<p>This study explored women's perceptions of how their illness (Rheumatoid Arthritis- RA) affects their relationship with their intimate life partner. RA is a chronic, inflammatory, auto-immune illnes, which mainly affects the synovial membranes of multiple joints. This highly inflammatory poly-arthritis may lead to joint destruction, chronic pain, deformity and loss of functioning as unfortunate outcomes of the established illness. RA affects key life domains such as psychological well-being, social well-being, family and couple relationships, employment, loss of independence and restrictions in daily functioning.</p>

A thesis submitted to the faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; in fulfillment of the requirements for the award of PhD in Demography and Population Studies. September, 2016. / Background: While there has been a significant global reduction in maternal mortality rates from 546 000 in 1990 to 287 000 in 2010 (Zureick-Brown et al., 2013;Merdad, et al., 2013), maternal mortality in Zambia continues to be above at 483 per 100 000 live births, eluding the millennium development target of 162 (CSO, 2012). Data on maternal mortality are not disaggregated by provinces. Various studies on maternal mortality conducted in Zambia (Ahmed et al., 1999; Banda et al., 2007; Hazemba & Siziya, 2009; Kilpatrick, Crabtree & Kemp, 2002) have evaluated maternal deaths at national level using direct death inquiry and though it is useful for international comparisons, neither one of these approaches are appropriate for evaluating maternal mortality in small districts where safe motherhood initiatives are often carried out. These studies have rarely included neighbourhood influence on maternal mortality risks. Moreover, no known study has attempted to use the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey maternal health indicators to evaluate maternal mortality by regions in Zambia. Yet, analyses of differentials within small districts provide an improved awareness of the social situation in which the risks are high for regional priority interventions. In addition, other researchers (Achia & Mageto 2015; Stephenson & Elfstrom 2012) have all posted that inclusion of neighbourhood level variables is helpful to understand several maternal health outcomes. Objective: Guided by the conceptual framework developed by McCarthy & Maine (1992), this study contributes the new method of use of the mean Maternal Death Risk Factor Index model to estimate the levels and differentials in the risks of maternal mortality by regions and enhance the understanding of determinants of maternal mortality risks. This model is helpful in that it highlights regional and socioeconomic differentials in maternal mortality risks and ranks regions according to their potential maternal mortality burdens. Benchmarks are set by using this model and indicators are used to identify probable high-risk areas or regions. Methodology: The study utilised existing data sources from the 2007 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and 2011-2013 Health Management Information System Routine Data (HMIS). Bivariate analysis was utilised to investigate the distribution and differentials in exposure to maternal mortality risks. Multilevel logistic regression was performed to investigate the independent and moderating functions of neighbourhood aspects on exposure to maternal mortality risks and the moderating functions of neighbourhood causes on the relationship between individual circumstances and exposure to maternal mortality risks. The mean Maternal Death Risk Factor Index (MDRFI) model that uses the history of individual women health indicators was used to predict maternal mortality and highlight regional and socioeconomic differentials of maternal mortality risks. The analysis was based on 5 410 women aged 15 to 49 who had a live birth in the five years prior to the 2007 Zambian Demographic and Health Surveys. The HMIS 2011-2013 data was also utilised for a comparative analysis and complementing DHS data on maternal health matters in Zambia. Results: The predicted maternal mortality ratios (MMRs) values by region showed larger regional disparities. All the seven rural regions had MMR above the national average (591/100 000 live births); the highest being in Northern Zambia (738 per 100 000 live births) and Central Zambia (679 per 100 000 live births). The predicted ratios in the two urban regions of Lusaka and Copper-belt were significantly below the national average. The findings of both bivariate and multivariate analyses showed that skilled birth attendance at delivery significantly lowered the risks of exposure to adverse pregnancy outcome. The likelihood of using skilled personnel at birth was advanced for women who resided in neighbourhoods, with advanced proportion of women who utilized skilled delivery at birth compared to women who lived in neighbourhoods that had a high proportion of women giving birth at home. The outcome from the multilevel analysis showed that the consequence of individual and neighbourhood influences on the exposure to high risk pregnancy in Zambia operates at different levels. Women with no education were found to be more exposed to high risk pregnancy than women with post primary education. The rate of women in the neighbourhood who utilized skilled birth attendance had a strong positive impact on the reduction of exposure to high risk pregnancy. In the analysis of autonomy level – although results indicated that women with low autonomy had higher odds of exposure to high risk pregnancy compared to women with high autonomy – the results were not significant, and therefore autonomy level in terms of exposure to high risk pregnancy was not supported in this study. Conclusion: The MDRFI model is much easier to use at any level and quicker to forecast interventions as well as prevent probable risks compared to the use of the sisterhood method. The model proposed here could serve as the basis for a new and better system of mortality estimation for populations with incomplete data. The results reveal a number of challenges to confront with the purpose of reducing maternal mortality in Zambia. Women’s high risk reproductive behaviours and the use of imperative fertility healthcare utilities have yet to increase considerably to result in a decrease in maternal deaths in the nation. The continuous disparities in maternal death hardship by province, rural-urban dwelling and socioeconomic position of the society further heightened the issue, making attempts to enhance maternal health and thereby decrease maternal deaths more demanding. Advancements to lower maternal mortality should either lessen the probability that a woman will become pregnant or lower the possibility that a pregnant woman will experience adverse reactions during pregnancy or childbirth or better the outcomes for women with complex pregnancies. This research makes it evident that programs to combat maternal mortality risks in the country require several avenues that embrace diverse protective measures looking beyond the individual level as women’s health is essentially affected by their social environment. The amount of differential at neighbourhood and individual level found in our study indicates the need to contextualise efforts to increase resources towards mitigating exposure to high risk pregnancy. Hence, adopting neighbourhood-specific strategies along with identifying and addressing neighbourhood factors affecting the exposure to high risk pregnancy would give better results. The use of multilevel analysis in this research has shown that individual and neighbourhood aspects are crucial components associated with the exposure to high risk pregnancy. The multilevel framework demonstrated crucial neighbourhood differentials in the exposure to high risk pregnancy. Improving quality and access to health services is essential if the most deprived are to benefit. The Ministry of Health should align its plans of action to Zambia’s development strategy articulated in its own Vision 2030. Neighbourhood health workers need to be involved in sensitising pregnant women about the risks of maternal mortality, for instance short birth interval, risky maternal age and danger signs during pregnancy. To close the gap in exposure to high risk pregnancy between neighbourhoods, interventions should aim at poverty reduction, increasing neighbourhood maternal education and facility delivery in deprived neighbourhoods. The model used in this study could serve as the basis for a new and better system of mortality estimation for populations with incomplete data and will be much easier to use at any level, as well as vital for quick forecasting of priority interventions. / GR2017

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Building. / South Africa is a country that has been plagued by many social ills of the past due to its history that segregated the nation in terms of race. The impacts of this have been seen in many sectors within the country and one of such areas is education. School systems in many countries especially those in extreme poverty areas experience a substantial amount of building decay as compared to schools with excellent building conditions normally found in suburban areas. There is value in maintaining these structures. “The racially discriminatory system of education spending under the apartheid system, has bequeathed to this country and the Gauteng province in particular a public school system in which some schools are much better resourced than most other schools in the system.” (Judge Mbha, 2011, per comm.) The review of literature showed that there are variances within the public school system in South Africa especially those relating to the building conditions and the impact that they could ultimately have on the learner’s outcomes. Hence in order to offer solutions to one of South Africa’s most important commodity “education”, this research aims to examine the current policies and compare facilities management maintenance methods utilized in former “Model C” and former Department of Education (disadvantaged) public schools, and to identify and recommend the methods utilized in schools with a higher standard of maintenance and physical facilities management (FM) policies. Using the case study method of qualitative research, data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires complemented with interviews. The principals and custodians of school facilities conveyed various levels of understanding of school facilities management policies and implemented them similarly in certain aspects and differently in areas of management. These are visible in the physical fabric condition of the school. Former Model C schools facilities are still managed more efficiently. The recommendations are that the DBE finalizes the maintenance document that will guide schools on how to manage their facilities efficiently. Benchmarking and bestpractice of FM methods should be used in schools, and lastly equipping the general workers of schools with various building trades allows school facilities to be managed more effectively. Keywords: Facilities Management, Facilities Management Strategies, Former Model C, Previously Disadvantaged, South African Ordinary Public Schools.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, November 2015. / Globally, people are connected to multiple homes. This connection develops through ownership and place attachment. Second home tourism research explores the ownership and place attachment to multiple homes for the purpose of leisure. Whilst second home tourism research has been conducted extensively in the Global North, focusing mainly on leisure, the same cannot be said for the Global South. In South Africa, there is little research conducted on the local wealthy black population and the connection to ownership and place attachment to additional/second homes. The history of racial, socio-economic and spatial segregation in South Africa has facilitated the unique development of the connection to multiple homes for the black populations. Using the current second home tourism literature, together with the legislative history of South Africa, this research hopes to develop open and inclusive explanations of the second home phenomenon for the case of the influential black elite residents in South Africa. This dissertation explores the link that sixty-nine black elite residents of greater Johannesburg suburbs have with their additional homes that are located in Soweto and other regions in sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this, a largely qualitative methodology set was implemented through the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis was utilised for the analysis. To conclude, the results of this dissertation dispute certain aspects of concepts used in current second home literature. It is also emphasized that it is important to rethink and re-conceptualize the international ideas of circulation, mobility and pluri-residentiality, when attempting to appropriately adapt these concepts South Africa.

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This dissertation evaluates the veracity of Richard Scott’s three pillars of institutionalization: regulative, normative, and cultural-cognitive. The test of his theory is whether the processes and practices within the environments of the three pillars can account for differences between academic performance and athletic performance in Miami-Dade County, Florida public schools. Scott’s model of institutionalization works better in predicting academic success than it does athletic success in the context of this study as evidenced by the majority of the findings coming from the scholastic realm. The primary methodological approach was to obtain publicly available measures of academic performance and resources for 31 high schools in Miami-Dade County, FL, and then evaluate relationships between these academic indicators and measures of 􀀃 􀀃school athletic performance. Pearson (parametric) and Spearman (non-parametric) correlation coefficients were calculated to estimate the strength of association between school characteristics and measures of academic and athletic performance. These analyses further informed the construction of stepwise multiple linear regression models that regressed the dependent variable (a measure of academic or athletic performance) with a range of possible independent variables all related to individual school characteristics. Improvement in the academic categories included in this dissertation (math, science, reading, and writing) has been the goal of a great deal of legislation that deals with education at the federal, state, and local level. The top indicator of a school’s academic performance was the number of highly qualified teachers within a school. Cultural-cognitive pillar indicators of socioeconomic status, including minority rate and percentage of students in a school who are eligible for free lunch, were negatively associated with academic performance. Thus, normative and cultural-cognitive processes can have a significant impact on whether laws and legislation have their intended effect. In the end, it is reasonable to conclude that all three pillars complement each other in interdependent ways within Scott’s institutional framework with different pillars taking prominence as time and circumstances change. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Foam fighting is a form of Live Action Role Playing (LARP) that focuses on mock combat and recreational battle, with role-playing aspects taking a less prominent role. It is sometimes referred to as a “poor man’s martial art”.While there does not appear to be any clear documentation concerning the origins, research on foam fighting suggests the sport began in Maryland in the 1970’s and slowly spread throughout the United States. This research will illustrate how the sport of foam fighting demands a level of critical thinking that takes both the participant and audience beyond the sight of a swinging stick. I plan to show how this sport provides an outlet for high levels of creativity, social interaction and strategic planning skills. It is a hobby that has had a great impact on the daily lives of many of its participants and continues to grow and evolve. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

This dissertation is a comparative study of school discipline in the United States and in Greece. It examines the effect that schools, particularly their organizational form and rules, have upon the behavior of students and how this behavior is understood and categorized. The empirical findings show that, despite facing an elaborate system of rules, punishments, and staff dedicated to discipline, students at a New York school were three times more likely to be unruly compared with students in a similar school in Athens, where only teaching staff managed behavior, and formal rules and regulations governing student conduct were virtually non-existent. Drawing upon the theoretical insights of Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas, Tom Popkewitz, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, and neo-institutionalist scholars, this study proposes explanations for this surprising pattern. I argue that increased structural-functional differentiation within schools and heavy-handed sets of rules and punishments for students erode the moral authority of the teacher and create spaces outside the classroom where students can develop and employ identities and cultural hierarchies that lead to more frequent and extreme forms of unruliness. I also argue that the regulation of student discipline is part of the broader system of state regulation and control. In societies where govermentality is a dominant theme, school discipline becomes preoccupied with questions of measurement, care, and efficiency. What is needed, I suggest, is a return to democracy.

This dissertation focuses on low-income rural-urban migrant children and their families in Bangladesh, living in a severe poverty-stricken environment in the capital city, Dhaka. Specifically, it deals with the dilemma of so-called non-formal primary education (NFPE) programs aimed at providing alternative schooling opportunities to children who do not attend regular school in the city. It describes how such programs do not necessarily help children integrate into the country's formal school system, but instead continuously prepares them for the subordinate segment of the society. The study particularly addresses the state-sponsored Basic Education for Hard-to-Reach Urban Working Children (BEHTRUWC) project, and examines its three elements: 1) exclusive membership and the making of "working children," 2) distinction from formal schools and meaning of schooling, and, 3) an implementation model that reflects Bangladeshi social structure. First, the study looks at how the BEHTRUWC project labels its participating children as "working children" (not particularly as students), and provides them with only limited coverage of primary schooling. As a result, children become "working children," not only learning the concept, but also acquiring customs to "act out" as working children. Second, the study problematizes the unique goals and subjects taught at the BEHTRUWC project that ultimately draws clear distinction between its children and formal school students. The children and their parents also realize that their experience in the project would not assure the same level of education as formal schools, or provide them with more skilled and better-paid employment opportunities in the future. Finally, the study examines how the basic pattern of interpersonal relationships so common in Bangladesh is reflected in the daily practices of the BEHTRUWC project. The project's learning centers remain similar to any other places in Dhaka where children feel morally obligated to teachers and others, and thus, through the project, the children gradually recognize their assumed existing position in relation to other people in society. Through shedding light on the relationships, negotiations, and struggles of the people involved in the BEHTRUWC project, this study explores how these different elements of the project generate the unintended consequence for low-income migrant children in Dhaka.

Chapter one of this thesis examines how tying social insurance to marriage influences matching and marital decisions in the context of Sweden, and draws implications for when it is optimal to separate social insurance from marriage in modern societies. Chapter two analyzes firms' communication strategies in a market where consumers face attention constraints, and discusses regulation that can protect consumers from exploitation. Chapter three studies communication and coercion in the presence of an altruistic relationship, and offers a benevolent rationale for constraining liberty to protect individuals from self-harm, for example through safety mandates.