The aim of this study is to, from a child’s family relations, describe the usage of terms relating to factors of risk and safety in science and in investigations concerning children in need of protection. It is also of importance in what way the terms are used when the Social Services suggest that measures should be taken, and in which way the children have been heard in the investigations. The issues raised in this study are: (a) How is the current life situation and life quality of the children discussed? (b) The value of factors concerning risks and protection. (c) How is the children’s own descriptions taken in to consideration? (d) Is gender issues considered? (e) How is Lagerberg’s model (Lagerberg, 1998) useful in investigations? The method of analysis is mainly qualitative however it is combined with analysis of literature relevant to the study. The empirical material has been obtained from social files concerning recommendations of placing children in alternative homes. The study includes 13 cases when recommendations have been given according to the Social Services Act (SoL) or to the Care of Young Persons Act (LVU). The cases concern children between the age 7 and 12 years old in two communities in the middle of Sweden. The result of the study is given in terms of risks, safety and quality of life. When needed, it is also given in terms of gender. For instance, the study shows that the children are able to talk about their situation in 50% of the cases. Furthermore, it shows that girls tend to talk more about their concerns about their family situation than boys do. The ambition is that this study will be of assistance for the Social Services in cases concerning children in need. Keywords: Child perspective, attachment, ecology of human development, gender, factors of risk, protective factors, life quality and prognoses.

Purpose – The purpose of this work is to examine the actual CSR situation in low wage countries of the textile industry and to identify obstacles and suggestions for improvements of the working conditions. In order to achieve that approach, different sources and various articles, magazines, books and related websites are being researched to get a wide range of information and to avoid a partial reflection. Furthermore an exemplary discussion of the CSR activities of two leading fashion retailers, Bestseller and H&M will be implemented by having a look on their company homepages as well as their current and previous annual reports and stated CSR activities. In addition, interviews with international operating NGO’s, fair trade unions and human right foundations will be conducted to receive widely independent information, deeper insights and critics concerning CSR and Human Development in the textile business. These interviews are of crucial importance for this work, since they provide widely independent assessments of the actual state of CSR implementation within the industry. By considering all the different information, this work provides ultimately indications for grievances and proposals for improvements in Human Development. Methodology – Using a qualitative research strategy, this work begins with a definition of CSR and Human Development, which provides a necessary background knowledge to approach CSR in the textile business. In order to get an idea of some of the industry wide activities and obstacles, this work contains an exemplary description of the CSR work of the two leading fashion retailers, Bestseller and H&M, using their company home pages as well as their current and previous annual reports and an outline of their reflection of the current stage of affairs regarding Human Development. Based on the findings from the homepages of H&M and Bestseller and the companies’ claim, different researched articles and the latest accidents in the news, eleven different interview questions were developed, regarding the actual textile production situation in the RGM industry. These questions are being used for semi-structured in-depth interviews with three different experts of the International Labour Organization, the German NGO Südwind Institute and the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry to get first hand information about the already achieved progress of the working conditions, as well as crucial driving forces and challenges within the Human Development “sector” of CSR in low wage countries. By considering all the different information, this work finally reveals grievances in CSR and gives proposals for improving the working conditions of the textile factory workers in emerging countries. Findings – The findings show the complexity and necessity of a controversy about CSR approaches in the textile and garment sector of developing countries. Recent accidents and different investigations by independent organizations are supporting the impression of an existing gap between the CSR policies of fashion companies on the one hand and the reality in the firms on the other hand. Different NGO’s are complaining about insufficiently implemented approaches and Codes of fashion brands and retailers within the supply chain. This work provides different suggestions for improving the working conditions of the textile factory workers in emerging countries. Possible ways for a human friendlier textile production are for example the strengthening of trade unions and worker advocacies, the ensuring of a social dialogue and closer collaborations between all the different stakeholders within the industry - including the governments, as well as more legal bindings and stricter regulations. Research limitations/ implications – The findings from this study are limited to the “sector” of Human Development and most of the results or hypotheses are not conclusively audited, due to the difficult validation. Additionally, the study is mainly focusing on the worker situation in selected low wage countries and does not provide global conclusions. Further research should aim to gain even further insights, for instance on a local company or local supplier level.

Several studies have examined the effect of remittances on economic growth,poverty, education, and governance, among other factors, in developing countrieswith inconclusive results. Using annual panel data of 99 developing countries invarious empirical models, this study aim to answer the question how remittances affect a broader aspect of development using the Human Development Index asdependent variable. The findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between remittances and the level of human development in developing countries.

Graduate

In this thesis, the effects of an active analog of cyclophosphamide (4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide, 4OOH-CPA), an alkylating agent and teratogen, on mouse limb development, cell death and the role of the p53 gene in this process were studied. A mouse limb bud culture system was used for this purpose. Limbs developed normally in this system and showed physiological apoptosis in a spatio-temporal-controlled manner. Drug treatment caused limb reduction malformations, increased the amount of apoptosis and triggered its occurrence prematurely, primarily in areas with physiological apoptosis. This indicated that drug-treatment might have engaged the already available program of apoptosis in the developing limb, and suggested this might be the cause of limb malformations. Next we examined the induction pattern of three proteins, cathepsin D, transglutaminase and clusterin, known to be involved in the molecular mechanism of apoptosis. The pattern of their induction suggested that cathepsin D was involved in the digestion of apoptotic debris, transglutaminase was active in preserving the cellular integrity during apoptosis, and clusterin played a role in later phases of apoptosis. Since 4OOH-CPA causes DNA damage, we studied the role of the p53 gene, a DNA-damage response gene involved in regulating cell cycle and apoptosis, in a p53-transgenic mouse model. Absence of p53 led to more severe limb malformations in the treated limbs. To investigate the reason(s) for this higher sensitivity to drug insult, cell death and cell cycle patterns were studied. While wild-type limbs showed an induction of apoptosis by drug treatment, which might be crucial in eliminating damaged cells, the null limbs were resistant to this effect. Furthermore, in response to 4OOH-CPA-treatment, the cell cycle was not arrested in p53 -/- limbs, in contrast to wild-type limbs; this arrest is necessary for DNA repair. Further investigation revealed the occurrence of necrosis in p53 -/- limbs. Thus, we

We studied the effect of Trichuris trichiura on growth in a randomized, double-blind trial in which 508 Mexican children (2 to 10 years) with asymptomatic infections were randomized to one of 3 medication regimes that were selected to differ in efficacy against Trichuris: a single II mg/kg dose of pyrantel pamoate (low efficacy), a single 400 mg dose of albendazole (moderate efficacy) and 3 daily 400 mg doses of albendazole (high efficacy). All three treatment regimes are effective against a range of parasites, and conventional wisdom at the start of the trial was that asymptomatic Trichuris infection is harmless and has no effect on growth. The hypothesis was that children treated with 3 doses of albendazole grow better than children treated with a single dose of albendazole who, in turn, grow better than children treated with pyrantel pamoate. The children were measured and treated at baseline and every 4 months over 12 months. In spite of the differential efficacy of the 3 treatments against Trichuris, there were no differences in overall increment in height, weight, and arm circumference between the three treatment groups. However, the children who received the 3 daily 400 mg regime of albendazole had a significantly lower increment in triceps skinfold thickness than those who received pyrantel pamoate. The children who had higher intensities of Trichuris at baseline and who received the single 400 mg albendazole regime grew more in height than children in the same treatment group with lower initial levels of infection. The increment in weight, arm circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness was also a positive function of the initial intensity of Trichuris infection in the children who received 3 daily 400 mg doses of albendazole. This study provides evidence that low, asymptomatic levels of Trichuris can impair growth, and suggests that either albendazole or pyrantel pamoate or both may have an effect on the growth of children, independent of a therapeuti

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1974. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed July 6, 2010). PDF text: vii, 111 p. : ill. ; 3 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3369361. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

abstract: Educators and therapists must unify and formulate new strategies to address the academic and social needs of a newly emerging at risk demographic, "the forgotten middle." Currently, a paradigm shift within educative music therapy, human development study, and educational psychology, suggests that curriculums need to integrate alternative methods into their framework, change the definition of at-risk, and recognize math aptitude and social competency as predictors of a student's ability to gain upward mobility and self-sufficiency. Musical interaction, although considered a secondary measure within educational forums, is a viable means to address the socio-emotional and academic needs of students. In order to substantiate the need for educators to integrate educative music therapy and social competency programs into standard curriculums, the researcher conducted a study using 23 students from a beginning high school guitar class and 4 students from a high school after-school program. These students participated in a ten-week study involving educative music therapy, social competency, and math aptitude. Participants completed the math fluency and math calculations sections of the Wechsler's Individual Achievement Test version 3, along with a questionnaire examining the participants' beliefs about the influence of music on math aptitude and social competency. Although the pre- and post-test results show no statistically significant difference between educative music therapy and math aptitude, the results from the questionnaires administered suggest that students perceive that social competency and musical interaction augment academic and social performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.M. Music Therapy 2010

Inspirado em alguns aspectos da Abordagem das Capacitações e da Abordagem dos Meios de vida, o Índice de Condições de Vida (ICV) tornou-se a ferramenta de análise principal desta pesquisa. A partir da sua aplicabilidade no Território Rural Zona Sul do Rio Grande do Sul buscou-se responder se a posse de distintos capitais refletiu em diferenças na composição do conjunto capacitário e nas percepções de vida das famílias residentes em domicílios rurais no território. Ainda, buscou-se concluir sobre possíveis situações de vulnerabilidade e pobreza no território. Com fins a tornar a resposta exequível, foram feitas comparações dos resultados do ICV entre domicílios com produção agropecuária e domicílios sem produção; domicílios de agricultura familiar e domicílios de agricultura não familiar; e entre as três instâncias (fatores, características e efeitos do desenvolvimento). Os principais resultados da pesquisa indicaram que em termos de funcionamentos realizados e tendo por base as próprias percepções das famílias rurais dos domicílios estudados, essas não se mostraram expostas às situações críticas de vulnerabilidade e de pobreza rural, embora outros indicadores sociais afirmassem tal cenário. No Território Rural Zona Sul as situações de privações corroboradas pelos resultados fragilizaram e impediram que certos meios contribuíssem para o alcance de melhores e maiores rendas e oportunidades. Todavia, a própria percepção das famílias não indicou uma situação perversa, o que muito pode estar relacionado com as capacidades de agência destes indivíduos em, sobretudo, combinar capitais para lidar com situações adversas. / Inspired by some aspects of the Capability Approach and Livelihoods Approach, the Living Conditions Index (LCI) became the main analysis tool of this research. From its applicability in the Território Rural Zona Sul of Rio Grande do Sul sought to answer if the possession of distinct capitals reflected in differences in capabilitie set and rural households families’ perceptions of life living in the territory. Also, sought to conclude about possible situations of vulnerability and poverty in the territory. With purpose to make feasible the response, comparisons of the results were made between households with agricultural production and households without production; family farming households and non-family farming households; and between the three instances (factors, features and effects of the development). The main results of the research indicated that in terms of functionings performed and based on own perceptions of rural families, these were not exposed to critical situations of vulnerability and rural poverty, while other social indicators affirm such a scenario. In the Território Rural Zona Sul, situations of deprivation corroborated by results weakened and prevented certain means (resources, opportunities, capitals) to contribute to the achievement of better and higher incomes and opportunities. However, the own perception of the families did not indicate a perverse situation, that can be related to the agency capabilities of these individuals, mainly, to combine capitals to deal with adverse situations.