Harsh Reality is a print resource aimed toward the population of street-involved youth. Created by a working group of street-involved youth in partnership with a research nurse, Harsh Reality is a unique hybrid of factual information, and art and written experienced submitted by street-involved youth themselves. Harsh Reality contains information about a variety of topics, notably sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. A case study method was used to evaluate aspects of both project process and outcomes. The case study was guided by three areas of study: street-involved youth's perceptions of the resource, retention of specific knowledge outcomes from the resource, and method of resource distribution. The primary sources of data were street-involved youth themselves. Findings of this study include a description of the target audience's perception of the resource, an analysis of specific knowledge uptake, an assessment of various methods of resource distribution, and possible suggestions for future resources.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore three questions regarding formative assessment (FA) and Student-Involved assessment strategies among five middle years teachers in Saskatoon Public Schools. The questions were one, what were the beliefs of the teachers regarding formative assessment and student involved assessment? as well as two, what were their perceptions about attitudes of students, parents, and the community about these innovative assessment practices? and thirdly, what did the teachers believe would support teachers in taking up formative assessment and student-involved assessment? The five participating teachers had varying lengths of service ranging from five to over twenty-five years. Teachers were interviewed in a semi-structured style during one forty-five minute interview, each. Teachers were provided with sample prompts in order to facilitate the conversation. Teachers reported using FA and student involved assessment strategies with mixed results. Teachers used strategies and modified them on occasion to suit the learning conditions, to allow for time constraints, or to accelerate the pace of instruction. Teachers also reported using FA and student-involved assessment strategies primarily in subject areas in which they felt most comfortable and relied on more traditional summative assessments in subject areas in which they were less comfortable. Teachers stated there were varying degrees of support from colleagues, school based administrators, and school division consultants. The support generally disappeared if the school based administrator whose emphasis was FA and student-involved assessment left the school for a different assignment. Some participants reported taking initiative to pursue FA of their own accord, but were left to roll out the initiative on their own. Teachers described mixed results with other stakeholders in these processes as well. Generally parents and students were less interested in FA and student-involved assessment and showed a preference for summative evaluations such as percentages and letter grades. Implications of these findings are that teachers are not appropriately trained in student assessment and support for formative assessment is inconsistent. Students are often omitted from the unpacking of curricula, are not accountable for collection of their own assessment data and are not held responsible to act upon any formative assessment feedback in order to improve their learning. This study led to the following definition of formative assessment: formative assessment is the demonstration by students they can act upon descriptive feedback to show they have achieved a learning outcome regardless of mode (oral, written, performance, etc.).

Street-involved women with co-occurring disorders experience distinct and overwhelming health and social issues, while facing considerable barriers to appropriate and helpful services. Street Connections, a Population and Public Health program, provides services to this and other street-involved aggregates using Harm Reduction and mobile outreach to prevent sexually transmitted infections and blood borne pathogens. Three conceptual frameworks, Gender-based Analysis, the Comprehensive, Continuous, Integrated System of Care, and Harm Reduction guided the practicum. The purpose of the practicum was to develop policy/practice recommendations for Street Connections regarding service enhancement for this aggregate. Literature-based best-practices were compared to three agency case studies of programs providing services to this aggregate including Street Connections, the Program of Assertive Community Treatment, and Dream Catchers. Data, consisting of agency documents and person-centered interviews with nine staff, were analyzed using open coding to identify themes. Recommendations incorporate gender-based analysis, recovery, access, engagement, screening, integrated services, and staff development/support.

Harsh Reality is a print resource aimed toward the population of street-involved youth. Created by a working group of street-involved youth in partnership with a research nurse, Harsh Reality is a unique hybrid of factual information, and art and written experienced submitted by street-involved youth themselves. Harsh Reality contains information about a variety of topics, notably sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. A case study method was used to evaluate aspects of both project process and outcomes. The case study was guided by three areas of study: street-involved youth's perceptions of the resource, retention of specific knowledge outcomes from the resource, and method of resource distribution. The primary sources of data were street-involved youth themselves. Findings of this study include a description of the target audience's perception of the resource, an analysis of specific knowledge uptake, an assessment of various methods of resource distribution, and possible suggestions for future resources.

The purpose of this thesis research is to describe the availability of social support among street-involved youth and how this longitudinally predicts their substance use, mental health and mental well-being. Data from a panel study of street-involved youth in Victoria, British Columbia were analyzed (N=130). Thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questions and descriptive analyses of survey data were conducted to describe the availability of social support in participants’ lives. Multivariate regression was used to test two prominent theories of the relationship between social support and health (the stress-buffering and main effect theories) and to examine the association between sources of social support and health. The thematic analysis and descriptive analysis results indicate that there is considerable heterogeneity in terms of the availability, sources and types of social support among this population. The regression results provide partial support for the main effect theory; perceived availability of social support predicted reduced alcohol and hard drug use and better overall mental health and well-being, regardless of the stress levels. The stress-buffering theory was not supported. Sources of social support were not significantly related to health outcomes. The thesis concludes with policy and program suggestions and gives direction for further research on the relationship between social support and health among street-involved youth. / Graduate / 0626 / 0347 / 0573 / mary06@uvic.ca

This thesis explores street involved youth friendship in Victoria, Canada. The friendships of street involved youth—that is “young people who may or may not be homeless and spend some time in the social and economic world of ‘the street’” (Perkin 2009)—are regularly thought and talked about as being prone to deviant or risky behaviour, particularly in social scientific literature and by the mainstream media. I conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 street involved youth (ages 16 – 21) who talked about friendships as important relationships offering (among other things) help, protection, support, nurture and meaningful existences not available to them otherwise. Street youth friendships allow youth some escape and respite from damaging neoliberal political-economic policies in Victoria, Canada. In addition, street involved youth friendships bring into question dominant developmentalist discourses and assumptions as youth agentively and expertly negotiate their friendships in careful and nuanced ways. / Graduate / 0326 / twerdal@uvic.ca

Orientador: Josias Rodrigues / Resumo: Retocolite Ulcerativa (RU) é um tipo de patologia que acomete o cólon intestinal, se apresentando na forma de lesões superficiais de gravidade variável. Não possui causa definida, mas sabe-se que é influenciada por fatores genéticos e ambientais, na qual, esse último, inclui um desequilíbrio na composição de espécies da microbiota intestinal. Escherichia coli (E. coli), uma das bactérias que se encontra aumentada nesses pacientes, tem sido foco de estudos de caracterização, com o objetivo de esclarecer sua participação na etiologia ou complicação dos sintomas da doença. Esse trabalho adotou essa abordagem para a caracterização de uma coleção de E. coli isoladas de portadores de RU atendidos no Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (HC/UNESP) de Botucatu, com base em sua capacidade de produção de biofilme, sorotipagem e filotipagem. Juntamente a esses testes, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a possível relação da E. coli com a RU. O objeto de estudo dos testes foi uma coleção de E. coli composta por 68 isolados bacterianos de 34 portadores de RU e 44 de 22 indivíduos controle (CO). A tipagem bacteriana teve como foco genes que identificam os sorogrupos O25 e O83 e determinação de filogrupos da coleção de referência de E. coli (EcoR – A, B1, B2 e D). Os resultados obtidos foram: 1) predomínio de E. coli dos filogrupos B2 e A nos grupos CO (54,5% x 26,5%, p=0,01) e de portadores de RU (32,4% x 9,1%, p=0,04) respectivamente, ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of pathology that affects the intestinal colon, presenting as superficial lesions of different severity. It has no defined cause, but it is known to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors, which includes an imbalance in the composition of species of the intestinal microbiota. Escherichia coli (E. coli), one of the bacteria that is increased in these patients, has been the focus of characterization studies, to clarify its participation in the etiology or complication of the disease’s symptoms. Following a line of research already consolidated in our laboratory, this work adopted this approach for the characterization of a collection of E. coli isolated from UC patients treated at the HC / UNESP of Botucatu, based on its biofilm production capacity, serotyping and filotyping. Also, a literature review was performed on the possible relationship between E. coli and UC. The study’s object of these tests was a collection of E. coli composed of 68 bacterial isolates from 34 UC carriers and 44 from 22 control individuals (CO). Bacterial typing focused on genes that identify the O25 and O83 serogroups and determination of phylogroups from the E. coli reference collection (EcoR - A, B1, B2 and D). The results obtained were: 1) Predominance of E. coli of the phylogenetic groups B2 and A in the CO groups (54.5% x 26.5%, p = 0.01) and in the UC group (32.4% x 9, 1, p = 0.04), respectively. 2) In the UC group, 8.8% and 11.8% of the individuals ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Submitted by THAISY MILANELLI CANHIZARES null (thaisymilanelli@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-08-24T01:15:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DEFESA final.pdf: 700718 bytes, checksum: 9c3cbfade3105f6f93da40a95c86b3c6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-08-25T14:14:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 canhizares_tm_me_bot.pdf: 700718 bytes, checksum: 9c3cbfade3105f6f93da40a95c86b3c6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-25T14:14:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 canhizares_tm_me_bot.pdf: 700718 bytes, checksum: 9c3cbfade3105f6f93da40a95c86b3c6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Retocolite Ulcerativa (RU) é um tipo de patologia que acomete o cólon intestinal, se apresentando na forma de lesões superficiais de gravidade variável. Não possui causa definida, mas sabe-se que é influenciada por fatores genéticos e ambientais, na qual, esse último, inclui um desequilíbrio na composição de espécies da microbiota intestinal. Escherichia coli (E. coli), uma das bactérias que se encontra aumentada nesses pacientes, tem sido foco de estudos de caracterização, com o objetivo de esclarecer sua participação na etiologia ou complicação dos sintomas da doença. Esse trabalho adotou essa abordagem para a caracterização de uma coleção de E. coli isoladas de portadores de RU atendidos no Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (HC/UNESP) de Botucatu, com base em sua capacidade de produção de biofilme, sorotipagem e filotipagem. Juntamente a esses testes, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica sobre a possível relação da E. coli com a RU. O objeto de estudo dos testes foi uma coleção de E. coli composta por 68 isolados bacterianos de 34 portadores de RU e 44 de 22 indivíduos controle (CO). A tipagem bacteriana teve como foco genes que identificam os sorogrupos O25 e O83 e determinação de filogrupos da coleção de referência de E. coli (EcoR – A, B1, B2 e D). Os resultados obtidos foram: 1) predomínio de E. coli dos filogrupos B2 e A nos grupos CO (54,5% x 26,5%, p=0,01) e de portadores de RU (32,4% x 9,1%, p=0,04) respectivamente, 2) no grupo portador de RU, 8,8% e 11,8% dos indivíduos apresentaram os sorogrupos O25 e O83, respectivamente e, entre os CO, a prevalência de ambos os sorogrupos foi de 4,5% e, 3) isolados produtores de biofilme forte (Fo), moderado (Mo) e fraco (Fra) foram encontrados em 45,5%, 22,7% e 27,3% dos CO, respectivamente. Em portadores de RU, a prevalência foi de 32,4%, 8,8% e 14,7%, respectivamente. A divergência nos dados de filotipagem em relação à literatura denota o caráter de extensa variabilidade observada nas populações naturais de E. coli e que dificulta sua vinculação com a causa da RU. A ausência de diferença na prevalência de isolados produtores de biofilme entre os grupos sugere que tal propriedade não pode ser vinculada a um eventual potencial de E. coli em provocar ou complicar os sintomas da RU. A análise bibliográfica mostrou resultados divergentes sobre a relação da E. coli na RU, possivelmente devido às variações no método de colheita, características teciduais e método de quantificação das culturas, sendo necessário mais pesquisas sobre o tema para sua maior clareza. / Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of pathology that affects the intestinal colon, presenting as superficial lesions of different severity. It has no defined cause, but it is known to be influenced by genetic and environmental factors, which includes an imbalance in the composition of species of the intestinal microbiota. Escherichia coli (E. coli), one of the bacteria that is increased in these patients, has been the focus of characterization studies, to clarify its participation in the etiology or complication of the disease’s symptoms. Following a line of research already consolidated in our laboratory, this work adopted this approach for the characterization of a collection of E. coli isolated from UC patients treated at the HC / UNESP of Botucatu, based on its biofilm production capacity, serotyping and filotyping. Also, a literature review was performed on the possible relationship between E. coli and UC. The study’s object of these tests was a collection of E. coli composed of 68 bacterial isolates from 34 UC carriers and 44 from 22 control individuals (CO). Bacterial typing focused on genes that identify the O25 and O83 serogroups and determination of phylogroups from the E. coli reference collection (EcoR - A, B1, B2 and D). The results obtained were: 1) Predominance of E. coli of the phylogenetic groups B2 and A in the CO groups (54.5% x 26.5%, p = 0.01) and in the UC group (32.4% x 9, 1, p = 0.04), respectively. 2) In the UC group, 8.8% and 11.8% of the individuals had serogroups O25 and O83, respectively, and among CO, the prevalence of both serogroups was 4,5% and, 3) Isolated producers of strong (St), moderate (Mo) and weak (We) biofilms were found in 45,5%, 22,7% e 27,3% of the CO, respectively. In UC patients, the prevalence was 32.4%, 8.8% and 14.7%, respectively. The divergence in the data of phylotyping in relation to the literature denotes the character of extensive variability observed in the natural populations of E. coli and that makes it difficult to be linked to the cause of the UC. The absence of a difference in the prevalence of biofilm isolates among the groups suggests that such property can’t be linked to an eventual potential of E. coli to cause or complicate UC symptoms. The literature analysis showed divergent results on the relationship of E. coli and UC, possibly due to variations in the collection method, tissue characteristics and quantification method of the cultures, being necessary more researches on the subject for its greater clarity.

This essay has tried to find attitudes and experiences regarding involved fatherhood and parental leave. This has been accomplished through qualitative interviews with five fathers in Uppsala, Sweden. All the respondents were already on or were supposed to go on parental leave. In accordance with the aim of the study the interviews and the analysis proceeded from three topics: fatherhood and family situation; impacts from the daily environment; and effects based on their own fatherhood. These topics were constructed from the two theories that were used to frame the purpose of the study; the theories that were used were the modernistic gender contract (modernistiskt genuskontrakt) and hegemonic masculinity. The study mainly focused on finding what inspired the respondents to go on parental leave and how this differed between them. Apart from that, the study was supposed to find how and if the attitude of the respondents were affected by their local environment. Furthermore, the study intended to find how parental leave could change the attitudes of the respondents towards work versus family relations. The results of the qualitative interviews compared to the literature review showed that the respondents mainly chose to go on parental leave to strengthen the gender equality in the family and to build a stronger relationship between themselves and their children. The division of parental leave between the partners was mainly chosen due to practical reasons. Furthermore, the interviewed fathers got their largest influence from their own fathers and discussions within the family. Lastly, the parental leave gave the fathers a stronger connection to their children and a deeper understanding of having the primary responsibility for their children.

This thesis examines the role of structural violence in the contemporary transition to adulthood of street involved youth. Anchored in structural social work, the study understands the origin of social problems and of violence to be structural rather than individual. Conducted in two phases, the study used participatory action and arts-informed methods, group discussions, and semi-structured interviews. Autonomy, a key component of the contemporary transition to adulthood, was central to the research results. The findings demonstrated that structural violence works to misrepresent or to nullify street involved youths’ expressions of autonomy. Structural violence affects how they exercise and manifest their autonomy as well as how their autonomy is represented or socially valued. The findings made visible the invisible structural violence, illuminating social causes of individual problems. Accordingly, to better support street involved youth and the development of their autonomy during their transition to adulthood, the study proposes recommendations for practice, policy, and research that target systems level change.