Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 1999. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-45).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1985.

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 1999. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-45).

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2003Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:38:39Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 manhas_erd_me_assis.pdf: 215488 bytes, checksum: c8b686ebdb8c4c3c26312ed6b2121d30 (MD5) / Este trabalho é um estudo qualitativo que visa cartografar o conceito de família na literatura brasileira atual, relativa às práticas pessoais, profissionais e/ou acadêmicas de Adoção. Para a seleção das obras, utilizamos um trabalho já existente na literatura, no qual são reunidas 680 publicações referentes aos temas Adoção, Abandono e Institucionalização, e para a organização e análise pautamo-nos na metodologia da Análise de Conteúdo, proposta por Bardin (1977). Tendo em vista que o Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente promulga em seu artigo 29 a exigência de um ambiente adequado para que a criança possa ser colocada em uma família substituta, e que, nos dias atuais, convivemos com diferentes configurações e arranjos familiares, fomos buscar nas diversas (re) produções do saber a forma como o conceito de família vem sendo abordado em trabalhos produzidos de acordo com diferentes orientações paradigmáticas. Concluímos que não existe uma forma de abordagem, nem tão pouco uma que seja considerada ideal, pois as concepções são muitas e carregam consigo valores relacionados às práticas profissionais, às teorias do conhecimento e às experiências pessoais com a maternidade e paternidade adotiva. / This work is a qualitative study that aims to map the concept of family in the contemporary Brazilian literature regarding personals practices, professionals and / or academics of Adoption. The works were selected from an already existent work in the literature, which join 680 publications related to Adoption, Abandonment and Institucionalization subjects. For selection, organization and analysis of the works we based ourselves in the Content Analysis methodology proposed by Bardin (1977). In view of the Child and Adolescent Statute promulgates on its article 29 the requirement of an appropriate family ambient - so that the child can be placed in a replacement family - and that nowadays we live with a lot of configurations and relatives arrangements, we looked in a lot of (re) productions of learning for the way how the family concept has been dealt with in produced works according to different paradigmatic advises. We concluded that does not exist a way of approach, not even one that can be considered ideal, the conceptions are various and carry with them values related to the professionals practices, knowledge theories, personals experiences and knowledge with the maternity and paternity adoptive.

Cloud computing is one of the latest appealing technological trends to emerge in the Information Technology (IT) industry. However, despite the surge in activity and interest, there are significant and persistent concerns about cloud computing, particularly with regard to trusting the platform in terms of confidentiality, integrity and availability of user data stored through these applications. These factors are significant in determining trust in cloud computing and thus provide the foundation for this study. The significant role that trust plays in the use of cloud computing was considered in relation to various trust models, theories and frameworks. Cloud computing is still considered to be a new technology in the business world, therefore minimal work and academic research has been done on enhancing trust in cloud computing. Academic research which focuses on the adoption of cloud computing and, in particular, the building of user trust has been minimal. The available trust models, frameworks and cloud computing adoption strategies that exist mainly focus on cost reduction and the various benefits that are associated with migrating to a cloud computing platform. Available work on cloud computing does not provide clear guidelines for establishing user trust in a cloud computing application. The issue of establishing a reliable trust context for data and security within cloud computing is, up to this point, not well defined. This study investigates the impact that a lack of user trust has on the use of cloud computing. Strategies for enhancing user trust in cloud computing are required to overcome the data security concerns. This study focused on establishing methods to enhance user trust in cloud computing applications through the theoretical contributions of the Proposed Trust Model by Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman (1995) and the Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA) Triad by Steichen (2010). A questionnaire was used as a means of gathering data on trust-related perceptions of the use of cloud computing. The findings of this questionnaire administered to users and potential users of cloud computing applications are reported in this study. The questionnaire primarily investigates key concerns which result in self-moderation of cloud computing use and factors which would improve trust in cloud computing. Additionally, results relating to user awareness of potential confidentiality, integrity and availability risks are described. An initial cloud computing adoption model was proposed based on a content analysis of existing cloud computing literature. This initial model, empirically tested through the questionnaire, was an important foundation for the establishment of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and therefore the framework to enhance user trust in cloud computing applications. The framework proposed by this study aims to assist new cloud computing users to determine the appropriateness of a cloud computing service, thereby enhancing their trust in cloud computing applications.

Of all the children who are placed for adoption the legitimate children who are voluntarily placed make up the smallest group. Since voluntary adoption placement of legitimate children differs from the normal cultural pattern cases of this nature present a challenge to the social agencies. The purpose of the present study is the examination of such a group of cases. All cases of this nature which have been known to the public and private child-caring social agencies and family social agencies in the Burnaby, New Westminster and Vancouver areas during the year 1951 were examined. The criteria of selection were: (a) the parents were married, (b) the husband was the natural father of the child in question. Only seventeen cases were known to the designated social agencies during the year 1951. A schedule was drawn up for the purpose of analyzing the case records. Besides information such as name, age, occupation of father, the schedule tried to distinguish four main "areas": (a) the attitude of the parents towards the child, (b) the parents' psycho-socio situations, (c) the parents' own childhood experiences, and (d) the parents' contacts with the social agency. The parents' religious affiliations were varied including the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish faiths. In almost one-quarter of the cases the woman was pregnant at the time of marriage; also almost one-third of the total number of parents came from homes broken by death, desertion or divorce. In five of the cases the child in (question was the first child in the family; the remaining twelve families had, on the average, 2.8 children. In eleven of the cases the parents followed through their request for adoption and placed the child with another family; in the remaining six cases the parents decided against adoption placement and kept the child. The distribution of parental attitudes included rejection, indifference, ambivalence and only two cases of mature love. When the distribution of parental attitudes in the larger group of cases (where the child was placed for adoption) was compared with the distribution in the smaller group of cases (where the child was not placed for adoption) two main differences were revealed: (a) the manifestations of ambivalence expressed by the parents in the "retained" group were weighed in favour of the more positive aspects, and (b) the predominant parental attitude in the "placed" group was one of rejection followed by attitudes of "negative" ambivalence and indifference. No one causative factor leading the parents to consider adoption placement "was apparent, but rather a multiplicity of factors, including the following: refusal to assume further responsibilities; marital disharmony between the parents; inability to provide for the child financially; inadequacies of the parents to meet their responsibilities; doubts and anxieties about the family's future economic position; interference by in-laws. In the majority of the cases the children in question were not regarded by the parents as objects with individuality but appeared to be regarded as "problem objects." This may account for the fact that in none of the cases was there any change in parental attitudes because of the sex of the child. It is impossible to generalize from such a small selection of cases but if later studies bear out these findings then there is no need for delay in making plans for the expected child because the sex is unknown. Both groups of parents, those who placed their children, and those who decided against placement, are in need of help from the social agency in sorting out their confused feelings. The agency's main resource in working with this type of case lies in the professional worker-client relationship. However, in this type of case the social worker experiences special difficulty because of the dual responsibility of helping to work out a plan which appears to be in the best interest of the parents, and also one in the best interest of the baby. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This paper describes a study of the adoptions of 82 "special needs" children placed for adoption in British Columbia between 1985 and 1989. The adoptions of 41 of these children were not completed. This study examines variables related to the children placed for adoption to determine those factors which appear to be related to disrupted adoptive placements. The paper traces the development of adoption through history and reviews the findings of major research studies in special needs adoption disruption. Using the findings from the review and adding hypotheses that appeared to be missing from other studies, a file review schedule was developed. With permission from the B.C. Superintendent of Family and Child Service, the schedule was used to review the children's adoption files. Analysis of the data obtained indicated that the age of the child at the time of adoption placement was a significant factor in adoption disruption. In addition, the age when the child was legally free for adoption was found to be significant. In both cases, the younger the child, the lower the risk of disruption. An additional important finding of this study is that children who are members of a sibling group are more likely to have their adoptions completed than children without siblings and children placed alone. The pre-care experiences of children were thought to be an important factor in adoption disruption. The study shows that some experiences have a significant effect, notably those in which the extent of the biological parents' disability is clear to the child prior to the adoption placement. The presence of multiple special needs was not significantly associated with disruption except in the case of boys identified as having emotional/behavioural problems. The paper links the findings to those of other researchers, identifying implications for policy and practice. The resilience of the children studied and their ability to withstand serious trauma in their early years is an unanticipated finding of the study. Recommendations for addressing the findings suggest greater emphasis on maintaining sibling attachment for children in care, increased emphasis on assisting children to understand their family and personal history, and broad public education to eliminate myths about special needs adoption. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to identify the extent of adoption of microwave ovens by older adults in Blacksburg, Virginia. Level of adoption was defined and determined as a function of 1) frequency of use of the microwave oven in comparison to the range, and 2) complexity of food preparation. Mere ownership was not considered as an indicator of adoption. Focusing on the final stage of Rogers theory of adoption (1962), three levels of adoption were determined: High, medium, and low. A random sample of 75 adults 65 years and older was selected from the listing of retired personnel in the 1997-98 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty and staff directory. Telephone interviews were conducted to collect information regarding current microwave oven usage patterns and decisions for future use and purchase. Relationships between level of adoption, and user characteristics and microwave oven characteristics were statistically tested. Results from the study indicate that 56% of these older adults who own a microwave oven are high adopters; i.e. they used the microwave more than the range and performed high complexity tasks. About 52% reported using the microwave oven more frequently than the range. Nearly all respondents were satisfied with the microwave oven in terms of speed and convenience, while 60% were satisfied with quality of foods cooked in the microwave oven. There was no significant difference in level of adoption with age, gender, health condition, and knowledge of microwave oven use. However, level of adoption was significantly higher among older adults who were "never" married or "previously" married compared to those that were "currently" married. Also, level of adoption was significantly lower among those older adults who had touch controls on their microwave oven compared to those with rotary dials. Other significant results of this study dealt with future use and purchase decisions. About 93% of the respondents indicated a desire to continue using a microwave oven in the future and about 76% indicated that they would purchase one in the future if their current microwave oven "dies." Results from this study have implications for appliance manufacturers who can increase sales by targeting this group, researchers in household equipment who can study adoption of other innovative appliances, and developers of retirement communities who might consider providing a microwave oven for use by residents or provide a space where one can be placed. / Master of Science

The study examined differences in the adoption process between successful and unsuccessful adoptions. The focus of the study was on how much information the parents received about the child prior to placement and on related aspects of the process by which a child is placed in an adoptive home. All information for this study was gathered from the records kept on each child who is placed. The procedure used was to examine the records of successful and unsuccessful adoptions in three stages. First, an assessment was made of amount and type of information available in the records. It was found that only a scanty amount of information-about the actual placement process, concerning the period just prior to the child actually staying in the home of the adoptive couple, was recorded. Second, a pretest of the data collection on key variables was undertaken. It was found that it was possible to separate positive and negative types of information in both recorded and conveyed information. Third, seven successful and seven unsuccessful cases from the year 1971-72 were examined for the variables chosen, namely negative and positive information in the record and negative and positive information conveyed. Each record was searched, the variables rated, and ratings were coded. Results showed no difference between successful and unsuccessful adoptions, in the amounts of either positive or negative information in the record. However, there was more positive information conveyed in successful cases than in unsuccessful cases; despite the small sample this was statistically significant at the 1 percent level by Fisher exact probability. There was also a tendency toward greater conveyance of negative information in successful cases than in unsuccessful ones. One hypothesis formulated as a result of this study is that the identity formation of the older adoptive child is closely related to the adoptive parents knowledge of the child's background. If an adequate amount of information about the child and his background is conveyed to the adoptive parents, they are then able to help the child become part of a new family. Thus, the more information about the child and his background is conveyed, the more likely the adoption is to succeed. A review of the literature covered two areas, comparative practices regarding conveyance of information in the adoption process and the role played by information in the developmental tasks of the adopted child, particularly in identity formation.