Warfarin is the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulant used for the long-term treatment and prevention of thromboembolic events. Its administration is challenging as it may result in bleeding-related deaths, inadequate anticoagulation and fetal teratogenesis, including fetal warfarin syndrome. A number of environmental and genetic factors contribute to interindividual warfarin dosage variability. The CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genes explain 40- 50% of this variability. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of known and any new variants in these genes in the SA black population, and correlate these variants and a small subset of environmental factors to dosage variability and pregnancy outcomes. I sequenced the exons and intron/exon boundaries of the CYP2C9 and VKORC1 genes in 100 random black control and 113 patient samples that had at least one pregnancy on warfarin. I observed six previously described CYP2C9 variants, 27 novel CYP2C9 variants, and three previously described VKORC1 variants. 14 of these variants were observed at an allele frequency of 0.02. Of these 14, six appear to decrease (all of which are CYP2C9 variants) and four increase (2 CYP2C9 variants and two VKORC1 variants) warfarin dosage requirement. These 14 CYP2C9 and VKORC1 variants along with a small subset of environmental factors account for 45.3% of warfarin dosage variability in the SA population. I observed an increase in the number of poor pregnancy outcomes in patients on high doses of warfarin. These results allow us to predict the maintenance dose of warfarin in SA black patients better, thereby reducing the risk of adverse effects, and identify those at risk of having a poor pregnancy outcome.

A research dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Management in Public Policy (MMPP) The University of Witwatersrand Wits School of Governance 26 February 2015 / This research dissertation investigates what factors drive poverty in South Africa using annual data from 1996 to 2013. In an attempt to contribute towards a better understanding of what contributes to poverty in South Africa, the researcher adopted three types of research questions: a contextual research question, a main research question and an applied research question. The central questions of this study was “what drives poverty in South Africa?” and “how do these drivers influence poverty trends in South Africa?” The study recognises poverty as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, in addition to the unidimensional money-metric definition of poverty for analysis purposes. Consequently although the study adopts the monetary definition of poverty as a framework to poverty analysis; it also incorporates other variables that capture the multi-dimensional nature of poverty relevant to the South African context. The study uses various data analysis tools including descriptive statistics, line graphs, bivariate analysis, and trend analysis to investigate the relationship between poverty and the variables in this study. Consistent with Klasen (2000) and Finn et al. (2013), the main findings were that there is a negative relationship between poverty and government expenditure on health, housing, energy, public order and safety, and access to credit in South Africa. On the contrary, government expenditure on education is found not to reduce poverty in South Africa, neither is unemployment found to increase poverty in South Africa. The research concluded that although certain variables are expected to reduce or increase poverty, remedial policy interventions by Government and country specific economic structure mitigate these a prior expectations. From these findings the researcher makes recommendations, contributing to how scholars (and government) can further their attempt to alleviate poverty in South Africa. / MT 2018

Abstract Women globally are faced with many challenges and obstacles which include poverty, disease, violence and inequality. Over the years, women through their own initiative, have organised themselves nationally and internationally to have their agendas taken seriously by governments. Donor agencies did not come to supporting women due to their own conscientiousness – rather it was because of the concerted will and commitment of the international women’s movement that brought attention to the need for assistance for women. In South Africa there are many donor agencies that provide funding for programmes and initiatives that address the challenges faced by women of lower socio-economic groupings. The arising question is how effective these initiatives have been in addressing poverty and inequality of women. This pilot study attempted to investigate how select donors and non-governmental organisations have fared in relation to their target group – ‘poor black women’. The study addressed the issues of empowerment and sustainable development of ‘poor black women’ through an analysis of the work of non-governmental organisations supported by donor agencies. The findings were that donors do attempt to address the empowerment and sustainable development of ‘poor black women’ through the funding that they provide.

[pt] A presente pesquisa trata-se de um estudo da concepção de vida na contemporaneidade e sua relevância teológica, tendo como referencial o respeito pela vida a partir do pobre. A nossa pesquisa surgiu da constatação da emergência de um novo paradigma civilizacional, capaz de resgatar as dimensões da vida humana e do cosmos, especialmente dos seres vivos mais fragilizados e ameaçados. É necessário a abertura a novas questões e à busca de respostas aos grandes desafios da nossa época, a partir do humanismo cristão, participando, ativamente do debate cultural em que se configura a sociedade do presente e do futuro. Daí, pois a importância de pesquisar acerca de uma ética da vida, que implique respeito para os novos tempos, necessária e possível, que possa introduzir o dever onde tudo é poder, é um desafio urgente. Este desafio contemporâneo exige estar atento e ser perspicaz para apreender a necessidade de elaborar uma teologia, capaz de superar o antropo e o androcentrismo, compreendendo a pessoa humana como inter e retrorrelacionada e responsável pelas gerações que estão por vir. A idéia da central de nossa pesquisa emerge da necessidade de focalizar a produção científica e a conseqüente geração de conhecimento de maneira orgânica e transdisciplinar, levando em consideração o Ensino do Magistério e as verdades da fé cristã. Assim, a nossa pesquisa quer contribuir pró-ativamente, para que a opção pelos pobres, a promoção da justiça, a defesa da vida e dos direitos humanos e a ecologia como casa comum da humanidade, sejam a referência fundamental do interesse social da ação humana no mundo. Metodologicamente procuraremos primeiramente assimilar a compreensão contemporânea da vida, mediante as ciências da vida e a nova cosmologia. Dois autores serão muito importantes para nosso estudo, pois resumem muito bem esta visão. Frijtof Capra, com sua compreensão da vida como teia introretrorelacionada; Leonardo Boff, com a sua visão de Ecologia como comum de todos, fundamentada numa Ética da Vida que leve em consideração o grito dos pobres, o respeito pela vida a partir do cuidado, como direito e dever de todos, em vista de uma nova humanidade. Por fim, fazemos uma leitura teológica a partir das fontes da fé, Escritura e Tradição eclesial, confrontando esses paradigmas, buscando pontos de contato, que possam servir como pontos de referencia para nossa reflexão acerca do respeito pela vida a partir do pobre e sua relevância para o discurso teológico contemporâneo. / [en] The present research is about a study of the conception of life in the contemporary days and its theological relevance, having as referential the respect for the life from the poor person. Our research appeared of the ascertainment of the emergency of a new civilization paradigm, capable to rescue the dimensions of the human life and the cosmos, especially of the living beings more weakened and threatened. Opening is necessary for the new questions and the search of answers to the great challenges of our time, from the Christian humanism, participating actively of the cultural debate where the society of the present and the future configures itself. From there, therefore, the importance to search concerning ethics of the life, that implies respect to the new times, necessary and possible, that can introduce the duty where everything is to be able, is an urgent challenge. This contemporary challenge demands to be intent and to be perspicacious to apprehend the necessity to elaborate a theology capable to surpass anthrop and the androcentrism, understanding the human person as being inter and retro- related and responsible for the generations that are for coming. The central idea of our research emerges of the necessity to focus the scientific production and the consequent generation of knowledge in organic way and transdisciplinary, taking account of the Teaching of the Mastership and the truths of the Christian faith. Thus, our research intends pro-actively to contribute so that the option for the poor persons, the promotion of the justice, the defense of the life and of the human rights and the ecology as common house of the humanity are the basic reference of the social interest of the human action in the world. Methodologically we will first look for to assimilate the contemporary understanding of the life, by means of sciences of the life and the new cosmology. Two authors will be very important for our study, since they summarize well this vision. Frijtof Capra, with its understanding of the life as a introretrorelated net; Leonardo Boff, with its vision of Ecology as common house of all, based on an Ethics of the Life that takes account of the shout of the poor persons, the respect for the life from the care, as right and duty of all, in view of a new humanity. Finally, we make a theological reading from the sources of the faith, Writing and ecclesial Tradition, collating these paradigms, searching contact points that can serve as points of reference for our reflection concerning the respect for the life from the poor person and its relevance for the contemporary theological speech.

Thesis advisor: Richard McGowan / The author focuses on property formalization, microfinance and their effects on empowering the poor in Peru. For this purpose, the author will first analyze the economic and social conditions in which the microfinance initiative has taken place in Peru as well as its informal economy. Then, the author will explain the advantages and disadvantages that microfinance and property formalization have had as economic tools used to confront the problem of collateral. The author argues that both economic tools, if used together, may have a greater impact in the poor’s economic empowerment. The poor’s economic empowerment will be understood as the decrease in interest rates in the microfinance sector. Hence, Peruvian Microfinance Institutions – represented by Peru’s leading MFI “Microfinanzas Prisma – will be analyzed through regression analyses with intervention variables to simulate the correlations between collateral and interest rates in the microfinance sector. The results demonstrate that formal property, although correlated with interest rates up to a certain point, may not have a significant correlation with interest rates beyond that point. The author will finally interpret the results of the empirical analyses and will make some recommendations that could be implemented as development policies. A proposal would be based on the joint use of microfinance and formal property to further decrease interest rates and therefore empower the individuals borrowing below the point at which collateral has no significance correlation with interest rates. Concepts such as social capital and community organization will be addressed to further enhance the impact of collateral on interest rates. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics Honors Program. / Discipline: Economics.

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来自贫困家庭的青少年的成长日益受到关注，然而现有应对措施往往以资金援助、慰问探访为主。随着中国内地社会工作服务的发展，政府和公众对其应用于服务该群体有了更多期待。本研究尝试为相关服务提供实证依据。 / 受社会资本理论的启发，本研究试图探索嵌入于家庭、学校、朋辈和社区关系网络的社会资本对青少年社会心理发展的影响；结合自我效能感和抗逆力理论，亦试图探索主体性因素对外界社会资本的调动作用；比较贫困组与非贫困组在相关机制中存在的差异，建构一套在中国社会和文化情境下适用的理论模型，探索未来服务的方向。本研究以社会调查的方法，从中山市22所高中选取了1,627名学生参与研究，包括贫困组学生571人，非贫困组1056人。本研究尝试回答四个研究问题：第一，来自贫困家庭的青少年与来自非贫困家庭的青少年在社会心理发展、社会资本及自我效能感和抗逆力方面是否存在差异？第二，不同维度的社会资本对社会心理发展有怎样的影响？第三，自我效能感和抗逆力是否能在社会资本和社会心理发展之间发挥中介效应？第四，贫困组与非贫困组的青少年在社会资本、主体性对社会心理发展的影响机制上是否存在差异？ / 通过t检定发现，相较于非贫困组，贫困组有较好的亲社会行为和学业成就表现，而在精神健康和社交能力方面不存在显著的差异；贫困组在学校社会资本、朋辈社会资本和社区社会资本方面有较高的水平，而在家庭社会资本方面不存在显著的差异；贫困组相较而言有较高的抗逆力水平。 / 结构方程模型的结果支持了家庭社会资本、学校社会资本和朋辈社会资本对青少年的社会心理发展存在直接的正向影响的假设，同时，不同的社会资本亦可以通过自我效能感和抗逆力对青少年的社会心理发展产生间接的影响。然而，本研究亦发现社区社会资本对精神健康和社交能力的直接影响是负向的。 / 多群组结构方程模型的结果指出，贫困组与非贫困组在社会资本、主体性因素对社会心理发展的影响大致相同，但在部分路径上存在显著差异。这亦体现出在服务项目设计时需要留意到的贫困组与非贫困组之间在相关机制上存在的差异。本研究亦展现了社会资本的互惠性。此外，研究发现亦反映出社会资本的规范和制裁功能可能对被标签的群体的主体性因素提升带来限制。 / 本研究整合了社会资本理论、自我效能感理论和抗逆力理论，探索了社会资本、自我效能感和抗逆力对贫困家庭的青少年的社会心理发展的影响。在中国内地本土化的尝试以及对来自贫困家庭的青少年的关注亦拓展了现有理论的适用性。本研究对实务的启发在于，提出可以透过投入社会资本，提升自我效能感及抗逆力，进而有效地促进青少年的成长与发展。研究者亦对现有的对经济弱势群体的刻板印象提出了质疑，同时对社会资本的双重效应以及社会福利传递过程可能产生的"污名"效应提出了反思。 / There has been an increasing concern on the development of adolescents form economically disadvantaged families. However, the policy and service for this group of young people remain in the forms of financial assistance and home visit. With the development of social work service in mainland China, the government and public have more expectation on its implementation for serving this group. This research provided empirical evidence for related service. / Based on social capital theory, this study explored the influences of social capital embedded in the networks of family, school, peers, and community. It also integrated the self-efficacy theory and resilience theory into the theoretical framework to examine the role of personal agency in mobilizing various forms social capital. Moreover, by comparing the differences between the poor and the non-poor group, the study established a theoretical model of how social capital and personal agency jointly affected adolescents’ psychosocial development in a Chinese context. It thereby potentially informs future professional services. This study adopted the quantitative method with social survey, and drew a sample of 1,627 students from 22 senior high schools, with 571 students forming the poor group and the other 1056 students forming the non-poor group. The study tried to address four research questions: 1) Are there any significant differences between the poor and non-poor groups in terms of psychosocial development, social capital, self-efficacy and resilience? 2) How do different forms of social capital influence adolescents’ psychosocial development? 3) What are the mechanism by which self-efficacy and resilience mediate the effects of social capital on adolescents’ psychosocial development? 4) Are there any significant differences on the mechanisms between these two groups? / Results of t-tests indicated that the students from economically disadvantaged families had better performance in pro-social behavior and academic achievement, while there were no significant differences in terms of mental health and social competence. This group of students also exhibited higher possessions of school social capital, peer social capital, and community social capital, while with no significant difference in access to family social capital. Moreover, they showed a higher level of resilience. / Results of structural equation modeling analysis supported the hypotheses that family social capital, school social capital, and peer social capital had direct positive effects on adolescents’ psychosocial development. Furthermore, different forms of social capital could influence the outcomes of psychosocial development indirectly through individuals’ self-efficacy and resilience. However, community social capital showed a negative direct effect on mental health and social competence. / Results of the multi-group structural equation modeling suggested that the effects of social capital and personal agency on adolescents’ psychosocial development were mostly similar between the poor and non-poor groups, except for a few paths. It implied the particular importance on differentiating the effects of various forms of social capital and personal agency factors on psychosocial development and when designing assistance programs for adolescents from low-income families. It also suggested the reciprocity of social capital. In addition, it further highlighted that the norms and effective sanctions of social capital might produce disempowerment on personal agency to the groups labeled as disadvantaged ones in the society. / Integrating social capital theory, self-efficacy theory, and resilience theory, this research has explored the influences of social capital, self-efficiency and resilience on psychosocial development of adolescents from economically disadvantaged families. It advanced the application of social capital theory in understanding youth development in the Chinese socio-cultural. It also proposed an effective way to promote adolescents’ optimal development through investing social capital and improving their self-efficacy and resilience. This study challenged the existing stereotypes of adolescents from economically disadvantaged families. Moreover, it gave a further thought on on the positive contribution and potential downside of social capital and the stigmatization in social welfare provision process. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 劉頴. / Parallel title from added title page. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 292-317). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Liu Ying.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Teachers in schools located in disadvantaged areas are increasingly required to address poor learner behaviour, which makes teaching and the completion of the curriculum a great challenge to teachers. This raised the need to explore teacher views of the effectiveness of the different classroom management strategies teachers’ use and their value in addressing learner behaviour and achievement. This research therefore focussed on understanding classroom management issue from the perspective of teachers. The broad aim of this study was thus to compare teacher perceptions of the factors that contributed to effective classroom management practices in two public high schools located in a historically disadvantaged community. An eco-systemic theoretical lens is used to illuminate an understanding of the complexity of school systems and factors which influence classroom management (CRM). This relates to a Whole School Development (WSD), an approach in which all elements of organisational life and stakeholders are involved to find a solution for a problem – in this case reducing the complexities of the school system in addition to the factors influencing CRM by involving all stakeholders possible.

Studies across low- and middle-income countries document quality shortfalls in both public and private sector health care. They notably highlight a “know-do” gap in primary care delivery: doctors possess requisite medical knowledge but do not expend adequate effort to treat patients. In explaining low quality, researchers have largely emphasized transactional aspects of health care, viewing doctors’ actions as shaped by their skills and incentives to perform and arguing that the micro-institutions that drive doctors’ clinical behavior are faulty. In contrast, in this project I analyze the social and political conditions in which public sector doctors deliver primary care in urban India. Viewing the doctors as both medical practitioners and state agents, I argue that health service outcomes depend on how doctors interpret policy mandates and relate to the communities they serve. I conceptualize their actions not just as medical transactions but also as social acts, shaped by the meanings they attach to their experiences and informed by the institutional history and social imaginary of state-provided care. During a year of ethnographic fieldwork (2013-2014), I observed clinical and non-clinical encounters of doctors employed in municipal government clinics and hospitals in a midsize Indian city; interviewed doctors, other health workers, elected officials, administrators, and staff of non-governmental organizations; and examined policies and administrative arrangements for urban health care since India’s independence. I demonstrate that municipal doctors confront a trifecta of challenges: a legal obligation to deliver urban primary care from within an outdated urban governance structure; a largely unregulated private sector that residents widely prefer; and rising commercialization in medical practice, under which specialized medicine has crowded out primary care in popular ideas about “good” medical care. Unable to remedy the low legitimacy of their services, doctors circumscribe their actions, seeking, as one doctor put it, only to ensure the ordinary. My findings suggest that transaction-specific interventions to improve quality, such as focused on skills and incentives alone, may do little to circumvent these local effects of the policy neglect of urban health care.

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