Marginalization and stigmatization heighten the vulnerability of sexual minorities to inequitable health outcomes. Although men who have sex with men (MSM) are at elevated risk for HIV infection in India in comparison with the general population, there is a lack of MSM-focused research—particularly regarding stigma and mental health outcomes. This dissertation aimed to explore the influence of sexual stigma, gender non-conformity stigma and HIV-related stigma on depression and life satisfaction among MSM in South India. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and was conducted with MSM (n=200) in two locations in Tamil Nadu, South India: Chennai (urban) and Kumbakonam (semi-urban). Due to multicollinearity between sexual stigma and gender non-conformity stigma, the stronger predictor of each outcome (gender non-conformity stigma) was included in regression models. Results were analyzed to identify the associations between independent (gender non-conformity stigma, HIV-related stigma), moderator (social support, resilient coping) and dependent (depression, life satisfaction) variables. Due to significant differences between locations across a substantial number of variables, block regression analyses were conducted separately for each location. Higher levels of depression were predicted by gender non-conformity stigma in both locations, and also by HIV-related stigma in Kumbakonam. Lower levels of depression in both locations were predicted by higher levels of social support and resilient coping. Higher life satisfaction was predicted by social support and resilient coping in both Chennai and Kumbakonam. Lower life satisfaction was predicted by gender non-conformity stigma and HIV-related stigma in Kumbakonam, but not in Chennai. Social support and resilient coping did not moderate the impact of stigma(s) on depression or life satisfaction in either location. The results indicate that the majority of participants experienced stigmatization based on same-sex sexual behaviour and/or gender non-conformity. Another striking finding of the study was the alarmingly high rates of depression, whereby over half of participants in each region reported moderate to severe depression scores. Practice and policy implications include the development, implementation and evaluation of: multi-level stigma reduction interventions that account for socio-environmental and contextual factors; mental health interventions that promote resiliency and build social support; and policy initiatives to advance human rights protection.

Marginalization and stigmatization heighten the vulnerability of sexual minorities to inequitable health outcomes. Although men who have sex with men (MSM) are at elevated risk for HIV infection in India in comparison with the general population, there is a lack of MSM-focused research—particularly regarding stigma and mental health outcomes. This dissertation aimed to explore the influence of sexual stigma, gender non-conformity stigma and HIV-related stigma on depression and life satisfaction among MSM in South India. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and was conducted with MSM (n=200) in two locations in Tamil Nadu, South India: Chennai (urban) and Kumbakonam (semi-urban). Due to multicollinearity between sexual stigma and gender non-conformity stigma, the stronger predictor of each outcome (gender non-conformity stigma) was included in regression models. Results were analyzed to identify the associations between independent (gender non-conformity stigma, HIV-related stigma), moderator (social support, resilient coping) and dependent (depression, life satisfaction) variables. Due to significant differences between locations across a substantial number of variables, block regression analyses were conducted separately for each location. Higher levels of depression were predicted by gender non-conformity stigma in both locations, and also by HIV-related stigma in Kumbakonam. Lower levels of depression in both locations were predicted by higher levels of social support and resilient coping. Higher life satisfaction was predicted by social support and resilient coping in both Chennai and Kumbakonam. Lower life satisfaction was predicted by gender non-conformity stigma and HIV-related stigma in Kumbakonam, but not in Chennai. Social support and resilient coping did not moderate the impact of stigma(s) on depression or life satisfaction in either location. The results indicate that the majority of participants experienced stigmatization based on same-sex sexual behaviour and/or gender non-conformity. Another striking finding of the study was the alarmingly high rates of depression, whereby over half of participants in each region reported moderate to severe depression scores. Practice and policy implications include the development, implementation and evaluation of: multi-level stigma reduction interventions that account for socio-environmental and contextual factors; mental health interventions that promote resiliency and build social support; and policy initiatives to advance human rights protection.

This qualitative study aimed to examine which discourses can be found within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (BUP) and women’s shelters against domestic violence, concerning children that have experienced violence within the family, from two perspectives: the child’s need of father and of protection from violence. The study also aimed to examine which discourses can be found within the organisations concerning children’s well-being, how they define their mission concerning domestic violence and how this can affect the practical work with children that have experienced violence and their parents. The questions that the study aimed to answer were which discourses can be distinguished within BUP and the women’s shelters against domestic violence and how they can affect the different agencies’ view of the child’s need and well-being. These questions have been answered with collected interviews from the two respective agencies which have then been interpreted and processed through a critical discourse analysis from different theoretical concepts such as dominant discourses and service discourses in relation to Social Work, children’s need as a social construction and discourses of the child as a victim and an active participant. What the study showed was that the active participant-discourse overall was more prominent within BUP and that the victim-discourse was more prominent within the women’s shelters against domestic violence but also that both discourses were distinguishable in different ways and to different extents in both agencies in different combinations and variations. The study also found that the discourses, in different ways and to different extents, also affected the agencies’ view of the child’s need of father and of protection from violence.

Graphene has been shown to be very powerful as a transducer in many biosensor applications due to its high sensitivity. This enables smaller surfaces and therefore less material consumption when producing sensors and concequently cheaper and more portable sensors compared to the commercially available sensors today. The electrical properties of graphene are very sensitive to gas exposure why presence of molecules or small changes in concentration could easily be detected when using graphene as a sensing layer. Graphene is sensitive towards many molecules and in order to detect and possibly identify gas molecules the surface needs to be functionalized. The intention of this project was to use nanoparticles (NPs) to further increase sensitivity and specificity towards selected molecules and also enable biofunctionalization of the NPs, and by that tune the electrical properties of the graphene. This study proposes the use of Fe3O4 and TiO2 NPs to enable sensitive detection of volatile gases and possibly further functionalization of the NPs using biomolecules as a detecting agent in a liquid-phasebiosensor application. The interaction between graphene and NPs have been investigated using several surface charactarization methods and electrical measurements for detection of gaseous molecules and also molecules in a liquid solution. The characterizing methods used are XPS, AFM with surface-potential mapping and Raman spectroscopy with reflectance mapping in order to investigate the NPs interaction with the graphene surface. Sensors where manufactured for gas-phase detection of CO, formaldehyde, benzene and NH3 specifically and display differences in sensitivity and behavior of the Fe3O4 and TiO2 NPs respectively. For liquid measurements the difference in behavior in two buffers was investigated using an in-house flow-cell setup. The surface charecterizing measurements indicated that just a small difference could be found between the two NPs, however a significant change in sensor response could be detected as a function of coverage. The liquid and gas-phase measurements rendered information on differences in sensitivity between the NPs and between analytes where TiO2 showed a higher level of sensitivity towards most of the gases investigated. Both Fe3O4 and TiO2 NP coated graphene showed capability to detect formaldehyde and benzene down to 50 ppb and 5 ppb respectively. The sensitive gas detection could help protecting individuals being exposed to a hazardous level of volatile gases if concentrations increase rapidly or at a long term exposure with lower concentrations, improving saftey and health where these gases are present.

Following the Second World War, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) teamed up to construct an international Codex Alimentarius (or “food code”) in 1962. Inspired by the work of its European predecessor, the Codex Europaeus, these two UN agencies assembled teams of health professionals, government civil servants, medical and scientific experts to draft food standards. Once ratified, the standards were distributed to governments for voluntary adoption and implementation. By the mid-1990s, the World Trade Organization (WTO) identified the Codex as a key reference point for scientific food standards. The role of science within this highly political and economic organization poses interesting questions about the process of knowledge production and the scientific expertise underpinning the food standards. Standards were constructed and contested according to the Codex twin goals of: (1) protecting public health, and (2) facilitating trade. One recent criticism of Codex is that these two aims are opposed, or that one is given primacy over the other, which results in protectionism. Bearing these themes in mind, in this dissertation I examine the relationship between the scientific and the ‘social’ elements embodied by the Codex food standards since its inception after the Second World War. I argue that these attempts to reach scientific standards represent an example of coproduction– one in which the natural and social orders are produced alongside each other. What follows from this central claim is an attempt to characterize the pre-WTO years of the Codex through a case study approach. The narrative begins with a description of the predecessor regional group the Codex europaeus, and then proceeds to key areas affecting human health: 1) food additives, 2) food hygiene, and 3) pesticides residues.

<p>Kangaroo mother care (KMC) was first initiated in Colombia due to shortages of incubators and the incidence of severe hospital infections of new-born infants during hospital stay (Feldman, 2004). Currently it is identified by UNICEF as a universally available and biologically sound method of care for all new-borns, particularly for low birth weight infants (Department of Reproductive Health and Research, 2003) in both developed and developing countries. The Western Cape Provincial Government implemented a policy on KMC as part of their strategy to decrease the morbidity and mortality of premature infants in 2003 (Kangaroo Mother Care Provincial task team, 2003). Essential components of KMC are: skin-to-skin contact for 24 hours per day (or as great a part of the day as possible), exclusive breastfeeding and support to the motherinfant dyad. Successful implementation of KMC requires relevant education of nurses, education of mothers on KMC by nursing staff, monitoring of the implementation of KMC by nurses, planning for a staff mix with varying levels of skill and experience with KMC, the identification of institution specific barriers to the implementation of KMC, and the implementation of institution specific strategies to overcome these barriers (Wallin,et al., 2005 / Bergman &amp / Jurisco, 1994 / Cattaneo, et al., 1998). This study aims to determine the knowledge of and attitude towards kangaroo mother care, of nursing staff and kangaroo mothers in the Eastern sub-district of Cape Town.</p>

Research examining bilinguals who stutter (BWS) is limited; in particular there are few studies that have considered examining features of speech motor control in BWS. The present study was designed to examine features of speech motor control in bilingual speakers of Mandarin and English. Speech motor control was examined through the acoustic analysis of speaking rate, voice onset time (VOT) and stuttering adaptation. Participants ranged from age between 9 and 27 years. Upon completion of a language dominance questionnaire, two BWS participants were found to be English dominant and three were Mandarin dominant. Each BWS participant was matched to age/sex matched control participants (BWNS). Results for the BWS participants found more stuttering in the less dominant language based on a measure of percentage of syllables stuttered. All of the BWS participants demonstrated stuttering adaptation and there was no significant difference in the amount of adaptation for Mandarin and English. There was no difference found between BWS and BWNS for speaking rate and VOT. In spite of the similarity between BWS and BWNS, speaking rate in Mandarin appeared to be faster compared to English. These findings suggest that speech motor control in BWS and BWNS are similar and current application of these findings to the clinical setting is discussed.

No description available.

Depuis 2007, la réglementation sur le cadre du dépistage en France évolue et se montre favorable à la création d’expérimentations de dépistage communautaire. Cette recherche propose une analyse psychosociale des expériences de dépistage dans le cadre de deux protocoles expérimentaux: ANRS Com’Test et ANRS DragTest. Les objectifs principaux des protocoles sont (1) l’étude de la faisabilité d’un dépistage rapide du VIH effectué par des acteurs communautaires non médicaux (association de lutte contre le sida Aides), auprès des hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes, en utilisant les tests rapides d’orientation diagnostique et le counselling motivationnel (ANRS Com’Test), et (2) l’évaluation de la non infériorité de cette proposition en comparaison avec une offre classique (ANRS DragTest).L’objectif de cette étude est de comprendre les significations attribuées aux expériences vécues à partir d’une lecture ternaire (sujet-objet-contexte) et d’une articulation entre vécu et représentations sociales. La recherche s’appuie sur une méthodologie qualitative incluant d’une part une analyse longitudinale de l’expérience des acteurs associatifs, et d’autre part une analyse transversale du vécu des personnes dépistées. La triangulation des matériaux de recueil et des méthodes d’analyse apporte un double regard sur les données. En effet, les résultats montrent à la fois la mobilisation des univers de références communs, et l’implication de l’expérience vécue dans la construction et la communication de l’expérience. / Since 2007, regulation on the part of the screening in France evolves and is favourable to the creation of community screening experiments. From a psychosocial perspective, this study analyzes screening experiences in two experimental protocols’ context: ANRS Com’Test and ANRS DragTest. The main objectives of the protocols are (1) to study the feasibility of a rapid HIV testing performed by non-medical community actors (association against Aids AIDES) among men who have sex with men, using rapid testing policy diagnostic and motivational counselling (ANRS Com'Test), and (2) to evaluate the non-inferiority of the proposal in comparison with a conventional supply (ANRS DragTest).The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experience’s meaning from a ternary reading (subject-object-context) and a link between experience and social representations. Research is based on a qualitative methodology, both including a longitudinal analysis of community actors involved, and also a cross-sectional analysis of those screened’ lived experiences. Triangulation of material collection and analytical methods brings a dual perspective on the data. Analyzes are showing both the mobilization of common references universes, and the involvement of lived experience in the construction and communication of experience.

In keeping with international trends in education, South Africa has embraced inclusive education as the means by which diverse learners, including those who experience barriers to learning, should be educated. Premised on the need for schools to change and become responsive to diverse learners by offering the support necessary for access and participation, inclusion is beginning to be realised in South African schools. Independent schools comprise a small but significant sector in South African education, and, despite not having access to state resources, are implementing inclusive education. This study investigates the schools belonging to the oldest and largest independent schools' association, the Independent Schools' Association of Southern Africa (ISASA) to establish the extent to which learners who experience barriers to learning are included in ISASA schools and the practices that facilitate their inclusion. Data gathered from a self-administered questionnaire completed by principals of ISASA schools reveals that the majority of ISASA schools include at least some learners who experience intrinsic or extrinsic barriers to learning. The most common intrinsic barriers are AD(H)D and learning disability and the most common extrinsic barriers are family problems and language barriers. Support for these learners is provided at school-wide and classroom level through the implementation of various inclusive practices that have been described in the international literature on inclusion and in local policy and guideline documents. These include developing policies that guide the support of learners who experience barriers to learning; ensuring that personnel are available to provide appropriate support; harnessing support for learners, their parents and teachers both from within the school and from the wider community; ensuring wheelchair access and employing classroom and other strategies that facilitate access and participation. ISASA schools differ in the extent to which they are inclusive. A few are not inclusive at all, but most are showing progress and commitment to inclusion. In so doing, these schools are implementing ISASA's Diversity and Equity Policy that requires member schools to be inclusive of learners who experience barriers to learning wherever this is feasible educationally, and also realising Constitutional values of equality, dignity and freedom of discrimination. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Inclusive Education)