Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Atherosclerosis manifests a state of increased oxidative stress characterized by comparable lipid and protein oxidation in the affected arterial wall. While oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) has been extensively studied, increasing attention has been focused recently on oxidation of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and its functional consequences in relation to atherosclerosis. Oxidative modification is thought to generate “dysfunctional” HDL that has lost anti-atherosclerotic activities, including the ability to remove cholesterol from lipid-laden cells. Therefore, there has been much interest in the detection of oxidized HDL. Unfortunately, available methods to detect oxidized HDL are limited at present, in part because oxidative modification of HDL is a complex process and ‘oxidized HDL’ is not a chemically defined entity. What is known however is that conversion of methionine (Met) residues of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I to methionine sulfoxide (MetO) is a process that occurs commonly as HDL undergoes oxidative modification. For example, human apoA-I+16 (containing MetO86 or MetO112) and apoA-I+32 (MetO86 plus MetO112) are generated when apoA-I reacts with lipid hydroperoxides formed as a consequence of the lipoprotein being exposed to 1e−oxidants. The formation of MetO in apoA−I induced by 2e−oxidants (i.e., hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid or myeloperoxidase/hydrogen peroxide/chloride system) is associated with an impaired ability of the apolipoprotein to facilitate reactions relevant to reverse cholesterol transport. In addition, a previous study has suggested the plasma content of apoA-I+32 to be increased in certain subjects that have an increased risk to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, the MetO content in circulating, HDL−associated apoA−I is elevated in type 1 diabetes, a disorder commonly associated with increased oxidative stress and a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Therefore, in the present study, an existing HPLC method was applied to HDL samples from the Fletcher−Challenge study, a nested case control study, to test the potential usefulness of MetO-containing apoA-I as a marker of oxidative stress and/or CVD in a general population. Plasma samples whose HDL contained detectable apoA-I+16 and/or apoA-I+32 had significantly elevated levels of F2-isoprostanes, a marker of in vivo lipid oxidation, consistent with MetO-containing apoA-I being a useful marker of in vivo protein oxidation. Despite this however, there was no significant difference between controls and cases in their concentrations of HDL apoA-I+16 and apoA-I+32 or F2-isoprostanes, suggesting that markers of protein and lipid oxidation are not associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in this general population. A limitation of the Fletcher−Challenge study was that only 22% of the 534 HDL samples analyzed contained apoA-I+16 and/or apoA-I+32. In addition, the HPLC−based method used is expensive and time−consuming and may lack the sensitivity needed for apolipoproteins to clinical studies. Thus, a mouse monoclonal anti-human apoA-I+32 antibody (MOA−1) was raised using HPLC−purified apoA-I+32 as immunogen. A sensitive ELISA was then developed using a commercial anti-human apoA-I monoclonal antibody as capture and biotinylated MOA−1 as detection antibody, respectively. The assay detected lipid−free HPLC−purified human apoA-I+32 in a concentration-dependent manner and with a significantly lower limit of detection (i.e., 3 ng/mL) than the HPLC method (1 μg/mL). The ELISA also detected lipid-free apoA-I modified by 2e-oxidants (hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid, peroxynitrite), and HDL oxidized by 1e- or 2e-oxidants and present in buffer or human plasma. Moreover, the extent of recognition of MetO by MOA−1 increased with increasing numbers of MetO in apoA−I, as assessed by the experiments with H2O2−oxidized forms of apoA−I mutants, in which one, two or three Met residues were replaced with Leu. Their detection was concentration-dependent, reproducible, and exhibited a linear response over a physiologically plausible range of concentrations of oxidized HDL. In contrast, MOA-I failed to recognize native apoA-I, native apoA-II, apoA-I modified by hydroxyl radicals or metal ions, or LDL modified by 2e-oxidants. Furthermore, MOA−1 did not detect other Met−containing proteins oxidized by either hypochlorous acid or hydrogen peroxide. Taken together, the results showed that recognition of oxidized proteins by MOA−1 is limited to MetO contained in apoA−I. Finally, in a pilot study, plasma samples obtained from subjects with coronary artery disease (CAD) proven by angiography, and samples from CAD patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were analyzed by the ELISA. The preliminary data obtained showed elevated levels of MetO-containing apoA-I in plasma samples of CAD patients compared to those of corresponding control subjects. Unexpectedly, levels of MetOcontaining apoA-I decreased PCI compared to before PCI. A possible explanation for these results is that HDL−associated apoA−I become displaced by acute phase proteins, such as serum amyloid A, in response to PCI. In summary, the ELISA developed here specifically detects apoA-I containing MetO in HDL and human plasma. As such it may provide a useful tool for investigating the relationship between oxidized HDL and CAD.

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes project proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-228).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes project proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-228).

Η συμβουλευτική και ανάπτυξη της σταδιοδρομίας παρουσιάζει έντονο ερευνητικό ενδιαφέρον, το οποίο εστιάζεται στην μελέτη των παραγόντων που παρεμποδίζουν την επιτυχή λήψη απόφασης. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη την σύνθετη αλληλλεπίδραση μεταξύ σκέψεων, συναισθημάτων, αποφάσεων και δράσης, στην παρούσα μελέτη διερευνήσαμε την σχέση των δυσλειτουργικών σκέψεων σταδιοδρομίας και των δυσθυμικών συναισθημάτων με την επαγγελματική αναποφασιστικότητα. Η μετανεωτερικότητα και ο κονστρουκτιβισμός μάς έδωσαν το πρόδηλο πλεονέκτημα να αξιοποιήσουμε ποιοτικές μεθοδολογικές προσεγγίσεις, προκειμένου να διερευνήσουμε τις εμφανείς και κυρίως τις λανθάνουσες εσωτερικές διεργασίες, νοητικές και συναισθηματικές, οι οποίες αλληλλεπιδρούν και επενεργούν στην διαδικασία λήψης αποφάσεων για την σταδιοδρομία. Ως μέθοδο έρευνας προκρίναμε την μελέτη περίπτωσης ενός μεμονωμένου προσώπου, προϊουσών των συμβουλευτικών παρεμβάσεων. Η τριγωνοποίηση περισσότερων μεθοδολογικών εργαλείων αποτέλεσε έναν ισχυρό τρόπο εφαρμογής της ταυτόχρονης εγκυρότητας. Το μοναδικό παράδειγμα ενός πραγματικού προσώπου, ως επίκεντρο της ερευνητικής στρατηγικής, μας έδωσε την δυνατότητα να διερευνήσουμε και να κατανοήσουμε σε βάθος τις δυσλειτουργικές σκέψεις και τα δυσθυμικά συναισθήματα, τα οποία οδηγούν σε αναποφασιστικότητα σχετικά με την ανάπτυξη σταδιοδρομίας. Το ερευνητικό υποκείμενο, στην αρχή της ενηλικιότητας, ενώ είχε φτάσει με επιτυχία σε λήψη απόφασης, δεν ακολούθησε την προεπιλεγμένη σταδιοδρομία. Η μελέτη κατέδειξε την παρουσία δυσλειτουργικών σκέψεων και δυσθυμικών συναισθημάτων, τα οποία δεν σχετίζονταν με την έλλειψη πληροφόρησης ή την απουσία δομής και εμπιστοσύνης αλλά με προσωπικές συγκρούσεις, στην προσπάθεια συμβιβασμού και ταυτόχρονης ικανοποίησης των προσωπικών προτιμήσεων και των δυσλειτουργικών πεποιθήσεων για την επιλογή σταδιοδρομίας. Η παρούσα μελέτη παρουσιάζει ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον, καταδεικνύοντας ότι τα γεγονότα ζωής και οι τραυματικές εμπειρίες επηρεάζουν σε σημαντικό βαθμό την επαγγελματική αναποφασιστικότητα, επιδρώντας τόσο σε γνωστικό όσο και σε συναισθηματικό επίπεδο. Επιπρόσθετα, η συγκαιρινή οικονομιοκοινωνική πραγματικότητα ενισχύει τις δυσλειτουργικές σκέψεις, οι οποίες αφορούν στον εαυτό, στον εξωτερικό κόσμο και στο μέλλον. Τα δυσθυμικά συναισθήματα, όπως θλίψη, απαισιοδοξία, θυμός, άγχος, αίσθημα αποτυχίας, απώλεια ικανοποίησης και απουσία νοήματος, αποβαίνουν δυσλειτουργικά, όταν παρεμβαίνουν στην ικανότητα του ατόμου να επιλύει προβλήματα, να προβαίνει σε λήψη αποφάσεων και να δρα αποτελεσματικά. Η διερεύνηση των γνωστικών και συναισθηματικών παραγόντων σχετικά με την επαγγελματική αναποφασιστικότητα των νέων, αποσκοπεί στον εμπλουτισμό των θεωριών συμβουλευτικής και στην βελτίωση των παρεχόμενων συμβουλευτικών παρεμβάσων. Ωστόσο, απαιτείται περαιτέρω θεωρητικά στηριγμένη έρευνα για την πλήρη κατανόηση της επαγγελματικής αναποφασιστικότητας. / Career counselling and development is of considerable interest in terms of research, which focuses on the study of the factors which hinder successful decision-making. Taking into consideration the complex interaction between thoughts, feelings, decisions and action, in the present study we investigated the relationship between dysfunctional career thoughts and negative feelings and career indecision. Postmodernism and Constructivism have given us the clear advantage of being able to make use of qualitative methodological approaches in our study in order to investigate the visible but mainly the latent internal processes, both mental and emotional, which interact and affect the procedure of career decision-making. As a method of research we selected the case study of an isolated individual, during the course of counselling activities. The triangulation of a number of methodological tools constituted a powerful means of implementing simultaneous validity. The only example of a real person as the focus of a research strategy enabled us to explore and comprehend in depth the dysfunctional thoughts and negative feelings which lead to indecision in relation to career development. The subject of the research, at the outset of adulthood, while having successfully reached a career decision, did not follow the chosen career. The study clearly demonstrated the presence of dysfunctional thoughts and negative feelings, which were not related to a lack of information or a lack of structure or confidence, but to personal conflicts, in an attempt to reconcile and simultaneously satisfy personal preferences and dysfunctional beliefs concerning the choice of career. The present study is of particular interest, since it clearly demonstrates that the events of life and traumatic experiences influence career indecision to a great extent, with consequences both on cognitive and emotional levels. In addition, the contemporary socio-economic reality intensifies dysfunctional thoughts which concern the self, the internal world and the future. Negative feelings, such as sadness, pessimism, anger, stress, a sense of failure, lack of satisfaction and lack of meaning, prove to be dysfunctional when they interfere with the individual’s ability to resolve problems to take a decision and to act effectively. The investigation of cognitive and emotional factors in relation to career indecision among young people aims to enrich counselling theory and improve the counselling which is offered. Nevertheless, further theoretically supported research is required so as to achieve a full understanding of career indecision.

The main task of this thesis was an examination of breathing stereotypes on selected students of Pedagogical faculty aged from 19 to 25. The other objective was to develop an intervention programme according to which the selected students participated in six weeks lasting workouts that were focused on breath training with consecutive heightening of their physical efficiency. A method of content analysis was used for analysing literature and a method of content synthesis was used for application of gathered information and for creating the intervention programme. For the examination of breathing stereotypes a muscle dynamometer was used which is able to record a movement dynamics and simultaneously to record a breathing activity dynamics. The vital capacity was measured through a forced expiratory vital capacity (FVC) when also a value of one second exhale was recorded (FEV1). This test was performed in standing upright position on the machine Spirometr Otthon, evaluation was processed in the Thorsoft programme. The study was participated by six students who at first passed out an entrance examination where the main values were defined, then the intervention programme and after the end of it the participants underwent a checking (output) examination. During processing of the thesis it was confirmed that the developed intervention programme, which is based on aerobic exercises and completed with resistance training, has a factual and statistical significant effect on strengthening the respiratory muscles which are activated by the diaphragmatic breathing within resting breathing and deepened breathing. For the determination of the substantive significance the Cohen's d was used, then the paired Student´s t test for dependent samples.

Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-05-24T14:33:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Joao Quadro Neto.pdf: 961182 bytes, checksum: a6dd4ffb334336aa87127ac126c5c2db (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-24T14:33:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Joao Quadro Neto.pdf: 961182 bytes, checksum: a6dd4ffb334336aa87127ac126c5c2db (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Este estudo se propôs a investigar, dentre as suas questões norteadoras, aquelas ligadas ao espaço que as redes sociais de comunicação informal – RSCIs - ocupam dentro das organizações industriais. Assume como hipótese que as RSCIs ajudam os seus integrantes a melhor entenderem o ambiente organizacional, promovem a interação social e, por conseqüência, estimulam o sentimento de pertença dos indivíduos, facilitando, dessa forma, o processo de comprometimento deles com a organização. Pertença é entendida no estudo como um sentimento em que o indivíduo assume que este lugar lhe pertence, de tal forma, que acredita ser possível participar dele e que vale à pena interferir na sua rotina e nos seus destinos. O estudo admitiu como premissa que as “sombras organizacionais” e a “disfuncionalidade comportamental” do seu corpo gerencial são variáveis que não somente contribuem para as “incongruências” entre o discurso e a prática nas organizações, mas também, influenciam na formação de traços patológicos na personalidade de uma organização. Dentro da premissa o estudo assume também que estes traços patológicos e as revoluções porque passam as organizações influenciam no grau de intensidade das RSCIs nesses ambientes. Para a confirmação da hipótese o autor se valeu do método fenomenológico, colocando em suspensão os valores declarados por duas empresas industriais com diferentes estilos gerenciais, os valores percebidos pelos seus empregados e a configuração da comunicação informal naquelas empresas, de modo a poder mapear as possíveis “incongruências” existentes e suas conseqüências sobre o desempenho das redes sociais de comunicação informal. Como apoio ao estudo utilizou-se de pesquisas quantitativas estratificadas com empregados e gerentes das referidas empresas, cujos resultados foram analisados num formato de estudo de caso. Esta metodologia revelou a coerência da premissa e a confirmação da hipótese. Como resultado desta investigação, o estudo propõe um modelo para construção de uma comunicação interna mais integrada, que possa manter um convívio mais harmônico entre a comunicação formal e a informal dentro das organizações industriais. / Salvador

The aim of the dissertation is to form and to reflect individual dilemmas and to search possible approaches and methods of their solution. The task of this dissertation is to describe and sum up possible dilemmas by providing of socials services to families with children in a non-profit-making institution. The dissertation is divided in six chapters where I describe apart from other things a family and social work with it. At the same time a stabilization of the family as one of the most effective form of help to dysfunctional families is introduced here. Further chapters are devoted to ethic and ethical dilemmas. A part of the dissertation is qualitative research realised in form of structured interview with social workers who provide social works to dysfunctional families in a non-profit-making institution. On conclusion of the dissertation there is the analysis of the dilemma from the practice of interviewed workers with help of three ethical theories deontology, utilitarism and ethic of the care. The social work is so connected with ethic in the practice.

This thesis is dedicated to the topic of dysfunctional family in modern literature for children and young people with support of selected books of free time pedagogy. The thesis cisis of theoretical and practical part. Theoretical part speaks about the main terms and links in connection to the topic of thesis: (dys)functional family and its influence to the children of preschool and younger schoolage, educativeaims of free time pedagogy as well as the suitable method sapplicable when working with texts. In theoretial part, I introdukce selected books for children and young people dealing with the topic of dysfunctional family. Practical part is dedicated to the description and analysis offindings from worksheets, including description of own reflexion. Benefit of this thesis is the material implemented in real-life conditions, i.e. set of worksheets which is intended for work of free time teacher with children of preschool and younger schoolage.

The aim of the study was to describe and analyse self-biographical narratives through a retroperspective, how three exposed individuals formulated the appearance and management of trauma during their childhood. The aim was further to describe the impact the trauma had in their childhood, due to the fact that they grew up with a disabled parent. To do so I had to get information from the individuals and chose to use autobiographies as empirical material. In order to implement the study I sought answers to four questions: The first question was how adults described experienced trauma and its origin during their childhood, that their parents had caused by them, depending whether the parents having a mental or social disable? The second question was how the adults handled their experience of trauma which occurred during their childhood? The third question for the study was which consequences the trauma had on the adults as children? The last question was which different factors of protection the individuals described during their childhood and how they related to these? The study showed that risk of the individuals suffering from trauma increased the longer the individual were exposed to violence and neglect. The severity of violence and neglect contributed to the origin and duration of trauma and caused problems that persisted in the children. The results also showed that children who experienced trauma, caused by their parents, depending their parents having a mental or social disable, had multiple consequences. The parents of the children often used physical or mental abuse against the children or neglected their basic needs of food and clothes. The children showed signs of distrust of others, problems with sleeping and often felt scared and ashamed of their parent’s behaviour, when the parents were sick. Furthermore the result of the study showed that the children tried to stop the violence from their parents by all means by trying to change their own behaviour. They did so because they thought they were to blame for the violence.

Some early puberty girls engage in high-risk externalizing behaviors such as early sexual activity, delinquent behavior, and disruptive behaviors. Harsh parenting experienced by girls who develop early has been associated with delinquent and disruptive behaviors. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine predictive relationships between the style of parental discipline by mothers of early puberty girls and the likelihood and frequency of the girls' engagement in high-risk behaviors. Parenting style theory, including the authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive style of parenting, served as the theoretical foundation for the study. Survey data were collected from 28 mothers who identified as having a daughter who experienced early puberty. The Parenting Scale subscales were used to measure the dysfunctional parenting behaviors of laxness, overreactivity, and verbosity. Logistic regression analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships between the early puberty girl's involvement in risky behaviors and dysfunctional parenting. Results may be used by human service and public health officials to increase awareness of early puberty and to promote public health policies to address the individual, social, and economic implications of early puberty in girls.