by Wong Ho Kam. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 61-64.

Orientador: Oswaldo Francisco de Almeida Júnior / Banca: Maria Cândida Soares Del Masso / Banca: Edmir Perrotti / Resumo: Investigamos em que medida as ações de mediação da informação e de leitura podem influenciar na aceitação de novos suportes de informação por parte dos idosos. Este foi um dos pressupostos tratados por esta pesquisa. Para tanto foi discutido a forma como o sujeito conhece e como interage com o mundo. Assim, percebemos a construção de conceitos acerca dos sujeitos, neste caso, os idosos e como eles podem ter sua vida influenciada pela reconstrução do seu papel social. A leitura e as ações de mediação perpassam por todos os contextos descritos na pesquisa, assegurando que, independente do suporte informacional, é a ação do sujeito que determina o papel do suporte no grupo e na comunidade. Assim, entendemos que os suportes atuam como atratores iniciais, mas que são suprimidos pelos processos criativos que emergem a partir da ação coletiva dos sujeitos / Abstract: We investigate to what extent the actions of mediation of information and reading can influence the acceptance of new media information to the elderly. This was one of the conditions treated by this research. Thus, we discussed how the subject knows and how it interacts with the world. Thus, we see the construction of concepts about the subject, in this case, the elderly and how they can have their lives affected by the reconstruction of its social role. Reading and the actions of mediation permeate all the contexts described in the research, ensuring that regardless of informational support, is the individual's action that determines the role of the support group and community. Thus, we believe that the media act as attractors stages, but are suppressed by the creative processes that emerge from the collective action of individuals / Mestre

Thesis (MPA)--University of Limpopo, 2009. / The South African government should ensure that each and every South African has food to eat, as well as clothes and shelter. The existence of widespread poverty in South Africa led to Child Support Grants being introduced as a means of assisting in poverty alleviation programmes. The South African government has also put poverty alleviation on its priority list, yet there are many reasons that lead to poverty.The main aim of this study was to examine and describe the perceptions of grant recipients of FONDWE VILLAGE and their parents or guardians, focusing on advantages and disadvantages. The perceptions of the Social Development authorities through their agents, South African Social Security Agents (SASSA), about the impact of the grant were also examined. Data were gathered by means of structured interviews. Interviews were utilized to collect data in an effort to explore different facets of the study and to get a range of information. These interviews were used as the main method of data collection. Questions in the interview schedule were pre-tested. Some participants in a pilot group were used to test the interview guide. The researcher compiled three different interview schedules, namely: • for young mothers, (grant recipients) • for parents or guardians of grant recipient or young mothers, and • for social and welfare authorities all with interview questions. The findings show that most young mothers (recipients) know the purpose of the Child Support Grant, but are often just ignorant, careless and selfish in their use of it. The following recommendations were made: • Grant recipients should, when their children’s age next birthday is 13 years, if they are not themselves at school or in full-time employment, offer their voluntary services at public institutions situated near them until their children are no longer receiving the Child Support Grant. Such voluntary services may be offered for 3 work days in a week. The public institutions concerned can include schools, clinics, hospitals, tribal and government offices. This might also help them to acquire useful skills which might help them be more permanently employable. • Rather than giving grant recipients money which they can spend on inappropriate things, vouchers should be introduced that enable the recipients to purchase only what is needed for children • Parents or guardians should be led to see the importance of informing the Social Development authorities of any Child Support Grant abuse. They should be assured that this would not in any way disadvantage the child/children in question, but would be very much to their benefit. • Young mothers should also be encouraged to inform the Social Development Authorities of any difficulties they encounter due to their receiving the grant,such as pressure to share it with their spouses or boyfriends.

This qualitative study examined the participatory experiences of people with an intellectual disability as members of government disability advisory bodies in Australia. These forums are one of the strategies adopted by governments to enable people with an intellectual disability to participate in the formulation of social policy. Such opportunities have arisen from progressive policy that frames people with an intellectual disability as full citizens with equal rights to inclusion and participation in society. Little research has considered how people with an intellectual disability experience the participatory opportunities that have grown from this recognition of their rights. This reflects the more traditional focus on their status and participation as consumers and service users. The central question of this study is how people with an intellectual disability experience participation in government advisory bodies, and how such forums can be inclusive and meaningful. This study positions people with an intellectual disability as the experts about their own experiences by relying primarily on their first person accounts of their experiences. Ethnographic and case study methods were employed including in-depth interviews with the central participants, document analysis, observation of the work of the advisory bodies and interviews with others involved in advisory bodies. Analysis led to the development of a typology of participation that describes the political and personal orientations people have to participation. The study found that structures and the processes used by advisory bodies can mediate people�s experiences; however more significantly, the experiences of people with intellectual disability are shaped by their perception of how they are regarded by others. Central to this is the efficacy of support based on the development of collegiate relationships, similar to the notion of civic friendship described by Reinders (2002), rather than support that is solely focussed on tangible accommodations The study concludes that citizen participation bodies have not fully recognised the personal and political potential of members with an intellectual disability. It presents evidence that people with an intellectual disability are capable of this form of participation, can provide legitimate and informed perspectives on policy and can engage meaningfully, given full recognition of their capacity to participate as well as structures and processes that enable this.

During adolescence, peer relationships become increasingly important in various aspects of development, such as self-esteem and emotional adjustment. Unfortunately, a number of adolescents experience peer victimization, placing them at increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems. Research has consistently demonstrated the link between peer victimization and poor outcomes. However, exploration of the mechanisms underlying this link, including potential buffers of negative outcomes, is needed. The current study examined social support as a moderator of the relationship between peer victimization and maladjustment in order to assess whether social support from adults and peers protects adolescents from developing emotional and/or behavioral problems. The current study also examined disclosure of victimization to explore the role of a specific type of enacted social support in the link between peer victimization and poor outcomes. Adolescents (N = 633) in grades 10 through 12 completed a background questionnaire, the Revised Peer Experiences Questionnaire, the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, and the Youth Self-Report. Regression analyses were used to evaluate social support as a moderator of the relationship between peer victimization and internalizing and externalizing behaviors and to explore the role of disclosure. Overall, peer victimization predicted higher levels of social anxiety, anxiety/depression, and aggressive and delinquent behaviors. Strength and direction of moderation effects varied according to the type of peer victimization and source of social support and type of disclosure. The results of this study further our understanding of mechanisms underlying the link between peer victimization and maladjustment and can be used to inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Social support has been demonstrated to reduce cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality; however, the mechanisms by which social support reduces disease progression are still unclear. Oxytocin (OT) is a neuropeptide commonly associated with positive social interactions. This series of studies investigated the ability of oxytocin to attenuate atherosclerosis and its putative mediators, pro-inflammatory cytokines. Oxytocin receptors were identified by Western Blot on rat adipose tissue and rat adipocytes. OT receptor mRNA was identified in human adipocyte cDNA. In primary culture of rat abdominal adipocytes, oxytocin (10 pM) decreased LPS-induced IL-6 release by 24.9% after a six hour incubation. Adipose tissue, surgically dissected from ApoE-/- mice chronically infused with OT, secreted less IL-6 than mice infused with a vehicle control. In sum, the presence of OT receptors was demonstrated on adipocytes, OT was shown to reduce IL-6 release in vitro, and chronic OT infusion decreased IL-6 release in adipose explants immediately after sacrifice. Potential mechanisms by which adipose tissue's role in the sympathetic nervous system response may affect inflammation, metabolism, and disease are discussed.

The machinations of the political environments of public organizations present interesting questions for scholars and practitioners alike. Moving beyond simply recognition of the inherent role of politics in the administrative process, I uncover specific causal mechanisms from the external environment to assess their influence on public administration. To investigate this phenomenon, I utilize data from the public education sector, one of the most common areas of public service delivery. This dissertation utilizes data from over 1000 Texas school districts. Given the heterogeneous nature of the state, these data are applicable to similarly structured organizations while the theories tested are tractable to other types of public policy. Unique to this project is the conceptualization of the role race plays for public organizations. Literature abounds with respect to how race affects clientele-agency relationships, but fails to address the effects of race and ethnicity at the upper echelons of public management. This research endeavor approximates reality in a meaningful way as our nation – and therefore our public organizations – becomes increasingly diverse in nature. The findings suggest that support, and more generally, the politics of the environment, matter for organizational performance. In some instances, such as turbulence in the environment, the role support plays in public service delivery varies. It is also the case that the presence of a racial or ethnic minority at the top levels of public organizations has a detrimental effect and mitigates an otherwise strong, positive association between supportive attitudes in the political environment and agency outcomes.

Context: Rectal cancer treatment decisions involve tradeoffs between outcomes like living with a permanent stoma versus long-term bowel dysfunction. The needs of rectal cancer patients and practitioners to partake in shared decision making are unknown. For such a complex decision, a patient decision aid that prepares patients to make informed, values-based decisions is warranted. Methods: 1) A systematic review, to characterize the prevalence of long-term dysfunction 2) Needs assessments, conducted with rectal cancer patients and practitioners, 3) Development of a decision aid. Results: 1) Significant variability exists in reporting rectal cancer outcomes. The rate of bowel dysfunction is high. 2) Rectal cancer patients recall little of the outcomes discussed preoperatively. They do not perceive having any surgical options. Practitioners are inconsistently engaging patients in shared decision-making. 3) A patient decision aid was developed that a) incorporated systematic review results and; b) addressed the needs, barriers and facilitators raised. Conclusions: Shared decision-making in rectal cancer surgery is limited. A decision aid to improve patient decision-making was developed.

Context: Rectal cancer treatment decisions involve tradeoffs between outcomes like living with a permanent stoma versus long-term bowel dysfunction. The needs of rectal cancer patients and practitioners to partake in shared decision making are unknown. For such a complex decision, a patient decision aid that prepares patients to make informed, values-based decisions is warranted. Methods: 1) A systematic review, to characterize the prevalence of long-term dysfunction 2) Needs assessments, conducted with rectal cancer patients and practitioners, 3) Development of a decision aid. Results: 1) Significant variability exists in reporting rectal cancer outcomes. The rate of bowel dysfunction is high. 2) Rectal cancer patients recall little of the outcomes discussed preoperatively. They do not perceive having any surgical options. Practitioners are inconsistently engaging patients in shared decision-making. 3) A patient decision aid was developed that a) incorporated systematic review results and; b) addressed the needs, barriers and facilitators raised. Conclusions: Shared decision-making in rectal cancer surgery is limited. A decision aid to improve patient decision-making was developed.

While many significant studies have been made of small firms from economic, business and sociological perspectives, the bulk of the work to date has concentrated upon the male-owned enterprise. The role of women as owner/managers and employers has been largely neglected as an area of serious academic study despite the fact that greater numbers of women are now choosing self-employment. L'article abordera tout d'abord les rapports conceptuels qui existent entre Ie sexe des étudiants et les études entreprises en vue d'un emploi, puis il traitera, dans cette même perspective, de certains aspects significatifs que les chercheurs ont noté parmi les femmes établies à leur compte et enfin il identifiera les points qui devront être sujets d'étude à l'avenir. / This paper was prepared with the support of the Scottish Enterprise Foundation's M. Sc. in Entrepreneurial Studies program, and the Foundation's Research division.