This research aims to further explore the linkages between poor WaSH realities and women’s development to understand how the burdens and risks associated with inadequate water resources diminishes both their health and safety. Specifically, a significant goal of this project is to understand the way in which rates of violent attacks increase as access to water decreases. Attempting to capture this violence in all its various forms, this study hosts conversation surrounding the way that a lack of clean, dependable water sources can increase a woman’s chances of experiencing various forms of violence. / Accessing clean water and adequate sanitation poses significant risks to the health and wellbeing of women and girls in East Africa. Without having access to local and dependable sources of water, the prevalence of water-borne diseases, health and safety hazards, and social barriers increase. Grounded in Feminist and Structural Functionalism theories, this research was designed to better understand Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) realities and the various types of associated burdens and risks. Using focus groups and key informant interviews, 36 health care professionals from various East African countries, such as Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, and South Sudan, were solicited in an effort to capture the real, lived experiences of practitioners working most intimately with these issues. All data were gathered at Uganda Christian University in Mukono, Uganda, and reflect both the personal and professional accounts of health care professionals living and working throughout communities within these countries. The findings of this study indicate that for as long as poor water and sanitation access and hygiene practices continue to plague the development of women in urban and rural communities, women and pregnant women will continue to suffer from dangerous diseases and brutal attacks of violence. Honing in on the latter concept, this study uncovered a significant link between inadequate water access and rates of domestic violence, sexual assault, and animal attacks. Understanding the health professional perspective is crucial in gathering relevant data. Through this effort, the findings of this study have been informed by those most knowledgeable on the WaSH realities identified and therefore has the ability to influence both policy and programs in realistic and productive ways. With the goal of determining and then diminishing identified risks, the data gathered from this research are meant to be used as evidence to help empower and advance women throughout East Africa. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Background: Occupational hazards have a high potential to adversely impact the sexual and reproductive health of workers regardless of gender or sex. In Canada, workers' reproductive health and safety are protected by federal and provincial/territorial occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation and related policies. It is unknown whether these policies include directives to protect workers from exposure to reproductive health hazards, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace. This thesis explores whether Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS and related legislation address reproductive health protections for all workers and employees (women+ and men), including pregnant workers' safety, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace. Materials and Methods: We adopted the READ approach (readying your materials, extracting data, analyzing data, and distilling findings), a systematic procedure to conduct a policy content analysis to evaluate Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS legislation, employment standards and human rights codes all enacted between 2013 and 2023. Data analysis included thematic content analysis to identify codes organized into themes and a frequency analysis of key concepts. We used an SGBA+ (Sex and Gender-Based Plus Analysis) to apply a gender equality lens to our exploration of Canadian legislation in the context of reproductive health protections, harassment, sexual harassment, and violence protection. Results: Our findings revealed a widespread recognition of workplace accommodations for pregnant workers, including pregnancy and parental leaves, in Canadian OHS legislation; however, there was little recognition of workplace-related adverse reproductive health outcomes for workers in federal and provincial/territorial OHS and related legislation. Although gender identity/expression and sexual orientation discrimination to protect harassment are well recognized in the federal and provincial/territorial human rights codes, our review of the Canadian federal and provincial/territorial OHS legislation and employment standards suggests a substantial gap in addressing workplace sexual harassment and violence. Conclusion: Our review of Canadian federal and provincial/territorial occupational health and safety legislation suggests a substantial gap in addressing workplace sexual/reproductive health. An all-hazards/universal precautions approach, not a focused reproductive health protection-specific approach, was adopted within OHS legislation to manage workplace risks. Harassment was mainly recognized with less robust discussion of sexual harassment and violence protections. This thesis revealed a need to modernize Canadian OHS legislation to explicitly address workplace-related reproductive health safety concerns and protections for sexual/gender-based harassment and workplace violence.

Uterine NK (uNK) cells are a distinct subset of NK cells in the decidua of humans and rodents during pregnancy, which are essential for remodelling of the spiral arteries supplying the feto-placental unit. Similarly to peripheral NK cells, uNK cells express Natural Killer receptors (NKRs) that engage MHC class I molecules. Evidence from human genetic association studies suggests that, in the presence of allogeneic cognate paternal MHC class I ligands, inhibitory uterine NKRs are associated with disorders of pregnancy arising from impaired decidual vascular remodelling. Conversely, enhancement of human uNK cell activity through activating NKRs is associated with high birth weight. Evidence from mouse models corroborates that uNK cell activity is modulated by interactions between NKRs and MHC class I, but has largely focussed on the effect of paternal MHC. In this study, the contribution of maternal immunogenetic regulation of NK cell function to reproductive outcome was assessed independently of parental MHC disparity in mice. To evaluate the role of NKR genes in isolation, I used congenic B6.BALB-TC1 (TC1) mice that differ from C57BL/6 (B6) mice only within the region of chromosome six encoding NKRs that recognise MHC class I. Absence of a major inhibitory NKR for self-MHC, Ly49I, in TC1 mice causes a compensatory shift in the NKR repertoire expressed and preserves a majority subpopulation of educated NK cells. B6 and TC1 splenic and uterine NK cells are similarly functionally reactive and mature, and no significant differences could be detected in spiral arterial remodelling or fetal growth between these strains in MHC-syngeneic matings. This supports data from human immunogenetic studies showing that maternal uterine NKRs are not associated with differences in pregnancy outcome in the absence of novel paternal MHC class I ligands, and highlights the importance of maternal and paternal co-regulation of uNK cell activity during pregnancy. No mouse models of uNK cell activation are currently available with which to corroborate human immunogenetic associations between activating uterine NKRs and high birth weight. Male m157-transgenic (m157-Tg) mice, which ubiquitously express viral m157 glycoprotein ligands for the activating NKR Ly49H, were mated with B6 females. Exclusive expression of m157 glycoprotein by trophoblast improved placental efficiency, but did not enhance fetal growth. Some fertility clinics surmise that uNK cell activation initiates the pathogenesis of spontaneous abortion. It has been suggested that this may occur due to reduced expression by human uNK cells of miR-483-3p, which stimulates endogenous insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 production and uNK cell cytotoxicity in vitro. It is demonstrated here that neither miR-483-3p nor IGF-1 regulate murine NK cell development, maturation or function. No discernible reproductive phenotype is evident in miR-483 deficient females. It can be inferred that post-transcriptional control by miR-483 is not biologically relevant to murine NK cell function. Although m157-Tg mice may provide an interesting model to further study uNK cell-mediated placental adaptations, it remains important to identify a murine model of enhanced uNK cell function to corroborate human immunogenetic associations with high birth weight and to challenge the supposition that uNK cell activation is harmful to pregnancy.

本研究主要是陳述自白濫用之困境與解決途徑。過去法院在審理案件時，相當重視犯人的自白，然而過份強調自白容易違反無罪推定原則及公平法院原則，且易造成誤判。自白信用性應如何確定，一直是刑事法學及偵審實務上最具爭議且影響事實認定之重大的課題，但深入探討此議題的文獻有限。在台灣最著名的冤案之一就是江國慶案，其冤案成因，主要是法院與偵查機關過度依賴江國慶的自白，研究者為監察院調查官，於民國92年奉命調查此案，調查期間因案件需要，遂開始研究此議題。拉丁法諺明確說明「自白是證據之王」。過去常見使用非任意性自白作為裁判基礎，但對於如何獲取自白方式較不被重視，使用酷刑取得非任意性自白很常見。雖然現代社會使用拷問及酷刑方式取得非任意性自白並不多見，但法官與檢察官仍十分重視自白，因與其他證據相較，自白較容易勾畫犯罪事實之全貌，具有較優勢的地位。雖然自白之取得縱未經強暴、脅迫、利誘、詐欺或其他不正方法，然仍有許多案件顯示有虛偽自白情形。到底是何種原因產生虛偽自白，應該用何種分析方式與審查標準評價該自白，首先必須探討國家機關獲取自白之方式與過程對於犯罪嫌疑人心理影響，始能明瞭自白內容其實是偵訊者透過訊問與犯罪嫌疑人溝通互動之產物，存有偵訊者主觀的意念。因此，本研究之目的主要是藉由江國慶案件深入分析自白信用性，並訂定出審查標準。 本文引用日本有關自白信用性之學說、研究結果以及現行實務，配合我國實務現狀，再藉由江國慶案卷證，描繪自白信用性審查標準。江國慶案因受限軍事審判法規定，不得上述上訴最高法院審酌，其中有關江國慶自白部分具有相當疑義，包括自白之成立係在高壓偵訊環境中所生, 自白與證物不一致等。本案為密室偵訊之典型案例，其中雖自白任意性之爭議極大，但因任意性舉證極為困難，導致歷審軍事法院均三言兩語駁回被告有關任意性之調查證據之聲請，此即為自白任意性在實務操作最大的問題；就自白信用性部分，歷審法院認定方式較無標準，這也是我國實務上之通病。綜合文獻及實務，研究者認為在審查自白信用性的標準應包括：(1)自白成立過程 (2)自白內容變動之合理性 (3)體驗供述之陳述 (4)秘密的暴露 (5)自白與客觀證據之一致性 (6)可供證實之物證不存在與欠缺相關情況證據 (7)犯罪嫌疑人對犯行前後偵訊者以外之人言行與被告的辯解等7項標準。 希望藉由本研究所訂定之標準，提供從事司法實務者在審判審案件時有一清晰客觀的標準，以達成維護公共福祉與保障人權。 / The focus of this study was to describe the dilemma regarding the abusive use of confessions and its solution. In the past, a great emphasis has been placed in course on the confessions of the accused. However, an overemphasis on confessions may violate the principles of presumption of innocence and just court, resulting in miscarriage of justice. Determining the credibility of confessions has been one of the most controversial issues in the criminal law and in the investigation and trial practice. However, limited studies have explored on this issue. In Taiwan, one of the most well-known cases of injustice is the case of Chiang Kuo-Ching. The primary reason for the injustice was the over-reliance of the court and investigation agency on the confession of Chiang Kuo-Ching. As an inquisitor at the Control Yuan, the researcher was involved in the investigation of the case of Chiang Kuo-Ching in 2003. During the investigation, the researcher began a more in-depth study on the issue of abusive use of confessions. Latin law principles proclaim that “confession is the king of evidence”. Involuntary confessions have been commonly used in the past as a foundation for judicial judgment. However, the strategies for acquiring confessions were not stressed. Torture was used in the past for the acquisition of involuntary confessions, while it is not a current practice. Currently, judges and prosecutors greatly value confessions due to their greater capacity of providing an overall picture of the criminal facts, as compared to other strategies. In many cases, false confessions are commonly present. To understand the causes of false confessions and to develop standardized determining criteria for false confessions, it is critical to explore the psychological impacts of the processes and strategies of acquiring confessions on the criminal suspects. Such exploration will provide an understanding that a confession is the product of the interactive communications between the investigator and the suspect, involving the subjectivity of the investigator. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the credibility of confessions and to develop an evaluation criteria based on an analysis of the case of Chiang Kuo-Ching. A Japanese theory of credibility of confessions, research findings, current practice in Taiwan and the case of Chiang Kuo-Ching were used to develop credible evaluation criteria for confessions. Due to the restriction from the military trail law placed on the case of Chiang Kuo-Ching, appeal to the Supreme Court was not permitted. Several elements of the confession of Chiang Kuo-Ching were questionable, such as the highly stressful interrogation environment for the confession, and the inconsistency between the confession and evidences. The case of Chiang Kuo-Ching is a typical case of secret interrogation, which generates great controversial on the voluntary nature of confessions. Due to the difficulties in obtaining evidences for voluntary confessions, the requests to acquire evidence for voluntary confessions were denied by the military court. This is the greatest problem related to the practical operation of voluntary confessions. Currently, there are no standardized evaluation criteria to review the credibility of confessions, which has been a common issue in the practical judicial operation. Derived on the literature and practice experiences, the researcher proposed the application of seven criterions in the evaluation of the credibility of confessions: (1) process of acquiring confessions, (2) rationality of changes in the contents of confessions, (3) existence of criminal experiences, (4) exposure of secrets, (5) consistency between the confessions and objective evidences, (6) lack of evidence to proof the crime of the accused, and (7) the words and actions of the suspect toward the individuals other than the investigators before and after the crime, and the argument of the defendant. The finding of this study will provide an objective and standardized criteria for judicial practice for the purposes of protecting public welfare and human right.

This thesis was about thrombomebolic disease in pregnancy. The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) probably increases 2- to 4-fold when a woman becomes pregnant. I looked on this problem from many aspects. I looked on health care from her gynaecologist and eventually hematologist, recognition her VTE risk, laboratory tests and her medication. I looked on effectivity of medication too.

Cette thèse a pour objectif d’étudier les mécanismes par lesquels des expertises judiciaires sont conduites dans lecadre d’un procès afin d’assurer une recherche d’information préalable à la prise de décision du juge. Nous analysonsl’efficacité du recours à des mesures d’expertise en nous basant sur deux critères : le coût que les expertises font pesersur le système judiciaire et l’impact des expertises sur la qualité de la prise de décision du juge. Les travaux réalisésse divisent en quatre grands thèmes.Premièrement, nous étudions les incitations de l’expert judiciaire et nous mettons en évidence l’existence de problèmesd’aléa moral et de sélection adverse dans la relation qu’entretiennent le juge et l’expert. Deuxièmement, nous offronsune vue comparative de deux grandes catégories de procédures dans le contexte desquelles une expertise peut êtredemandée : la procédure inquisitoire et la procédure accusatoire. Notre objectif est de déterminer quelle procédureest préférable, compte tenu des deux critères d’évaluation de l’expertise judiciaire que nous avons précédemmentcités. Troisièmement, nous étudions spécifiquement le problème d’aléa moral existant dans la relation qui lie l’expertau juge, cette relation s’articulant autour du travail de recherche réalisé par le premier et du contrôle exercé par lesecond. Quatrièmement, nous mettons en évidence que des conflits d’intérêts de la part de l’expert, ou l’utilisationd’une méthodologie biaisée dans la conduite de ses travaux d’expertise, peuvent entraîner des erreurs dans la prise dedécision. Dans ce contexte, nous tentons de déterminer dans quelle mesure la présence d’un mécanisme d’appel peutpermettre de réduire les effets pervers d’un potentiel biais dans les résultats de l’expertise. / The objective of this thesis is to study the mechanisms by which an expert, who is appointed by the judge or by aparty to search evidence, may contribute to increase the quality of the judicial decision-making. We use two criteriato study how the use of experts may benefit to the judicial decision-making : the cost of expertise and the cost oferrors due to incorrect decisions by the judge. Our work is divided into four chapters.Firstly, we study the judicial expert’s incentives and we highlight the existence of moral hazard and adverse selectionproblems in the relationship between the judge and the expert. Secondly, we offer a comparative view of two differentcategories of procedure in which experts may be appointed : the inquisitorial procedure and the adversarial procedure.Thirdly, we study more specifically the relationship between the judge and the expert, when the judge exerts a controleffort and the expert exerts a research effort. Finally, we highlight the consequences of potential conflicts of interestsfrom the expert, or the consequences of a bias in the methodology used to conduct the expertise. Such conflicts ofinterests or bias may create some errors in the decision-making. In this context, we investigate how the presence ofan appeal mechanism may reduce the adverse effects of a potential bias in the results of the expertise.

Ce mémoire porte sur l’impureté dans la religion grecque et plus particulièrement sur le miasme causé par des évènements relevant de la vie intime. L’objectif de cette étude est de dresser un portrait complet de la vie intime par l’analyse des inscriptions religieuses et des documents littéraires. L’analyse de ces sources permet de dégager les modalités d’accès au temple et les processus purificatoires nécessaires pour recouvrer son état de pureté. De cet objectif en découle un second : formuler une théorie explicative sur l’origine de l’impureté en Grèce ancienne qui s’éloigne des théories interprétatives traditionnelles en misant davantage sur l’apport des sciences cognitives et la psychologie sociale à cette question. Divisée en quatre chapitres, la recherche porte d’abord sur l’impureté liée aux menstruations, un évènement profondément intime et peu étudié en raison de tabous modernes persistants. Le deuxième chapitre s’attarde quant à lui à l’impureté des relations sexuelles. Plus spécifiquement, cette deuxième section analyse les différences entre le miasme causé par des relations entre époux et par des relations extraconjugales. Le troisième chapitre du mémoire porte sur les évènements liés à la maternité, soit l’accouchement, l’avortement, la fausse-couche et l’allaitement. La mise en juxtaposition de plusieurs cas d’impureté permet de relever certaines tendances ou similarités. Finalement, le quatrième chapitre de cette étude consiste en l’exploration des théories biologiques et cognitives pouvant expliquer l’origine de l’impureté en Grèce ancienne. Cet ultime chapitre permet de conclure que l’impureté relève en partie de processus cognitifs et de réflexes qui ont été socialement renforcés par la religion grecque. / This master’s thesis concern impurity in Greek religion and more specifically the miasma related to the intimate life. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive portrait of intimate life through the analysis of religious inscriptions and literary documents. The examination of these sources allow the identification of the modalities for entering the temple and the processes necessary to regain its state of purity. This first objective leads to a second: I aim to formulate an explanatory theory on the origin of impurity in ancient Greece that departs from the traditional and interpretative theories by taking into account the contribution of cognitive science and social psychology to this question. Divided into four chapters, the research first focuses on the impurity of menstruation, a deeply intimate event and little studied due to persistent modern taboos. The second chapter dwells on the impurity of sexual relations. More specifically, this second section analyzes the differences between the miasma caused by relationships between spouses and by extramarital relationships. The third chapter deals with events related to motherhood, namely childbirth, abortion, miscarriage and breastfeeding. The juxtaposition of several types of impurity allow the identification of certain trends or similarities. Finally, the fourth chapter consists of the exploration of the biological and cognitive theories that could explain the origin of impurity in Ancient Greece. This final chapter seek to conclude that impurity is partly due to cognitive processes and reflexes which have been socially reinforced by the Greek religion.

Infertility affects 15% of reproductive-aged couples. The milieu surrounding the growing embryo is of outmost importance, and should be optimised during in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Many biological processes, such as angiogenesis, coagulation, and immune processes need to be well regulated for a pregnancy to occur and progress normally. Histidine-rich glycoprotein (HRG) is a plasma protein that regulates components of these systems by building complexes with various ligands. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in HRG, denoted HRG C633T, seem to be of importance for IVF treatment outcomes. The aim of this thesis was to further investigate the proposed human fertility effects of the HRG C633T SNP. According to the findings of this thesis, the HRG C633T genotype is associated with primary recurrent miscarriage. Male HRG C633T genotype is associated with semen characteristics in infertile men, and pregnancy rates following IVF. However, the distribution of the HRG C633T SNP does not differ between infertile and fertile couples. We further examined the role of the region surrounding the HRG C633T SNP for regulation of endometrial angiogenesis and human embryo development. The region affects primary endometrial endothelial cell migration, proliferation and tube-formation in vitro but does not appear to affect human embryo development. No effect of the HRG peptide was noted on the secretome of human embryos. However, early embryos secrete proteins into the surrounding culture media and the level of secretion of VEGF-A, IL-6, EMMPRIN and PlGF is greater in embryos of higher developmental stages. In conclusion, the HRG C633T genotype appears to play a role only if infertility is established. The region surrounding HRG C633T SNP is of relevance in vitro for regulation of human endometrial endothelial cell angiogenesis. To predict which embryos to transfer in IVF, we have highlighted a number of proteins of interest for further investigation.

Une condamnation pénale définitive ne peut en principe plus être remise en cause. La chose jugée doit en effet être tenue pour vraie. L’adage non bis in idem et les principes de l’autorité et de la force de la chose jugée semblent dès lors interdire de rouvrir le procès pénal. Toutefois, le législateur français prévoit deux procédures distinctes permettant de remettre encause la condamnation prononcée : la révision et le réexamen. Les conditions de mise en oeuvre de ces procédures et leurs spécificités en font des procédures très exceptionnelles. Par la présentation d’éléments nouveaux de fait pour la révision, et de droit pour le réexamen, le requérant peut dans certains cas prétendre à nouvelle étude de son affaire. Cependant cette réouverture ne pourra être décidée que par une juridiction ad hoc et sera de type différent selon le nouveau procès envisagé. De plus, l’issue de ce nouveau procès pourra permettre de maintenir la condamnation en dépit des nouveaux faits présentés ou reconnaître l’innocence du condamné. / Final sentencing in a criminal trial cannot in principle be questioned any more. Indeed the adjudged case has to be considered as definitely settled. The non bis in idem Latin saw and the res judicata tenet thus seem to preclude the re-opening of a criminal trial. And yet, lawgivers put in place two distinct legal processes that enable French citizens to challenge their sentencing: reviewing and re-hearing. The conditions for carrying out these processes and their own specifities make these proceedings quite exceptional. Through the presentation of new evidence for reviewing, and because re-hearing can be considered as of right, convicted people may in some cases get a new trial. Nevertheless only an ad hoc jurisdiction can decide upon a new hearing and the latter will be of a different kind depending on the new trial at hand. Moreover, the upshot of this new trial will make it possible either to maintain the sentencing notwithstanding new evidence being presented to a new court or to declare the defendant not guilty.