The aim of the master thesis is to identify factors on which a motivation of individual, rather terrorist organization is based for committing of suicide attacks as a social phenomenon, that appears to be a priori incomprehensible in the context of European culture setting. The secondary aim of the thesis is to distinguish an eventual difference of motivation between female suicide attackers and male suicide attackers. For these purposes, two terrorist organizations have been analysed within two separately designed case studies, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and Hamas for those the suicide attacks have represented the real "modus operandi" and simultaneously engaged women to their suicide missions. These terrorist organizations have been systematically analysed in terms of cultural, political, economic and organizational and social-psychological factors. The levels of analysis used, represent a synthetized reflection of existing theoretic treatment of suicide terrorism issue. The resulting findings confirm, first of all, the fact, that suicide terrorism phenomenon constitutes considerably complicated social phenomenon, whose central motive appears to be political, more precisely nationalistic. However its strength and effectiveness are largely interconnected with other motives, both cultural,...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the process used by Haitians and Haitian Americans who must make healthcare decisions for a terminally ill family member. There is a large population of Haitians and Haitian Americans in South Florida and there has been no research regarding their decision-making process about end-of-life healthcare. The study design was descriptive, applying constructivist grounded theory methodology. Data were collected using semi-structured, face-to-face qualitative interviews. Data analysis and collection occurred simultaneously. Participants (n=12) were purposefully recruited, with 11 from a single, faith-based community. The findings resulted in six concepts: (1) imminent or actual death, (2) disrupted unity, (3) managing disrupted unity, (4) consequences, (5) restoring unity, and (6) creating memories you can live with. These six concepts, elaborated by an additional 17 dimensions, were incorporated into a process model relating to the cultural value of communal unity to the end-of-life decision-making process. The implications of this study include a need to improve the congruence between the nursing care provided at this vulnerable time and the cultural values of this population. Successful access to this population through the structure of the faith-based community points the way to increasing access to appropriate end-of-life healthcare. Practice implications informed by caring science include the importance of nurses’ coming to know the family and listening to the unique care needs. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Verifica e analisa o encadeamento ideológico utilizado por Homero para ordenar as mortes dos principais heróis gregos do ciclo épico; o ideal guerreiro da bela morte e o ideal heróico da glória imperecível; o destino do homem comum e o destino do herói; a vontade de Zeus e o plano de Zeus; a morte dos heróis; os jogos fúnebres, registrados na Ilíada e na Odisséia. Para a coleta dos dados utiliza-se de leitura sistemática, abrangendo textos de autores antigos e de autores contemporâneos, verificando o comportamento dos helenos do período Homérico diante da morte. Aponta como principais resultados: há um encadeamento ideológico que liga as mortes dos principais heróis homéricos, tecido pelo poeta e baseado no ciclo épico; há um plano de Zeus para eliminar os principais heróis porque as mortes destes heróis causam sofrimento nos deuses; as crenças na vida depois da morte e os processos funerários adotados pelos gregos do período Homérico ainda estavam em formação; os antigos gregos não mantinham uma crença sistemática em uma idéia de ressurreição da alma ou em uma idéia de vida pós-morte. Conclui que há uma diretriz ideológica que ordena a trama épica nos poemas homéricos; esta ordenação leva os heróis a cumprirem seus destinos, seguindo um encadeamento que leva em consideração o grau de honra e excelência guerreira; os ritos fúnebres dos gregos do período Homérico estavam se consolidando e Homero colaborou neste processo de consolidação, que já estava concretizado no período Clássico. / It verifies and analyzes the enchainment ideological used for Homer to order the death of Greek heroes principal of the epic cycle; the warrior ideal of the death beauty and the heroic ideal of the imperishable glory; the fate of the common man and the fate of the hero; the will of Zeus and the plain of Zeus; the death of heroes; the funeral games, registered in the Iliad and Odyssey. The data were obtained through: systematical reading of texts produced by ancients authors and by contemporarys authors, verifying the behavior of the Greeks of the Homeric period in the face of death. It points to as main results: there is a enchainment ideological what tie the deaths of the Homeric heroes principal, weaved for the poet and based in the epic cycle; there is a plain of Zeus to eliminate the heroes principal because the death these heroes cause suffering in the gods; the believe in the afterlife and the funerals processes adopted to the Greeks of Homeric period still were in formation; the Greek ancients not keep one systematic belief in one idea of resurrection of the soul or in one idea of life after-death. It finishes that there is a ideological directrix what order the epic plot in the Homeric poems; this ordering carry the heroes to accomplish their fates, following a enchainment what take into account the degree of the honor and warrior excellence; the funerals rites of the Greeks of Homeric period were consolidating and Homer collaborate in this process of the consolidation, what already was materialized in the Classic period.

The aim of this study is to use an intermedial theory to analyse and contextualize embodiment and violence in the Chinese author Mo Yan’s Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out. I use Jørgen Bruhn’s mediality model, introduced in The Intermediality of Narrative Literature: Medialities Matter (2016), to analyse medial phenomena such as intra- and intermediality in the novel. Bruhn’s model mainly covers relations between several media and within a single medium. The focus of this study lies on the blending of different media within the novel. My hypothesis is that the depiction of embodied violence in the novel is a literary strategy, based on cognitive functions and Chinese oral traditions to communicate historical events, as well as through an intermedial depiction of those events, a way to avoid censorship. Of particular importance to this study are medial phenomena connected to visualization of memories, and intermediality as discipline a voice between media texts, to establish how a literary text through narrative techniques can create an illusion of cinematic blending. I see this as an illustration of the historical hierarchical struggle between art forms. This is a broader perspective on literary depiction in Mo Yan’s novel than generally can be found in interpretations originating in a Western discourse. The result of my study shows that medial phenomena such as inter- and intramediality are woven into a narrative theme of remembrance of historical political events. Such memories are communicated through depictions of embodied violence, as well as the impact of trauma on anonymous bodies reminiscent of cinematic techniques, heightened by the metafictive voice of Mo Yan within the novel. It is a perspective that is also accentuated through auditory and visual elements that recall the ability of audio-visual media techniques to create identification with exposed bodies through close-up depictions of body and violence. Hence, Mo Yan has constructed a grid of medial phenomena in the novel through which he is able to convey historical processes without risking censorship.

This thesis defends an individual's moral right to be aided in dying by a physician (that is, voluntary active euthanasia, or VAE), but departs significantly from the view in its favor generally accepted in the bioethics literature. The prevailing view appeals to both respect for an individual's autonomy and promotion of an individual's well-being as necessary conditions for a right to VAE, so as to justify the right only for those suffering grave illnesses and/or disabilities. The author argues that such a view is logically untenable; one or another aspect must be given up. Since invoking the premise that certain individuals would be better off dead necessarily relies on controversial assumptions about both the value of life and the nature and value of death, about which reasonable people disagree, it is the justification from an individual's best interest which must be excluded in a liberal society. The author endorses a self-determination justification for the right to VAE, but rejects understanding this in terms of respecting personal autonomy, instead making the case for a right to VAE grounded in self-ownership. The author's main conclusion is that the right to VAE is a general right applying to all competent adults, not only those suffering grave illnesses or disabilities, or those whose choice for VAE is an exercise of autonomy. Moreover, by analyzing the basis of physician authority over prescription medicine and how this can be justified to a society of self-owners, she maintains that individuals have not only the right to choose VAE without state interference, but also the right to be provided VAE by doctors. Nevertheless, both rights are compatible with reasonable limitations to protect both the interests of VAE seekers and the rights of others.

The aim of this diploma theses is to find philosophical, religious and ideological motifs in the work of Ladislav Fuks and subsequently interpret their origin, intertextuality and meaning in the text. The emphasis is put on proving the semantic functionality in the story. For our research, we have selected following works: Mr. Theodore Mundstock, The Cremator, and Addressing from the Darkness. We will study philosophical and theological literature, as well as materials from the archives and from the estate of Ladislav Fuks in order to base all the findings on the biographical author, too. The thesis is divided into five chapters. In the first chapter we deal with basic literary characteristics of the selected books and their literary reception. The second chapter discusses Ladislav Fuks' relationship to philosophy, being anchored in both his friends' testimonies and the archival research of his estate. The third chapter is the most important and the most comprehensive one since it deals with the interpretation of philosophical motifs in each of the selected books. In the fourth chapter we compare individual philosophical motifs from different works with each other. We summarize the findings at the end of the theses.

Verifica e analisa o encadeamento ideológico utilizado por Homero para ordenar as mortes dos principais heróis gregos do ciclo épico; o ideal guerreiro da bela morte e o ideal heróico da glória imperecível; o destino do homem comum e o destino do herói; a vontade de Zeus e o plano de Zeus; a morte dos heróis; os jogos fúnebres, registrados na Ilíada e na Odisséia. Para a coleta dos dados utiliza-se de leitura sistemática, abrangendo textos de autores antigos e de autores contemporâneos, verificando o comportamento dos helenos do período Homérico diante da morte. Aponta como principais resultados: há um encadeamento ideológico que liga as mortes dos principais heróis homéricos, tecido pelo poeta e baseado no ciclo épico; há um plano de Zeus para eliminar os principais heróis porque as mortes destes heróis causam sofrimento nos deuses; as crenças na vida depois da morte e os processos funerários adotados pelos gregos do período Homérico ainda estavam em formação; os antigos gregos não mantinham uma crença sistemática em uma idéia de ressurreição da alma ou em uma idéia de vida pós-morte. Conclui que há uma diretriz ideológica que ordena a trama épica nos poemas homéricos; esta ordenação leva os heróis a cumprirem seus destinos, seguindo um encadeamento que leva em consideração o grau de honra e excelência guerreira; os ritos fúnebres dos gregos do período Homérico estavam se consolidando e Homero colaborou neste processo de consolidação, que já estava concretizado no período Clássico. / It verifies and analyzes the enchainment ideological used for Homer to order the death of Greek heroes principal of the epic cycle; the warrior ideal of the death beauty and the heroic ideal of the imperishable glory; the fate of the common man and the fate of the hero; the will of Zeus and the plain of Zeus; the death of heroes; the funeral games, registered in the Iliad and Odyssey. The data were obtained through: systematical reading of texts produced by ancients authors and by contemporarys authors, verifying the behavior of the Greeks of the Homeric period in the face of death. It points to as main results: there is a enchainment ideological what tie the deaths of the Homeric heroes principal, weaved for the poet and based in the epic cycle; there is a plain of Zeus to eliminate the heroes principal because the death these heroes cause suffering in the gods; the believe in the afterlife and the funerals processes adopted to the Greeks of Homeric period still were in formation; the Greek ancients not keep one systematic belief in one idea of resurrection of the soul or in one idea of life after-death. It finishes that there is a ideological directrix what order the epic plot in the Homeric poems; this ordering carry the heroes to accomplish their fates, following a enchainment what take into account the degree of the honor and warrior excellence; the funerals rites of the Greeks of Homeric period were consolidating and Homer collaborate in this process of the consolidation, what already was materialized in the Classic period.

M.Cur. (Psychiatric nursing) / Withdrawal of life-support treatment is a well-known concept which has been studied often, especially from a medical point of view. The life-world of families involved in decision making concerning withdrawal of life-support of a family member is, however, an unknown field. This leads to the reaction and behavior of families to this traumatic process often begin mistakenly described by professionals as "difficult" , "passive" or "incapable of decision making". The patient and his/her family have, to a large extent, the right of self-determination and the right to take part in decision making. In the intensive care unit it often happens, according to Burger (1996:1-175), that the patient is not able to participate actively in the decision making process because of his/her illness and/or medication. The family then steps forward as decision maker and as the patient's "mouthpiece". The situation arises where the family, who must make the decision about withdrawal of life support treatment, are exposed to utterly moral conflict. Burger (1996:163) found that a family that experiences such trauma is not capable of focusing and assimilating knowledge. Members of the family have a great need for support and the intensive care nurse cannot provide that support for different reasons. One of the reasons being limited time and the other not being able to build therapeutic relationships. Because of the above mentioned, the overall objective of this study is to analyse the phenomenon of families who are involved in decision making concerning withdrawal of life-support treatment of a family member. Guidelines have been formulated according to the analysis of this phenomenon for the psychiatric nurse specialist to mobilise resources for the family to promote, maintain and restore their mental health as integral part of health. The research model of Botes (1989:1-283) is used in this study. The study is undertaken from the Judeo-Christian perspective of Nursing for the Whole Person Theory (Oral Roberts University, Anna Vaughn School of Nursing, 1990:136-142). A phenomenon analysis was undertaken in two phases. During the first phase, secondary analysis of primary data was done on the family used in Burger (1996:1-175) and was followed up by phenomenological interviews with families in the same circumstances and according to the same criteria that Burger (1996:1-175) used in her study. Data were analysed in collaboration with an independent coder. The family used for member checking in this study was also used in data control. A literature control was conducted as part of data control. On the ground of the repetitive themes from the secondary analysis and phenomenological interviews with the family involved in member checking, guidelines were formulated in phase two, based on all the data obtained from phase one, for psychiatric nursing specialists to mobilise resources for families in this situation. The proposed guidelines leave the door open for follow-up research where a model for assistance can be formulated for psychiatric nursing specialists to assist these families, since intensive care personnel are either too involved in the process, or do not always know how to build therapeutic relationships and usually also do not have enough time to attend to the patient's family.

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, responsible for nearly one in six deaths. Thus, there is a need for a greater understanding of cancer for the development of novel therapeutics. This master thesis project aims to compare the proteome signatures between dying and surviving cancer cells treated with diverse anticancer drugs. The first aim is to investigate if drug targets behave similarly and have the same sign (up- or down-regulation) in dying versus surviving cells. The second aim is to validate that combining the dying cancer cell’s proteome with the surviving cell’s can help improve drug target rankings for anticancer treatments. The third aim is to identify proteins and pathways involved in life and death decisions by comparing dying and surviving states in response to the anticancer drugs in different cell lines. First, we demonstrate that drug target behaviour in dying versus surviving cells is almost identical for nine diverse anticancer compounds with a correlation of 0.93. To identify drug targets, orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) modelling was performed to contrast the proteome signature of one anticancer drug against all other drugs and rank the proteins based on the magnitude of the model’s predictive component. There were occasions when the dying cells gave better rankings than the surviving ones. In some cases, the best target rankings were obtained when combining the data from both surviving and dying cells. To identify proteins and pathways involved in life and death decisions, OPLS-DA modelling contrasting the two states was performed, and heatmaps and scatterplots of dying and surviving log2 fold changes were made. As a result, several pathways involved in cell survival and cell death were identified. In addition, at least six proteins consistently differentially regulated between the surviving and dying cells were identified. Such proteins can be considered as putative survival (resistance) or sensitivity biomarkers and serve as potential drug targets for the development of novel anticancer agents.

The dissertation critically examines and compares the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the High Courts in cases dealing with the right to life, as contained in section 11 of the Constitution of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The dissertation analysis the issues of adjudication and the concept of justice in perspective. The main question is as follows: Are the Constitutional Court decisions objective, based on the interpretation of the constitutional text, or do they rather reflect the individual judge(s) personal perspective(s) or preference(s). The purpose of this dissertation is to undertake a comparative study and analysis of the Constitutional Court decisions on the right to life, same aspect from different perspective, and show that the right to life is not given proper effect to on account of the subjective approach to its interpretation undertaken by the judges. It examines and scrutinises the Constitutional Court’s adjudication process. It found that the law is indeterminable, because the court’s decisions are not based on the interpretation of the law, but on the individual judges’ background and personal preferences. This is so because the court uses the majority rule principle in its decisions: The perception of the majority of the judges becomes a decision of the court. It is argued that when taking a decision a judge does not apply the law but instead uses the law to justify his predetermined decision on the matter. The conclusion supports the critical legal scholars’ theory relating to the indeterminacy of the law. It tests the objectivity of the judges using their own previous decisions. / Criminal & Procedural Law / LLM