarching goal of restorative design by addressing the user need of experiencing cosmologically aligned space, the presence of which contributes to a greater sense of place and, by extension, personal identity, orientation, perspective, and purpose. This study also adds to a postmodern understanding of contemplative space, that is, the notion of an ancient framework and its contemporary application and possible contributions to the current and future betterment of individuals and communities.

Master of Applied Science / Research into rehabilitation outcomes shows that people recovering from stroke experience serious role loss. Despite this, many occupational therapists working in the area of stroke rehabilitation do not allocate time to therapy designed to achieve specific meaningful role resumption or development for their clients, instead focussing most of their therapy upon the restoration of function at the performance component level (Brodie, Holm, & Tomlin, 1994). Occupational role performance is an area of knowledge that has been neglected within the profession. Little is known about the use of the concept by the role performer. A naturalistic study was undertaken to provide descriptive information about the self-perceived occupational role performance of men over 65 who have had a stroke, and to investigate the possibility that occupational role was a construct used by the participants to organise their occupational performance (Chapparo and Ranka, 1997). Thirteen participants were interviewed in their own homes. Inductive analysis of the data produced the following findings. There was evidence that participants did use role as a construct to organise role performance in terms of meaning, personal abilities and time. This organisation incorporated a large degree of choice about how roles were performed. Choices were made in relation to perceptions of environmental demands and informed by previous experience and personal standards for role performance. A preliminary model of self-perceived occupational role performance was developed from the themes identified in the data. The constructs of the model represent the factors identified as contributing to the meaning, motivation, planning and performance of occupational roles by the participants in the study. Each major construct has a number of sub-constructs, and construct definitions were produced. The relationship between the constructs is thought to be complex, and were considered beyond the scope of this descriptive study. The three major constructs of this model are Active Engagement, Personal Meaning and Perceived Control. The three constructs relate to doing, knowing and being as described in the Occupational Performance Model (Australia) (Chapparo and Ranka, 1997). Active Engagement describes the nature of occupational role performance and is principally related to doing. The construct of Personal Meaning strongly influences Active Engagement and is principally related to being. The last construct of Perceived Control relates to the reasoning of the participant about his role performance, and is principally related to knowing. Perceived Control informs Personal Meaning in terms of the perceived outcomes of Active Engagement. The major outcome of this study has been the detailed identification and description of a number of constructs that relate to both the internal and external aspects of self-perceived occupational role performance for the study participants. These constructs extend the Occupational Performance Model (Australia) (Chapparo and Ranka, 1997) at the role level, and can form the basis of further research to develop a model of occupational role performance that would provide a valuable tool for research and for clinical practice.

<p>The purpose with this research was to find out what advantages and/ or disadvantages there might be as playing the role as a lecture. In everyday life we give eachother different roles. During the last years the lecture has become a current and outstanding role. This has made me more curious about the lectures´ thoughts about there role. In this work I have tried to explore about the lecture playing the role. I have questioned if the lecture really is playing a role and if so what the effects of that would be. To analyse my material I have used roletheory. The method I have used is depth interviews. My inteviewgroup contains of 6 persons, 3 men and 3 women. They all have got different educations. The result of my research shows that the lectures are playing roles and there are more advantages than disadvantages. The advantages by playing a role could be for instance to strengthen the message. It is easier to create dramatic and excitement and getting the audience listen to you when you are playing a role as a lecture.</p><p>The disadvantages by playing a role tend to be that the lecture might loose his or her credibility. Playing a role as a lecture could also mislead the lecture and make him or her powerless.</p>

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 1982. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-82). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.