M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / Aim The aim of the study was to determine the oral health knowledge,management and referral patterns of patients with oral manifestations of HIV by Primary Health Care Nurses.Background Nurses working in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities, and nursing educators, play a pivotal role in the early identification, referral and diagnosis of patients who present for treatment of health problems. They are in an ideal position to identify HIVinfected persons through a simple visual assessment of the mouth, in order to diagnose oral lesions that may be prognostic of HIV, and to then refer these persons for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT). Timely referral will lead to early medical intervention, with lower treatment costs and improved patient quality of life.Methods The study design comprised of a pre- and post-education test, training and provision of educational material, together with a quantitative and qualitative selfadministered questionnaire. The questionnaire gathered information on nurses demographics,experience, knowledge, training and treatment practices.The study design was a cross-sectional survey which was conducted during the period July to October 2010. The study population consisted of 121 nurses based at Primary Health Care and nursing education facilities within the uMgungundlovu Health District in KwaZulu-Natal. The chi-squared test was utilised to determine the statistical significance of the preeducation and post-education test results and Pearsons Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the significance of correlations between variables. A p-value of <0.05 was regarded as being statistically significant.Results A large number of the respondents did not receive substantial oral health education during both their pre-qualification and post-qualification education stages. Nurses had an inadequate knowledge of oral health assessment and of oral conditions, especially with regard to the common prognostic oral manifestations of HIV. The post-test results were statistically significant (p< .0001), indicating that the provision of education and training to the nurses had a significant impact on nurses knowledge of oral conditions. More than twothirds of the nurses (67,8%) reported that they do not examine the mouth as part of routine overall assessment of the patient, and only 13% referred patients for VCT.Conclusions There is a need to include oral health assessment and oral health promotion into both undergraduate and post-graduate nursing curricula. Further research is needed to identify the specific oral health training needs of all categories of nurses in order to overcome the barriers that prevent nurses from assessing the mouth. Oral health assessment and oral health promotion should become a key part of the curricula of nurses training. The use of oral health promotion workers at a primary health care level should also be considered.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relative contributions of previously identified Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) manifestations (infertility, hirsutism, obesity, menstrual problems) to multiple psychological symptoms. Participants were 126 female endocrinology patient volunteers diagnosed with PCOS who completed a cross-sectional study of PCOS manifestations and psychological symptoms. Participants had significantly elevated scores on nine subscales of psychological symptoms. Menstrual problems were significantly associated with all symptom subscales as well as the global indicator, while hirsutism and obesity were significantly related to five or more subscales. After controlling for demographic factors, menstrual problems were the strongest predictor of psychological symptoms. Findings suggest features of excess body hair, obesity, and menstrual abnormalities carry unique risks for adverse psychologic symptoms, but menstrual problems may be the most salient of these features and deserve particular attention as a marker for psychological risk among women with PCOS.

Katecholamine beeinflussen durch direkte Stimulation über adrenerge Rezeptoren die Funktion von Immunzellen. Ziel der Untersuchungen an Patienten mit Rheumatoider Arthritis war es, das Expressionsprofil unterschiedlicher adrenerger Rezeptorsubtypen in CD4(+)T-Lymphozyten dieser Patienten zu bestimmen. Zur Quantifizierung der Expression wurden semiquantitative RT-PCR-Analysen durchgeführt. Die Untersuchung zeigte, dass alpha1-adrenerge Rezeptoren in CD4(+)-T-Lymphozyten von RA-Patienten exprimiert werden. Es scheint eine Korrelation zwischen bestimmten extraartikulären Organmanifestationen (z.B. Sicca-Sydrom und Tenosynovitis) und der Expression alpha1-adrenerger Rezeptoren zu bestehen. Die gefundene differenzielle Expression der Rezeptoren in CD4(+)-T-Lymphozyten von RA-Patienten legen vertiefende Untersuchungen zur Relevanz des adrenergen Systems bei der Lymphozytenfunktionsmodulation nahe.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review article aims to explore the GI changes induced by SARS-CoV-2 and how gut microbial homeostasis can influence these changes and affect the lung-gut axis and its relationship with the induction of the cytokine release syndrome in severe COVID-19 patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects not only the respiratory system but can produce multi-systemic damage. The expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the high prevalence of GI symptoms in severely ill COVID-19 patients, and the abnormalities described in the gut microbiome in these patients have raised concerns about the influence of GI tract as a risk factor or as a potential modulator to reduce the severity of COVID-19. Understanding the mechanisms by which gut dysbiosis may influence viral transmission and disease progression in COVID-19 may help in shaping how accessible therapies, like diet modulation, can potentially help beat the devastating consequences of COVID-19.

The study of human palaeopathology has developed considerably in the last three decades resulting in a structured and standardised framework of practice, based upon skeletal lesion patterning and differential diagnosis. By comparison, disarticulated zooarchaeological assemblages have precluded the observation of lesion distributions, resulting in a dearth of information regarding differential diagnosis and a lack of standard palaeopathological recording methods. Therefore, zoopalaeopathology has been restricted to the analysis of localised pathologies and ‘interesting specimens’. Under present circumstances, researchers can draw little confidence that the routine recording of palaeopathological lesions, their description or differential diagnosis will ever form a standard part of zooarchaeological analysis. This has impeded the understanding of animal disease in past society and, in particular, has restricted the study of systemic disease. This research tackles this by combining the disciplines of human palaeopathology and zoopalaeopathology and focusing on zoonotic disease. The primary aim of this research was to investigate the skeletal manifestation of bTB in cattle, sheep/goat and pig to establish differential diagnostic criteria for its identification in zooarchaeological assemblages. Methods commonplace in human palaeopathology were adapted and applied to zoopalaeopathology, in addition to radiography and aDNA analysis. The results emphasise the difficulties but also the potential associated with the identification of systemic diseases in zooarchaeological assemblages. An approach to the classification of potentially infectious lesions is presented that enables the calculation of crude prevalence in disarticulated assemblages. In addition, the potential for a DNA analysis to shed further light on animal disease in the past is emphasised. / Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) / Many of the images have been removed from the online version due to copyright restrictions. The embargo period for the thesis ended: 16th January 2018.

Research pertaining to personality traits has largely focused on broad dimensions that define personality configurations, rather than on specific actions and behaviours that people engage in every day. While trait theorists hold the belief that individuals' personality traits predict their behaviours, there is no thorough conceptualization of behavioural manifestations of personality traits in the existing literature. The first goal of the present dissertation was therefore to conceptualize a model of behavioural manifestations of the Five Factor Model (FFM) traits. To achieve this goal, in the first article, a taxonomy of behavioural expressions of FFM traits was operationalized through the development of an instrument: the Behavioural Expressions of Traits Inventory (BETI). Results from Study 1 (N = 454) and Study 2 (N = 297) validated the proposed taxonomy by means of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The final version of the BETI comprised 30 items (6 items/subscale) that presented a clean factor structure. Concurrent validity results revealed that the taxonomy of behavioural expressions could be distinguished from FFM traits. The BETI also displayed good construct validity, satisfactory internal consistency values of all subscales, and no issues with social desirability. The second goal of this dissertation was to use this conceptualization of behavioural expressions of traits advantageously to examine an important fundamental topic: the processes at play in the associations between FFM personality traits and motivation through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Results from emerging studies consistently revealed positive associations between beneficial FFM traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness) and autonomous motivation. Conversely, negative associations were obtained for neuroticism, a detrimental trait. The second article of this dissertation aimed to further our understanding of the associations between FFM traits and autonomous motivation by examining two potential mediators of this relationship: behavioural expressions of FFM traits and basic psychological need (BPN) satisfaction, a well-known antecedent of autonomous motivation. Two motivation domains central to the lives of undergraduate students were examined: academics and friendship. In Study 3 (N=635), undergraduate students completed online questionnaires. Structural equation modelling revealed a series of direct and indirect effects, as evaluated by Sobel's test of indirect effects: (1) FFM personality traits were positively associated with their corresponding behavioural expressions; (2) behavioural expressions of beneficial personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness) were positively associated with BPN satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), while neuroticism was negatively associated with BPN satisfaction; (3) BPN satisfaction was positively associated with (a) autonomous academic motivation and (b) autonomous friendship motivation; (4) behavioural expressions of personality traits mediated the relationships between their corresponding trait and BPN satisfaction; (5) BPN satisfaction mediated the relationships between behavioural expressions of personality traits and (a) autonomous academic, and (b) friendship motivation and (6) behavioural expressions of personality traits and BPN satisfaction acted as sequential mediators of the associations between personality traits and (a) autonomous academic, and (b) friendship motivation. The sequential action of behavioural expressions of traits and BPN satisfaction as processes that explain the relationship between FFM personality dimensions and autonomous motivation is a novel idea that was put to a successful empirical test herein. Taken together, this research contributes to further our understanding of the intricacies involved in the joint study of the FFM model of personality traits and motivation as conceived by SDT.

Contribuant à la littérature sociologique et criminologique sur la police en contexte de foule, sur le profilage politique et les savoirs policiers, cette thèse présente une analyse de la construction et de la circulation des savoirs policiers relative à l’implantation, en 2010, du controversé projet GAMMA (Guet des activités des mouvements marginaux et anarchistes) du Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM). Notre étude de cas s’intéresse spécifiquement aux savoirs policiers construits qui désignent la foule (modes de désignation), mais également à ceux qui désignent le GAMMA comme mode d’action policier. Elle permet de mieux comprendre comment les savoirs policiers du SPVM se sont constitués dans les médias, principalement en 2011, comparativement à comment ils se sont constitués, à l’interne, au niveau de la haute direction du SPVM, entre 2010 et 2011. L’étude prend forme à partir de l’analyse du contenu d’une revue de presse (constituée notamment de 36 articles journalistiques, 20 communiqués de presse et 23 lettres d’opinion) et d’un corpus de 55 documents internes du SPVM obtenus en déployant six demandes d’accès. Au final, l’acquisition de ce corpus a nécessité plus de six ans de démarches judiciaires et administratives en vertu de la Loi sur l'accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels aux documents. Notre enquête procède d’abord à l’analyse des construits présents dans les déclarations médiatiques policières qui sont cadencées par le rythme des événements et des réactions sociétales. Notre étude parvient à poser plus spécifiquement la question du déni policier. Notre sociologie du déni permet de dégager d’étonnants effets de certains savoirs policiers articulés publiquement. Nous constatons notamment des efforts des relations publiques du SPVM ayant pour effet de (re)cadrer le discours sur le GAMMA et de diriger le regard du public loin de certaines activités du GAMMA. Procédant ensuite à une analyse des construits couchés dans des documents stratégiques internes obtenus en vertu de la Loi sur l’accès, notre étude montre que loin de reposer uniquement sur des événements criminalisables, la mise en place du GAMMA puise plus fondamentalement à une problématisation de la marginalité politique de groupes sociaux. Nous présentons la manière dont les mouvements marginaux sont implicitement opérationnalisés en indicateurs visibles et, celle dont la problématisation de convictions politiques spécifiques et de caractéristiques, loin d’indicateurs de criminalité, amalgament ces mouvements à un potentiel criminel, enjoignant les policiers du GAMMA à adopter des attitudes de suspicion généralisée à leur égard. La thèse explore la subjectivité des savoirs policiers sur lesquels repose l’institutionnalisation, à l’échelle municipale, d’une réponse policière supplémentaire ciblant de façon différentielle ces mouvements marginaux et anarchistes. Elle pose, sans détour, la question du profilage politique, mais interroge également des considérations sociologiques relatives aux thèses de la « neutralisation stratégique », du « contrôle intelligent », de la « normalisation » et de la « routinisation » de la manifestation, ainsi que des « paysages d’exclusion » dans la réflexion sur les effets de pouvoir des savoirs policiers étudiés. Elle pose aussi la question des « souricières conceptuelles » pouvant nourrir les imaginaires policiers. Retraçant la circulation de savoirs policiers problématiques jusqu’aux documents internes de la haute direction, l’étude permet d’interroger la responsabilité de cette dernière dans la mise en place du GAMMA et dans une certaine forme de profilage politique de « haut niveau ». Notre enquête permet également de revenir sur le cadrage médiatique de la controverse sociale qui aurait été commandé par l’État-major du SPVM. Un cadrage médiatique qui sera lourd de conséquences puisqu’ultimement, selon nos constats, il aura pour effet de désinformer le public et d’entraver la lutte contre le profilage politique. / From this thesis stems a contribution to the ever-growing sociological and criminological research on protest policing, political profiling and police knowledge. It analyzes the construction and circulation of police knowledge in the context of the implementation of the controversial GAMMA project of the Montreal Police Department. Created in 2010, the project was intended to watch the activities of marginal and anarchist movements in the city of Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Our case study focuses on the constructed police knowledge that designate the crowd, but also GAMMA itself as a police mode of action. Our investigation enables us to better understand how police knowledge was constructed in the media, mainly in 2011, comparatively to how police knowledge was constituted internally, by Montreal Police Department’s high commanding officers, between 2010 and 2011. Methodologically, our study builds on the content analysis of a press review (containing, amongst other material: 36 journalistic articles, 20 press releases and 23 opinion letters) and of a body of 55 internal documents produced by the Montreal Police Department. These internal documents were obtained via six access to information (ATI) requests sent through the provincial access to information process. These are the result of more than six years of legal and administrative procedures. Our investigation starts by analyzing constructs in police public statements, oftentimes overdetermined by the rythm of events and societal reactions. There we study more specifically police denial. Our sociology of denial uncovers surprising effects of certain police knowledge presented to the public. Amongst other things, we find public relations initiatives which (re)frame the narrative on GAMMA and redirect the public glance away from large sections of GAMMA’s activities. Moving onwards, we apply analysis techniques to internal strategic documents obtained through ATI legislation. Our study shows that, far from dealing only with characteristics that may legitimately lead to criminalization, GAMMA’s implementation fundamentally involved problematizing the political marginality of social groups. We show how characteristics of marginal movements were implicitly operationnalized into visible indicators of possible criminality, as were specific political convictions and identityrelated characteristics. These elements encouraged GAMMA officers to generalize their suspicion of members of marginal or anarchist groups. This thesis explores the subjectivity of the police knowledge used to institutionalize, on a municipal scale, a differential response targeting these specific movements. Straightforwardly, our study addresses the question of political profiling, but also sociological considerations pertaining to the concepts of "selective incapacitation", "intelligent control", "normalization" or "routinization" of protests and of "landscapes of exclusion" in our discussions on the power effects of the studied police knowledge. We also ponder on the "conceptual kettles" (or "conceptual kettling") which may nourish police imaginaries. Tracking the circulation of problematic forms of police knowledge up to high commanding officers, our study questions their responsibility in the implementation of GAMMA and in a type of « high-ranking » political profiling. Our investigation enables us to delve back into the mediatic framing of the controversy being itself carried out at the request of the police department’s top brass. We conclude that these frames have heavy consequences for, we find ultimately, that they qualify as disinformation and have the effect of obstructing different struggles against political profiling.

The primary aim of this study was to ascertain whether teacher burnout is accompanied by physiological, psychological and behavioural symptoms. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used to ascertain the levels of burnout among a sample of 282 Indian teachers of all ranks in ex - House of Delegates schools in the Kwazulu - Natal region. The Burnout Manifestations Scale was used to elicit those symptoms which burned out subjects exhibited the most. While 23 % of the sample appeared vulnerable to burnout, 7% appeared to be already burned out. It was found that with a few exceptions, the sample was susceptible to a lesser or greater degree to almost all of the symptoms listed in the Burnout Manifestations Scale. As no significant differences between the groups was detected in the selected demographic variables, it can be concluded that anyone, irrespective of their sex, marital status or any other variable, can become vulnerable to burnout. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

published_or_final_version / Dentistry / Master / Master of Dental Surgery