Bullying among school children is a social phenomenon that is now recognised as a widespread and serious problem across the globe. While decades of research have generated valuable insights as regards prevalence, main correlates and detrimental health consequences, many questions and gaps remain. For instance, it is unclear why the great majority of peer bystanders not intervene to support victims in a bullying conflict despite holding anti-bullying beliefs. Furthermore, great efforts have been made in the area of peer support and anti-bullying initiatives however there is still no intervention that has shown to be effective long term and cross-culturally. This thesis consists of two empirical studies. To advance knowledge of factors that influence pupils' victim support behaviour, the first study examined the role of perceived friend and peer consequences in predicting intentions to three types of help: provide emotional support, help to stop the bully and get adult support. Structural equation modelling revealed that perceived friend consequences were significantly associated with each of the victim support behaviours studied. Additionally, perceived peer reactions predicted intentions to get adult help. These findings suggest that friends play a more important role than peers in affecting victim support. Some significant gender effects emerged, showing that the overall pattern of associations held for boys, but not for girls. The findings highlight the concerns children hold with regard to their (dis)approving views related to victim support. Outcomes further suggest that victim defending should not be regarded as a broad homogeneous construct. The second study assessed the effectiveness of a cross-age teaching of social issues intervention (CATS) on enhancing pupils' knowledge on three victim support behaviours, and their awareness of the value of helping. In small cooperative groups older pupils were invited to step into the tutor role to prepare a lesson and teach it to two years younger tutees. An experimental-control group design was employed to test participants' performance at three time points over a six to eight week period. CATS tutors significantly improved their knowledge and awareness of the provictim behaviours studied while no positive changes were evident for participants in the control group. Furthermore, children who participated in the project expressed high satisfaction with the intervention. Based on the positive findings it was concluded that CATS is a viable technique for enhancing pupils' knowledge and awareness on prosocial topics. Helping children to see the value of supporting victims of bullying, in any of the ways studied, could help them avoid anticipating negative reactions from friends and peers, and in turn make it more likely that they would choose to help if the need arose.

Heart failure (HF) is a common cause of hospitalisation and mortality across industrialised countries. The number of hospitalisations and deaths attributed to heart failure is increasing, and this trend is predicted to continue. Numerical and in-vitro simulations of the human cardiovascular system constitute the basic tools for enhancing diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for HF and this would in turn, have significant effects on morbidity,mortality, and healthcare expenditure. Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) as a destination therapy for HF is rising significantly as it provides a cost-effective alternative to long-term treatment and cardiac transplantation. However, long-term versatility is far from ideal and incidence of transient and permanent neurological events is still high. To this end, evolution of MCS devices calls for more sophisticated design and evaluation methods. The purpose of this work is to develop a numerical model and to implemented a novel in-vitro model of the cardiovascular system with the intention of evaluating the performance characteristics of a purposely selected centrifugal pump impeller for the treatment of both Class III and IV HF conditions when placed in series with the heart at two different anatomic locations: Ascending Aorta and Descending Aorta. An existing lumped-parameter model of the CV system, that included models for the heart, the pulmonary and the systemic circulatory loops by adapting a modified version of the fourth-element Windkessel model was enhanced by dividing the systemic circulation into six parallel vascular beds, and by including an autoregulatory system to control both pressures and volumes throughout the system. As part of the novelty of the present work, a volume reflex loop was included with the purpose of simulating volume overload conditions, as commonly found in HF conditions, and obtaining a more realistic analysis of volume displacement, while using a MCS device. The in-vitro model implemented in this work adopted most of the features included in the mathematical counterpart with the purpose of validating the numerical results. As a result of the combination of models and proper optimisation of the system parameters, predictions of pathophysiological trends and MCS usage are satisfactorily obtained. The models implemented in this work offer a valuable tool for the selection and performance evaluation of MCS devices for the treatment of HF conditions.

Being a child and going to school is taken as a parcel of the same thing by most people but this is not the same for children with physical conditions, who cannot avoid absence from school for significant periods of time rather prolonged or recurrent/intermittent. What matters in this context is not primarily the seriousness of the child's condition but how much and in what way schooling affects his or her ability to fully benefit from the provided opportunities. Participation in school activities promotes children's interaction and collaboration educationally and socially. Their involvement and sense of belonging can be affected considerably owing to a physical condition, not least because of prolonged absence. Staying connected to school contributes to their sense of normality towards daily life routine, increase hope and distract their attention from the invasion of medical treatment (Wilkie & Jones, 2010). Additionally, keeping children connected to school and learning during absence from school is very important to ensure that these children do not prematurely disengage from their expected educational journeys (Hopkins et al., 2014). These children may have many individual requirements but like their healthy peers, they share the desire for equal access to the same educational outcomes, both academically and socially. If their needs are not timely taken care of, the school can become a place of failure, both academically and socially, in no time. Considering mainstream primary schools, my research has studied the opinions of teachers and other educators about the provision available for children who miss more than 50% of school over a 3 months' period due to a physical condition. The research question for this proposal originated from my own experience as a mother of a precious child with a physical condition. The current research has 52 research participants, 45 questionnaire respondents and 7 interviewees, having different roles as educational professionals. Using a mixed methods approach, this research aims to provide a more comprehensive description of the ways in which teachers and educational professionals in Wales and England provide academic continuity to the children in Key Stage 2 (age 7-11) with physical conditions during their prolonged absence. Since similar themes cut across the two sets of data, I have combined the findings from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews that suggest that teachers and other professionals are aware of the impact of physical conditions on children's school life. Also, ii they focus on the main barriers in Wales and England which hinder the appropriate academic continuity of this group of children, including issues such as: muddled understanding of accepting roles and responsibility among professionals, limited awareness and professional training for teachers, compromised quality education at home and in mainstream schools and the absence of clear guidelines on medication, first aid procedures and prolonged absence in schools. The findings also suggest that the four means of supporting academic continuity, considered in this research i.e. using technology, individualized instruction, bed-side teaching in hospital and home tutoring for children's academic continuity are not regularly practiced in the schools in Wales and England. Based on the findings of my research, it is recommended that teachers should be provided regular trainings to support the academic continuity of these children. Further, it is important for every primary school to develop a personalized policy statement for this group of children that is accessible to every staff member and is referred in full when dealing with issues in this area.

Ample research has examined the impact of autism for children and families, but less has addressed the effects of this condition for adults. The literature indicates that adults on the autism spectrum suffer from depression and have a heightened risk of suicidal ideation because of their social skills deficits. Research also shows that individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) can benefit from participating in support groups. In addition, research indicates that use of the term "neurodiversity" rather than other diagnostic labels encourages increased self-esteem to persons on the autism spectrum. This grounded theory study sought to understand the belief of clinicians with regard to the incorporation of the concept of neurodiversity in support groups for adults with HFA. The population for this study comprised clinicians who led support groups for adults with HFA. The specific foundational theories used were Tuckman's stage model of group development and Salzer's peer support model. Data consisted of 3 pilot study interviews and 12 additional interviews. Participant recruitment occurred through LinkedIn, and interviews took place online through the chat modality GoToMeeting. Interview data were entered into NVivo and a Van Kaam coding procedure was used to decipher recurring themes. Key results indicated that clinicians believe that the incorporation of the concept of neurodiversity can help adults with autism to build self-esteem and change the way individuals with HFA consider the condition, which in turn can assist them to build social skills, and relationships with their peers. Positive social change that may result from this study includes encouragement for increased use of the concept of neurodiversity as a tool in support groups for people with HFA, and stimulation of further study of this concept for decreasing bias against those with HFA.

To gain an understanding of children’s social milieu, this study explored international children’s phenomenology about their social networks, stressors, and supports using the ecomap, a graphic tool that maps children’s social relationships and their appraisals of them. Specifically, it addressed the following two research questions using archival ecomap data collected from 816 school-aged children (ages four – 19 years) from 14 cities in 12 countries (Brazil – Manaus, Estonia – Tallinn, Greece – Athens, India – Mumbai, Italy – Padua, Mexico – Xalapa, Romania – Bucharest, Russia – Samara, Slovak Republic – Košice, Sri Lanka – Negombo, Tanzania – Arusha, and the United States – Boston, Massachusetts; Mayagüez, Puerto Rico; New Orleans, Louisiana): (a) What are the characteristics of international children’s social networks, and what cross-cultural patterns exist; and (b) Who and what do children consider their social supports and social stressors, and what cross-cultural patterns emerge? The nature of the ecomap drawings and their associated narratives allowed for a concurrent mixed methods approach to be used to identify cross-cultural phenomenological patterns about the structures (network size, embeddedness, and network composition), functions (stressor and support types), and evaluations (relationship appraisals) of children’s social worlds. Considerable diversity was found in the data, but a number of notable cross-site, cross-gender, and cross-age patterns were identified. In general, children in this sample reported a trimmed mean network size of 7.87 (SD = 3.61), with middle school students reporting the largest (M = 8.78). Embeddedness, measured as the balance of perceived stress and supports (Nastasi & Borja, 2015; Summerville, 2013), also was generally positive, suggesting that children generally perceive themselves to be connected to their social networks. Most commonly reported members included home parent/caregivers, friends/peers, extended family members, and siblings; and across grade levels, sites, and gender, network members were generally appraised positively. When asked about the ways that network members support or trigger distress, youth in this sample described over 50 stress and support themes, most of which related to interpersonal relationships and interactions. The results of the current study not only contributes to the literature on children’s stressors and supports, but also build on Nastasi and colleagues’ Promoting Psychological Well-Being Globally project (PPWBG; Nastasi & Borja, 2015), whose international team collected the ecomap data to understand children’s well-being and the culturally- and developmentally-unique factors that influence them. / 1 / Amanda P Borja

A longitudinal field study was conducted to provide interpretation and understanding as to how perceptions of a group of participants changed with repeated use of a Group Support System (GSS). This is a more in-depth and participant-orientated focus than some past research. Past GSS research has been dominated by single occasion usage with settings often involving student subjects. Longitudinal research is necessary because changes take place over time and groups, teams, and meetings are ongoing. Research in field settings is necessary to acknowledge the complexity of real world GSS activity and improve the relevance of findings to GSS practice and research.An original and significant aspect of the research was that the inquiry process was conducted in an interpretivist paradigm where emphasis was placed on participants' constructions of the GSS experience. An inductive approach was adopted where findings were grounded in, and generated from, qualitative data. The criteria for assessment of the relevance and rigour of the research were credibility, transferability, confirmability and dependability (Guba & Lincoln, 1989). The primary research data came from in-depth interviews with participants.The field setting concerned a group of seven participants from a local government organization, meeting face-to-face, and undertaking a strategic planning task. The process of the strategic planning task involved five GSS sessions held at the GSS Facility at Curtin University in Perth. Active process and technical facilitation was provided by an experienced two person facilitation team, who were external to the client organisation.There were two major findings. The first was a process finding of familiarisation that occurred over the first two GSS sessions. Participants were initially confronted with a foreign environment including unfamiliar people, roles, task, process, and ++ / technology. As participants experienced the GSS session, their feelings changed from fear and nervousness, to comfort and confidence. Associated with the improvement in comfort, there was improved participation, manifest as broader and greater participation at the second GSS session. The recommendation for GSS practice is to prepare participants in advance for the unfamiliar environment so as to realise the benefits of GSS more rapidly. Based on the identified changes in perceptions and behaviour, the recommendation for GSS research is to study contexts beyond single occasion usage.The second finding was a process finding of emerging confusion. Despite familiarisation with the environment, participants, when confronted with a radical change in process, as well as a difficult task about which they had preconceptions, became confused about the task, the goal, and the process. The behaviour of a participant, identified as playing the role of the farrago (Stohl & Schell, 1991), led to further confusion. Consequences included a perceived lack of achievement, and negative feelings. The recommendation for GSS practice is for facilitators to clarify the goals, the task and the process for participants. Further research is needed to ascertain what form that clarification might take. A suggestion is that it can be facilitated by maintaining familiar processes, and preparing participants in advance for difficult tasks. There are two recommendations for further GSS research. The first is to study in a field setting in order to uncover complex phenomena that are relevant to GSS practice. The second is to employ research methodologies and designs that permit discovery of emerging theory which is grounded in data.In addition to the two major findings, tentative but powerful, was the identification of ways in which the GSS ideal of even participation could be compromised. Firstly, ++ / an uneven distribution of verbal participation in an established group seems likely to persist in the GSS environment. Furthermore, the GSS facilitator may struggle against the existing group norms to alter the distribution of participation. Secondly, in groups where participants differ in their level of computer skills, computer experienced participants may be able to dominate written participation compared to computer novices. Computer novices may also suffer from computer anxiety further compromising their ability to participate. Thus equal access to GSS resources may not be sufficient to ensure even participation. The tentative nature of this finding is a signal for further research.

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Deep mixing (DM) is the modification of in situ soil to increase strength, control deformation, and reduce permeability. Multi–axis augers and mixing paddles are used to construct overlapping columns strengthened by mixing cement with in situ soils. This method has been used for excavation support to increase bearing capacity, reduce movements, prevent sliding failure, control seepage by acting as a cut–off barrier, and as a measure against base heave. DM is effectively used in excavations both in conjunction with and in substitution of traditional techniques, where it results in more economical and convenient solutions for the stability of the system and the prevention of seepage. Although DM is currently used for excavation control in numerous projects, no standard procedure has been developed and the different applications have not been evaluated. As this technique emerges as a more economical and effective alternative to traditional excavation shoring, there is a need for guidelines describing proven procedures for evaluation of design, analysis and construction. The main objective of this research is to develop a methodology to design retaining systems using deep mixing technology. The method will be evaluated using numerical analysis of one selected case history.

<p><font face="Arial"> <p align="left">The findings in this study demonstrate that the Child Support Grant is only effective if it is incorporated into the household income, that recipients of the grant mainly spend it on food and in paying school fees for their children. Although the recipients share the same sentiments with regards to the amount of the grant, they all agree that it does have a positive impact on the lives of the children, especially when it is combined with the household income.</p> </font></p>

There are many kinds of joint operations and combinations of combined arms. This thesis puts its focus on Close Air Support, CAS. Throughout history there have been several cases of success, regarding these kinds of operations, but also failure. Much can be taught from organizational behaviour studies, applied on these military organisations in their cooperation with each other. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the cooperation between the Swedish army and air force to determine the functionality of their process. This is done by text analysis and interviews. The study shows that the cooperation works at its bets at the unit level. The Swedish armed forces have a wide range of tasks it wishes to fulfil together with broad priorities. As of now, there is a balance between the two services´ needs and what they can deliver. Although there are indications that the army´s requirements might increase in the future. The air force focus on homeland defence might push this balance even further, though CAS is not a priority in that scenario. If there is a significant change in the balance of demand between the two services, at least one of the services might have to reconsider their whole line of business.    Key words: Collaboration, Organizational development, Close Air Support. / Det finns många former av samverkan mellan mark- och flygstridskrafterna, men den som belyses i denna uppsats är Close Air Support, CAS. Både framgångsrika och mindre farmgångsrika fall finns beskrivna i historia böckerna kring detta. Oavsett vilket av fallen som granskas, så finns det generella kopplingar man kan göra mellan den militära organisationen med dess processer och vad forskningen kring organisationsutveckling har påvisat. Syftet i uppsatsen var att med hjälp av organisationsutvecklingsteorier analysera samverkansprocessen mellan mark- och flygstridskrafterna som den ser ut nuläget. Detta med hjälp av textanalys av styrdokument och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Det som framkommit är att den samverkan som idag genomförs mellan mark- och flygstridskrafterna rörande CAS, fungerar bra på förbandsnivå, men suboptimeras på nivån ovan. Orsaker till detta går att finna i den förmåge bredd somförsvarsmaktenFörsvarsmaktenska innefatta, tillsammans med brett formulerade prioriteringar. Balans råder mellan mark- och flygstridskrafternas behov, men indikationer tyder på att denna balans kan komma att rubbas genom ett ökat behov från markstridskrafterna. Flygstridskrafternas fokus på luftförsvar av Sverige kan komma att förskjuta denna balans ytterligare, då detta lämnar CAS med låg prioritering. Om en förändring av balansen i behov sker, kan en av de två stridskrafterna tvingas till en omfattande förändring i sin verksamhetslogik. Nyckelord: Samverkan, Organisationsutveckling, Close Air Support.