The pandemic of alcohol and drug abuse continues to ravage families, communities and societies placing many households, even communities, under siege. For persons living in an addictive home it is like living in a whirlwind where a family member’s substance use disorder (SUD) turns homes into sporadic unpredictable and out-of-control environments. The partner or concerned significant other (CSO) of the partner with the SUD becomes so engrossed in the latter, that they sacrifice their own time, needs, energies and resources to manage the whirlwind, even adopting maladaptive coping skills to survive. When partners with SUDs begin treatment, its modalities primarily focus on treating the partner with the SUD. The non-abusing CSO-partner is mostly conceptualised as an adjunct treatment collaborator for partners with a SUD and therefore instrumental to a successful treatment outcome. The CSO-partner’s own needs for professional treatment go unattended while they themselves seldom receive specialised treatment to heal and recover from the many and varied scars caused by the whirlwind of a partner’s SUD. They are thus deprived of a service to which they are entitled in their own right. This explains a lacuna in home-grown treatment which falls within the ambit of social work for a CSO-partner. Utilising a qualitative research approach, and the collective instrumental case study and phenomenological research designs complemented by an explorative, descriptive and contextual strategy of inquiry, I explored the experiences, challenges and coping strategies of CSOs living with a partner with a SUD with the view of informing guidelines for social work intervention from 12 CSO-partners and their partners with a SUD. These guidelines were informed by their suggestions for social work support. To live with a partner with a SUD was for all the CSO-participants an overall negative and stressful experience in which they felt isolated and trapped. Feelings of anger and frustration; sadness; embarrassment; shame, humiliation; despair, and hopelessness were experienced causing some of them to emotionally disengage from their partners. Their partners’ SUD-related behaviour had a negative effect on them; their relationships and the relationships with their children. The partner’s argumentative attitudes; intimate partner violence; lack of responsibility; erratic, reckless behaviour, manipulation and threatening relapse were highlighted as some of the challenges experienced. A mix of coping strategies that can be categorised as both adaptive and maladaptive, or enabling behaviours, were employed to mitigate and manage the challenges experienced. The CSO-participants also employed external sources of motivation to convince or force their partners to enter treatment. Admitting to the fact that their SUD’s had affected the CSO-partners negatively, both the partners with the SUDs and their CSO-partners offered suggestions for social work support for the CSOs of partners with a SUD. Topics to be covered during social work interventions to support to CSOs included providing information about drugs and its effects; setting of boundaries and personal safety; rebuilding self-esteem; anger-management; relapse management; and parenting and marriage counselling. Ways in which to provide such social work intervention and support suggested was through couple counselling; family counselling and support groups, and a tailor-made programme catering specifically for the CSO-partners. Based on the research findings, guidelines were formulated as recommendations for social work intervention directed at social work practice. Additional recommendations for education and training; continuous professional development, and ideas for future research were also suggested. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

Though mainstream environmentalism, both in the U.S. and India, was initially rooted in social justice, it has, over time, moved away from this focus. The Environmental Justice Movement consequently arose to reunite social and environmental activism. In this thesis, I trace the historical relationship between the mainstream environmentalism, the Environmental Justice Movement, and marginalized communities. After providing this general overview, I examine two case studies – in Los Angeles and New Delhi respectively – where marginalized communities have been involved in Environmental Justice activities. My analysis reveals that marginalized communities often act in an ‘environmentalist’ or ‘environmentally friendly’ manner, without defining their actions as such. That is, their socio-political activism often is or becomes environmental because of the contexts it operates within.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113) / The advent of HIV and AIDS has had a negative impact on the Catholic, Anglican and Methodist churches (as well as others) in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. This was due to the difficulty of accepting the reality of this pandemic. This happened because the disease came with unbearable psycho-social suffering rooted in stigmatisation and discrimination, especially among women, who were the most vulnerable group. This study critically examines and exposes the effects of HIV and AIDS on Manyika women. The researcher argues that, on the one hand, some religious and cultural practices contributed to the spread of the HIV and AIDS infection. On the other hand, some of these practices discouraged the spread of HIV and AIDS pandemic and needed to be enhanced. Furthermore, even if churches are involved in the battle against HIV, their efforts are hindered by cultural practices such as the Manyikas’ unwillingness to discuss taboo issues such as sex and gender in public. This makes women vulnerable. In addition, the problem has been complicated by the fact that the issue of sexuality is not openly discussed in the churches. Using qualitative methods, the researcher conducted interviews with Catholics and found that there is a need to continually engage with these communities. Their lived experiences can be used to bring about their liberation and improve their capacity to deal with their situation. The argument of this study is that there is an urgent need to liberate and empower women in the era of HIV and AIDS. The journey that has already been started by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians (“the Circle”) could assist in the liberation of women to deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic. In addition, this can build on Catholic Church HIV and AIDS interventions among the Manyika people of Zimbabwe as a premise of that process of liberation. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Phil. (Theology)

<p>Proučavane su koroziona postojanost i tendencija lepljenja različitih<br />materijala u kontaktu sa tečnom Al&ndash;Si&ndash;Cu legurom. Ispitivanjem su<br />obuhvaćeni čelik za rad na toplo, plazma nitrirani čelik i dupleks<br />slojevi sa CrN, TiAlN, TiAlSiN i CrAlN prevlakama, različitog nivoa<br />površinske hrapavosti. Za ispitivanja pomenutih fenomena<br />primenjena je metoda izvlačenja, koja je unapređena kako bi se povećale<br />njena tačnost i verodostojnost simulacije procesa livenja. Korozioni<br />efekti su pojačani tako što su uzorci osim kratkog kontakta sa odlivkom<br />zadržavani i u dužim periodima u kontaktu sa tečnom legurom (5 i 20<br />min). Uprkos opštim stavovima, za ispitivane materijale je<br />ustanovljeno da su sile izvlačenja uzoraka iz Al&ndash;Si&ndash;Cu odlivaka<br />nezavisne od njihovog hemijskog sastava. Uticaj hrapavosti je izražen<br />kod uzoraka sa prevlakama kod kojih pri smanjenju hrapavosti dolazi do<br />povećanja sile izvlačenja. Sve ispitane prevlake su sklone mehaničkom<br />lepljenju Al&ndash;Si&ndash;Cu legure za svoje površine, ali sa aspekta korozije u<br />tečnom metalu značajno prevazilaze performanse čelika i plazma<br />nitriranog sloja. Duži kontakt livene legure sa površinama prevlaka<br />uzrokovao je niže vrednosti sila izvlačenja, što je posledica<br />oksidacije površina prevlaka. Ustanovljeno je da su ispitivane<br />prevlake inertne ka tečnoj leguri aluminijuma. Međutim, dolazi do<br />oksidacije i korozije materijala podloge kroz greške rasta koje su<br />prisutne u prevlakama. Stečena znanja o identifikovanim<br />mehanizmima habanja i propadanja zaštitnih slojeva prevlaka<br />poslužiće daljem razvoju dupleks slojeva namenjenih za zaštitu alata<br />za livenje pod pritiskom.</p> / <p>Corrosion resistance and soldering tendency of different materials in molten<br />Al&ndash;Si&ndash;Cu alloy were studied. Hot-working tool steel, plasma nitrided steel and<br />duplex layers with CrN, TiAlN, TiAlSiN and CrAlN top coatings, which were<br />produced to various degree of surface roughness, were covered by the study.<br />An ejection test was employed for investigation of the concerned phenomena.<br />The ejection test was improved in order to increase its accuracy and the<br />reliability of process simulation. Samples were examined in both short and<br />extended periods of contact (5 and 20 min) with liquid casting. Casting<br />solidification was extended in order to intensify the corrosion effects. Contrary<br />to common findings, it was found that the ejection force of the investigated<br />materials does not depend on their chemical composition. For the coated<br />samples, a pronounced dependence of the ejection force on the surface<br />roughness was found. The ejection force increases with decrease in surface<br />roughness. All investigated coatings are prone to mechanical soldering by Al&ndash;<br />Si&ndash;Cu alloy. Still, their corrosion resistance substantially exceeds the corrosion<br />resistance of steel and plasma nitrided layer. Longer exposure of coated<br />samples to cast alloy induced lower ejection forces, which is a consequence<br />of coatings oxidation. It was found that the investigated coatings are inert to<br />liquid aluminium. However, the underlying material undergoes oxidation and<br />corrosion through coating growth defects. The findings concerning the wear<br />mechanisms of protective layers support further development of duplex layers<br />intended for die casting tools protection.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-04T12:36:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009 / O objetivo desta dissertação consiste em investigar o processo de construção da identidade profissional de médicos que se dedicam à assistência a pacientes que apresentam doenças progressivas e ameaçadoras da continuidade existencial e que têm contribuído para o desenvolvimento dos Cuidados Paliativos no Brasil. Buscamos conhecer a trajetória profissional destes médicos desde a escolha da medicina como profissão até o encontro com a filosofia e a prática dos Cuidados Paliativos. Com este intuito, realizamos entrevistas semiestruturadas,colhidas segundo a metodologia de História Oral de Vida. Foram entrevistados seis médicos de diferentes especialidades que ocupam cargos diretivos em uma das associações profissionais voltadas para a disseminação e legitimação política e social dos Cuidados Paliativos no Brasil. Os depoentes se destacam no cenário nacional no que diz respeito às discussões sobre esta temática e mantêm contato com importantes instituições internacionais. Por esta razão, chamamos o conjunto de entrevistados de elite médica paliativista. Percebemos uma pobre interlocução entre os médicos paliativistas, o que se reflete na ausência de uma identidade integrada desse grupo profissional. Os entrevistados acentuaram as competências humanitárias necessárias ao bom exercício da Medicina Paliativa, mas, no entanto, não foram explicitadas as competências específicas a este campo profissional, que justificariam seu reconhecimento pelas entidades médicas competentes comouma nova área de atuação ou especialidade.