Den här rapporten är skriven för att utvärdera en livförstärkningsmetod för en knutpunkt i ett balk- och pelarsystem med kontinuerliga balkar som belastas med ett givet lastfall. Knutpunkten består av HSQ-balkar och VKR-rör där prefabricerade betongbjälklag lagts upp på underflänsarna av balkarna. Det som har studerats i detalj är hur knutpunkten påverkas av att full anliggning mellan livförstärkningsplåtarna och överflänsen saknas. Det vill säga, vad händer med bärförmågan när plåtarna inte är rakt skurna eller när utförandet inte är perfekt? Tre olika varianter av knutpunkten studerades, en med full anliggning mellan alla plåtar, och två stycken där full anliggning saknades mellan livförstärkningsplåtarna tvärs balkens längdriktning eller de som sitter längs med. Ett brottlaststest utfördes för att kunna mäta hur stor inverkan avsaknad av full anliggning mellan plåtarna hade på bärförmågan. Ett avstånd på 1 mm, som enligt utförandestandarden är det största värdet som accepteras lokalt (1/3 av tvärsnittsytan), hade inte någon större inverkan på bärförmågan för det givna lastfallet och plåtarna trycktes då ihop cirka 0.6 mm. När knutpunkten analyserades med ett brottslaststest, där avståndet mellan plåtarna sattes till 10 mm för att de inte skulle gå ihop under analysen, resulterade det i en minskning av bärförmågan med cirka 30 % för båda fallen. Knutpunktens förstärkningsplåtar var av den dimensionen att pelarna inte klarade av att trycka sönder dem utan att själva gå till brott. Det betyder att det är pelarna som är dimensionerande för knutpunktens bärförmåga. Storleken på förstärkningsplåtarna skulle kunna minskas utan att riskera bärförmågan för knutpunkten, de skulle troligtvis kunna ha samma dimensioner som pelaren. Linjelastens inverkan på knutpunkten verkar vara försumbar eftersom knutpunktens bärförmåga inte förändrades nämnvärt när linjelasten varierade. / This report is written to evaluate a web reinforcement method for a joint in a beam- and column system with continuous beams that is loaded with a given load case. The joint consists of HSQ-beams and VKR-pipes where prefabricated concrete decks are supported by the bottom flange of the beams. The phenomenon that has been studied in detail is how the joint is affected if full contact between the reinforcement plates and the top flange is not achieved. With other words, what is happening with the load carrying capacity when the reinforcement plates are not perfectly straight or when the execution is not done correctly? Three different types of the joint was studied, one that had full connection between all the plates, and then two where full connection was missing between either the web reinforcement plates that goes across the length of the beam or the one directed along the beam. An ultimate load carrying capacity test was also performed to easier be able to measure the consequences on the ultimate strength when full connection between the plates was missing. A space of 1 mm, which according to the Swedish execution standard is the largest value that is approved locally (for 1/3 of the section), will in the end not affect the joint with any larger reduction of the load carrying capacity. The plates were then pressed together approximately 0.6 mm. When the joint on the other hand was analyzed with an ultimate load carrying capacity analysis with a spacing of 10 mm between the plates, the load carrying capacity was reduced with approximately 30 % in both cases. The dimension of the reinforcement plates in the joint was of the magnitude that the columns were not able to press them to failure without going to failure themselves. This means that the columns are the dimensioning factor for the load carrying capacity of the joint. The size of the reinforcement plates could be reduced without risking the load carrying capacity for the joint, they could then be reduced to the same dimension as the columns. The influence of the uniformly distributed load seems to be neglectable since the load carrying capacity for the joint barely changed when the uniformly distributed load was varying. This means that the reinforcement plates could be designed as a welded column with fixed supports clamped in between the top- and bottom flange of the beam.

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The purpose of the research study was to describe the general South African public’s perception of the image of nurses. The general public’s perception of nurses in South Africa and globally is seen as one of the main reasons for the current shortage of nurses, as the profession is generally portrayed extremely negatively in the open press. The picture painted reveals long working hours, poor pay and negligence resulting from poor performance and support as the essence of the nursing profession. The public is bombarded with images of nurses’ strikes and poor patient outcomes. Positive feedback is rare and seldom contributes to changing public perceptions of nurses. Studies on the public perceptions of nurses have been carried out in various countries, but published studies on the South African situation could not be found. This study aimed to determine and describe the general South African public’s perception of nurses and the results will be used to make recommendations that could improve the image of nurses and encourage more respect for the profession as a whole. A quantitative non-experimental and descriptive design was used to gain more information about the South African public’s perception of the image of nurses. A questionnaire was used to gather the data, which consist of biographical data and responses to 19 statements regarding nurses and the profession. The objectives of the study were formulated from the research question as follows: 1) to determine the general public’s perception of nurses; and 2) to formulate recommendations, based on the research results, for enhancing nurses’ public image. The population of the research comprised the 1 000 respondents to whom the questionnaires were distributed. Of these, 776 questionnaires were returned. The questionnaires were distributed in five provinces of South Africa, namely Gauteng, the Western Cape, the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Accordingly, the objectives of the research were achieved, as the general South African public’s perception of the image of nurses was determined and described. In addition, recommendations for improving the current image of nurses were made. The findings of this study were predominantly positive and shed some light on the reasons for the current declining numbers of new registrations at the South African Nursing Council. The respondents, however, indicated that only 43.6% want their children to become nurses and that nursing is still viewed as a predominantly female profession. The public viewed nurses as extremely hardworking (80.03%), caring and understanding (78.2%) and supported the statement that “nurses treat their work as a profession in its own right, not secondary to a doctor’s” (73,8%). In view of the findings, the recommendations included the importance of improving the image of nurses among school children and improving recruitment strategies. It is also recommended that nurses in the profession should be made aware of the important role they play in changing their image and in re-branding the profession as a knowledge-based career for all genders and age groups. Consequently, this should be emphasised in training programmes and should be the focus of future South African campaigns. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Nursing Science / unrestricted

This study is based on data from in-depth individual interviews carried out in a poor township, Ngangelizwe in Mthatha, South Africa. It discusses and describes the livelihoods and strategies of low–income households headed by elderly (>60years old) women. The study draws primarily on interviews with 15 elderly women who are receiving or not receiving State pension, selling goods or receiving or not receiving a Child Support Grant from the government for their grandchildren in order to meet the daily challenges they are faced with. It discusses the cultivation of social networks and how these networks in turn impact on the livelihoods, health, survival and social adjustment of the elderly women. This includes reports of these women’s perceptions of poverty, their incomes (the majority (thirteen) were receiving a State pension) as well as a professional pension. The study also reports on the strategies they used to try and avoid poverty through participation in income generating activities, having their grandchildren engaging in income-earning activities mostly after school or during holidays. The study underscores the reality of the adjustments and coping measures that the women have to adopt when faced with new challenges as a result of high morbidity and mortality among adults in the reproductive age groups. The findings of this study indicate that for most women, the inability to attain basic essentials of life leads to loss of self-dignity. Socio-economic factors such as low levels of education, unemployment, little or no income, poor access to resources, many dependants and looking after their children who suffer from HIV/AIDS among the women create a situation where they operate within the “little opportunities” circle. The evidence in this study suggests that social support groups, a pension grant, a child support grant and remittances from their children helped to mitigate some of the poverty experiences of the elderly women. The study also shows that there is a dire need for intensification of poverty reduction programmes at community levels. Women have to be supported with institutional credit to grow and expand their businesses. They need the support and assistance of government in taking care of their sick children and grandchildren due to HIV/AIDS. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Sociology / unrestricted

Recent empirical evidence reveals that, in many countries, there is a growing group of workers having jobs but struggling to make ends meet: they are the "working poors”: many of them are women. This dissertation examines gendered in-work poverty by considering two processes - decommodification and defamilialization - to explore how the female working poors groups locate in the labour market and welfare institutions. Decommodification refers to the level of workers’ economic independency produced by the social protection system. Defamilialization raises the issue of dependency and independency of women both in the family and on the labor market. A third process is also taken into consideration: gendered employment segregation. The analytical framework is thus three-dimensional.From a methodological perspective, the research roots in the tradition of international comparative analysis incorporating both quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical data about Belgium come mainly from Eurostat – Labour Force Surveys statistics (LFS) and Income and living conditions (SILC), and, for China, the data mainly come from The National Bureau of Statistics of China (NBSC) and the Chinese general social survey (CGSS).The comparison of the cases of Belgium and China and, more specifically, the analysis of gendered in-work poverty in China, allows the identification of different processes leading to in-work poverty. Two distinct forms of female in-work poverty are described and discussed. The dissertation also addresses broader insights, including the importance of the conceptualizing “in-work poverty” in social policy debates, the analysis of the relationships between women’s economic independence and social security, the links between women’s family obligations and state-level care provisions, the role of gender employment segregation in shaping women’s status in the occupational hierarchy and the cultural construction of gender ideologies and stereotypes. The findings suggest that work-based welfare, power and “economically conditioned” status disqualification, together shape the gendered trends in-work poverty. Due to the cross-national differences in requirements, systems, and cultural constraints in access to economic and social activities, variations within above mentioned three dimensions de facto leave considerable space for the pluralistic development of gendered in-work poverty. / Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) such as exposure to abuse, dysfunction, and neglect have been shown to affect adult health outcomes. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) captures national data on risk factors and chronic disease and first included ACE items in 2009. The purpose of this study was to determine whether specific ACEs predicted depressive disorders or poor general health in adulthood. ACEs included: living with someone who suffered from a mental illness, and primary exposure (physical abuse) and secondary exposure (interpersonal violence in home) to violence. BRFSS data from 2009- 2012 were included. Analyses were performed using SPSS and SAS. Descriptive statistics were completed for ACEs, race, gender, history of depressive disorder (DD), and general health status (GH). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict DD and GH, controlling for race, gender, and age. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported. A total of 1,148 individuals were including in the analyses, with 31.4% having DD, 26.9% reported poor GH, 27.4% lived with someone who had a mental illness, 31.3% exposed to primary violence, and 30.2% exposed to secondary violence. Individuals who lived with someone who suffered from a mental illness were three times more likely to have DD (OR 3.28, CI 2.40-4.47) compared to those who did not, however, this exposure did not significantly affect GH. Those exposed to primary violence were 40% more likely to have DD (OR 1.40, CI 1.02-1.92) and were two times more likely to report poor GH (OR 2.09, CI 1.51-2.89) compared to those not exposed. Individuals exposed to secondary violence were 70% more likely to have DD (OR 1.70, CI 1.24-2.32) and were 48% more likely to report poor GH (OR 1.48, CO 1.06-2.05). This suggests that exposure to specific ACEs negatively impacts adult health, resulting in a higher likelihood of DD and poor GH.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology & Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, 2017 / High rate of poor performance in matric level is a serious problem not only in uMkhanyakude district but in the whole world. One would say effective teaching and efficient management of schools is the answer to the problem and schools need more information about these two factors which form the summary of the findings. This study succeeded in getting the views from both learners and educators which means it is also important to understand what learners perceive as the factors of poor academic performance in the schools where they are as well. In this study Grade 12 learners perceptions were analysed. Learners in matric and educators teaching them from eight high schools participated in this study. The major factors contributing to poor matriculation performance according to learners are lack of resources, lack of support by parents in their learning, poverty, not being sure about group studying, not having a good command of a teaching and learning language and not prac-tising it. They seemed afraid to talk about their teachers .The educators perceptions tallied with those of educators, that is , lack of resources , focusing on Grade 12 instead of becoming serious from the lowest grades indicating poor management of schools, learners’ lack of mo-tivation and willingness to learn, lack of parental involvement, poor study skills in association with school readiness , lack of support by the district and circuit officials , CAPS concepts as not clear to simplify their teaching , qualifications seeming to be not at the level where the teacher would be in apposition to understand clearly the subject content he or she teaches. A culture of high expectancy on the part of educators, parents and managers at all levels may be the key to influencing the rates of success.

Maternal prenatal exposure to hurricanes and tornadoes could contribute to an increased risk for adverse birth outcomes. Little is known about the effects of Hurricane Katrina of August 2005, on pregnancy outcomes in Mississippi. Additionally, little is known about the influence of the April 2011 Alabama tornado disaster on births in that state. The purpose of this study was to bridge this knowledge gap by examining the relationship between maternal prenatal exposure to these storms and adverse infant health outcomes. The theoretical framework guiding this retrospective, cross-sectional study was the life course approach. Data for this investigation included 2,000 records drawn from the Linked Infant Births and Deaths registers. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were performed. Results indicated hurricane exposure was not a predictor of preterm birth (OR = .723, 95% CI = [.452, 1.16]; p = 1.76) or low birth weight (OR = .608, 95% CI = [.329-1.13]; p = .113). However, an association was observed between tornado exposure and preterm birth (OR = 1.68, 95% CI = [1.19-2.39]; p = < 0.05) and low birthweight (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = [1.27-2.87]; p = < 0.05). Findings suggest pregnant women are vulnerable to natural disaster storms, and are at risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. The implications for social change include informing preparedness efforts to reduce vulnerability to increased pregnancy risk factors and adverse birth outcomes, consequential to hurricane and tornado disasters.

This study evaluates the role of the Neighborhood Health Coordinators (NHC's) within Kaiser Foundation's Comprehensive Neighborhood Health Services (CNHS) Project. This project was established in September, 1967, under the provisions of the 1966 amendments to the Economic Opportunity Act, to provide and make readily available comprehensive medical care to 1ow-income persons. In compliance with the stipulations of this Act, persons who reside in target areas, designated as depressed neighborhoods, were hired to serve as NRC's. These indigenous non-professionals serve as links or "gatekeepers" between the low-income persons enrolled in this program, and the Kaiser medical care facilities which include the hospital-clinic and three neighborhood health clinics. The NRC's were to enroll these low-income families in the program, and assist them in obtaining appropriate health services. In addition to these primary responsibilities, the NHC’s were to refer their clients to community resources whenever necessary. The impact of the NHC's contact with families enrolled in the program was evaluated on the basis of two major indices: utilization of total medical care services and four specific areas of preventive health care. The findings of this study support the underlying assumption upon which the NRC's were hired and trained; that is, they are effective in increasing the total utilization of out-patient medical services and utilization of specific preventive health services by families with whom they have the most personal contact. In a secondary analysis, characteristics related to several CNRS Project objectives, attitudinal scales and socio-demographic characteristics are examined to determine their relationship to the staff's perception of an "ideal" NHC. This analysis shows that aptitude in interpersonal relationships and personal growth are two characteristics highly associated with rank. Several attitudinal scales, especially powerlessness and dogmatism, are positively associated with rank. Measures of knowledge in the areas of health and medical care programs have a low or negative association with rank. This study does not make an exhaustive investigation of characteristics which may be associated with rank; therefore, other variables considered by the administrative staff in their evaluation of an "ideal” NHC may not have been measured.

This thesis is a qualitative empirical study aimed at understanding the legal consciousness of women in a poor urban community. Through the narratives of women who were interviewed for this study, articles in the media, social media, and film, it explores the predominant problems experienced by women, and their experiences of engaging systems ‘in and around the law'. I argue that localities like Lavender Hill cannot be seen as homogenous and one cannot assume that all people approach problem solving from a similar perspective. Using a feminist lens, with literature on legal consciousness, legal cynicism, and legal pluralism as a backdrop, I describe the legal consciousness of poor urban women; what Ewick and Silbey refer to as ‘tracing the law in everyday life'. I interviewed 52 women, of which eight are women who live and work with other women in the community. Using an open ended questionnaire, I captured these narratives and analysed them, describing the themes and trends which surfaced. Poor urban women in this context not only navigate the daily threat of gang violence. They live in a place that is neglected, and seek positive solutions, despite high levels of patriarchy and systems that are inaccessible and unfair in response to their problems and disputes. A key finding of relevance to legal consciousness theory is the existence of different typologies of women − despite the relatively small geographic locality − with diverse norms and values. Of value is the description of varied attitudes towards systems ‘in and around the law', and different problem solving approaches. This makes a significant contribution to legal consciousness scholarship, in that it brings into view the seminal role of norms and values in social control, and how this shapes women's expectations of the law, as well as their approaches to the law, and other systems that assist with problem solving. This finding has value for practitioners and policy makers seeking to make a contribution to social justice and improve the lives of women in poor urban neighbourhoods like Lavender Hill.