This thesis consists of three independent essays, unified by the common theme of the distributional impacts of government. The first paper estimates the price elasticity of demand for pharmaceuticals amongst high-income older people in Australia. It exploits a natural experiment by which some people gained entitlement to a price reduction through the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC). The preferred model is a nonlinear Instrumental Variable (IV) difference-in-difference regression, estimated on repeated cross sectional survey data using the Generalised Method of Moments. No significant evidence is found for endogenous card take-up, and so cross-sectional estimates are also considered. Taking all of the results and possible sources of bias into account, the ??headline?? estimate is -0.1, implying that quantity demanded is not highly responsive to price. The elasticity estimate is a key input into the second paper which analyses the distributional impact of the CSHC. I consider the trade-off between moral hazard and risk pooling. There have been few previous attempts internationally to address this trade-off empirically for any health insurance scheme. The utility gain through risk-pooling is found to be negligible. However, the deadweight loss through moral hazard may be considerable. I also use an illustrative model to demonstrate the possible effects of the CSHC on inter-temporal savings behaviour. While the CSHC may induce some people to save, it may have the opposite effect on others. The net impact was not determined. The third paper estimates the Australian public sector wage premium. It includes a detailed critical review of the methods available to address this issue. The chosen approach is a quasi-differenced panel data model, estimated by nonlinear IV, which has many advantages over other methods and has not been used before for this topic. I find a positive average public sector wage premium for both sexes. The best estimates are 10.0% for men and 7.1% for women. The estimate for men is statistically significant (p < 0.04) and borders on significance for women (p < 0.07). No evidence is found to suggest that the public sector has an equalising effect on the wages of its workers.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / In this minithesis the researcher explores the experiences of recipients of the HIV/AIDS peer education abstinence programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) / South Africa

Cryopreservation and transplantation of germ cells in fish provides a suitable tool for preserving genetic information. By method of surrogate reproduction, the offspring with characters of the chosen donor can be obtained. In this case of our commercially important species common carp. However, for the successful cryopreservation of the germ cells, a suitable protocol for each species must be established. Several cryoprotectants were tested. The best of them, Me2SO, regarding the viability of spermatogonia, was tested for its different concentrations depending also on the rate of freezing. Further testing, related to the effect of tissue size, incubation time and added sugar, was performed. The result of the assay identified best cryomedium composed of 2.5M dimethylsulfoxide, added sugar of 0.3M glucose, 1.5% BSA and 25nM Hepes dissolved in PBS. The most suitable size of tissue was 100 mg, incubation time was 30 min and coolig rate was -1 ° C/min. This protocol ensures the highest viability rate of cryopreserved spermatogonia of common carp. The second part of the work was to verify the success of the transplantation of cryopreserved and fresh spermatogonia into a suitably chosen recipient, the goldfish, which shares similar reproductive characteristics with carp, but also offers reduction of space requirements or resistance to koi-herpes virus. The transplanted germ cells colonized the germ line and started gametogenesis in 42.5% (cryopreserved spermatogonia) and 52.5% (fresh spermatogonia) goldfish recipients, which demonstrated that the transplantation of cryopreserved spermatogonia of common carp can be successfully achieved.

Com o objetivo de avaliar as mudas e a produção de tomate (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill), tipo italiano \'Netuno\', no campo desenvolvidas em diferentes tipos de volume de recipiente com a combinação de varias idades de transplante foi conduzido este experimento no Departamento de Produção Vegetal da Escola Superior de Agricultura ¨Luiz de Queiroz\", Universidade de São Paulo, no município de Piracicaba - Estado de São Paulo, entre abril a agosto de 2005. Foram utilizadas bandejas de 72, 128, 288 e 450 células, com volumes celulares de 121,2; 34,6; 12,0 e 14,0 cm3 respectivamente. As idades de avaliação foram aos 19, 24, 29 e 34 dias após a semeadura. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos casualizados, no esquema fatorial de 4 x 4. Um dos fatores foi representado pelas diferentes bandejas, e o segundo fator, pelas diferentes idades de avaliação. Na produção de mudas foram avaliadas, número de folhas, área foliar, altura da muda, massa fresca e seca de parte aérea e raiz e qualidade visual das mudas. Logo após o transplante foram avaliadas características de desenvolvimento vegetativo: área foliar, número de folhas, altura das plantas, diâmetro da haste, massa fresca de folhas e raiz e qualidade visual das plantas. Posteriormente durante a colheita foram avaliadas características de produção; precocidade, massa e número comercial de frutos, massa e número total de frutos. Também foi realizada a seleção dos frutos em pequenos, médios e grandes. Na comparação entre os tratamentos foram observadas algumas diferenças em algumas características. Os volumes maiores apresentaram melhor qualidade de mudas (121,2 e 34,6 cm³) e os volumes menores apresentaram mudas estioladas, raquíticas, desuniformes. Os volumes maiores apresentaram maior área foliar, massa fresca e seca de raiz. A melhor idade para o transplante foi de 24 e 29 dias para os volumes maiores, recomendando-se o volume de célula de 34,6 cm³. Com relação aos resultados de produção de frutos, não houve diferencia entre os tratamentos utilizados, porém, obteve se precocidade na colheita de frutos com volumes maiores. A muda de 24 dias teve o maior número e massa media de frutos por planta nas colheitas precoces. Número comercial e total de frutos foi maior nas idades de 19, 24 e 29 dias. As idades mais precoces e os volumes maiores apresentaram maior número e massa de frutos médios por planta. Não houve diferença para frutos grandes em todos os tratamentos estudados. / This study was carried out from April to August, 2005, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the cell recipient and seedlings age on the quality of transplants and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) production \'Netuno\' in open field. The treatments resulted from the combination of for tray cell sizes 121,2; 34,6; 12,0 e 14,0 cm3 and four transplanting ages (19, 24, 29 e 34 days). It done in a randomized block design ( 4 x 4 factorial). One of the factors was represented by different cell volume and the second factor was transplants age. In the transplant production was evaluated, number of leaves, leaf area, fresh and dry leaves and root mass, seedlings quality (before production was evaluated the same vegetative characteristics) and after transplanting, the earliness, and total yield fruits (number and mass of fruits commercial fruits). The fruits were classified in small, medium and large sizes. The larger volumes (121, 2 e 34, 6 cm³) presented better quality of seedlings than of smaller one (12, 0 e 14, 0 cm³). There was etiolated, stunted, desuniformity, and the cell volume of 12,0 cm³ seedlings was yellows and small. The larger volumes presented higher fresh and dry mass. The better age for transplanting was 24 to 29 days for the larges volumes, being recommended the volume of cell of 34,6 cm³. No significant differences were observed between all treatments for fruits production, however, earliness in larger volumes was observed. Transplants with 24 days age were most productive for earliness. Commercial and total fruits number per plant increment at 19, 24 and also 29 days age. Transplants with 19, 24 days age and larger cell volumes had increased the number and mass of early fruits. The earliness age and the larger cell volume presented higher number and mass of medium fruits. There were not differences for larger fruits for all treatments.

The thesis is concerned with the instances of the figures of mythology of the antiquity in the works of Jean Cocteau and their application. It focuses on the character of Narcissus, which is examined in connection to Oedipus and Orpheus, while concentrating mainly on the topic of mirroring and the related motives of the eye and sight. This mirroring is then not examined only on the level of an aesthetic object, but also in relation to the recipient and in mutual interferences between various media. The thesis is methodologically based on selected philosophical theses by Maurice Merlau-Ponty and the theoretical concepts of Pierre Brunel, Mieke Bal and Mary Ann Caws. Within the works of Jean Cocteau the thesis is primarily concerned with the analysis of the novels The Holy Terrors (Les Enfants Terribles), Le Livre Blanc and their illustrations, the poem "Tombeau de Narcisse", the play La Machine infernale and the films Blood of a Poet, Orpheus and The Testament of Orpheus.

Bakgrund: Alzheimers sjukdom är den vanligaste demenssjukdomen. Sjukdomen är obotlig och genererar mycket tankar, oro och i många fall depression. Vid diagnostiseringen upplever många personer identitetsförlust och ångest. Detta bidrar till minskad livskvalitet hos personer med Alzheimers sjukdom. Med hjälp av olika omvårdnadsåtgärder kan dessa personer få hjälp att återskapa sin identitet, minska oro och ångest och därmed öka sin livskvalitet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att sammanställa omvårdnadsåtgärder som gynnar livskvaliteten hos personer med Alzheimers sjukdom. Metod: Deskriptiv litteraturstudie baserat på 12 vetenskapliga artiklar. Huvudresultat: Huvudresultatet presenteras i fem olika teman, omvårdnadsåtgärder ur ett socialt perspektiv, kognitiv rehabilitering, estetiska åtgärder, fysisk aktivitet samt djurterapi.  Resultatet visar att det viktigaste för att öka livskvaliteten för dessa personer, oavsett kategori, är att individanpassa omvårdnaden och aktiviteterna. Slutsats: Slutsatsen från denna studie är att det finns olika omvårdnadsåtgärder som gynnar livskvaliteten hos personer med Alzheimers sjukdom. Detta genom att minska oro, ångest och aggressivitet. Resultatet blir således en högre livskvalitet hos vårdtagaren samtidigt som det minskar på vårdpersonalens arbetsbelastning. / Background:  Alzheimer's disease is the most common of the dementia diseases. The disease is not curable which contributes to many thoughts, concerns and sometimes depression. When diagnosed, most of the patients experience an identity crisis and anxiety. This results in a lower rank of quality of life in a person with Alzheimer's disease. Using different types of nursing inventions, these persons can be helped through to recreate their identity, reduce concerns and anxiety which can increase the quality of life. Aim: The aim of this study was to identify different nursing inventions that can improve the quality of life of people with Alzheimer's disease. Method: This is a descriptive literature study based on 12 scientific articles. Main results: The result was categorized into five different themes. The themes were nursing interventions from a social perspective, cognitive rehabilitation, aesthetic methods, physical activity and animal therapy. The result showed that the most important thing in order to increase quality of life, regardless of the activity, is to adapt the care and activities to the needs of the individual. Conclusion: Different types of nursing inventions can help persons with Alzheimer's disease to increase their quality of life. The result shows on a lower anxiety level, a reduced level of concerns and less aggression. This can help both persons with Alzheimer’s to experience a higher level of quality of life and the caregivers through a lower workload.

Using extant data from the Cache County Dementia Progression Study, this study examined the association of dementia caregivers’ personality traits (as assessed by the NEO Personality Inventory/Five Factor Inventory) and use of coping strategies (as reported on the Ways of Coping Checklist) with their care recipients’ outcomes including time to developing severe dementia, being institutionalized, and mortality. Up to 244 dyads of individuals with dementia and a primary caregiver were followed for a maximum of fifteen semi-annual visits, during which time information was collected on other potential caregiver and care recipient factors. The caregiver covariates analyzed in models included caregiver age, gender, kin relation to the care recipient, relationship closeness, and co-residency with care recipient. Potential care recipient covariates analyzed included gender, estimated onset age of dementia, completed education, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Individual caregiver personality traits were not predictive of the examined care recipient outcomes. Among the caregivers’ coping strategies, more frequent caregiver use of Avoidance predicted care recipient time to severe dementia (hazard ratio (HR)=1.065,p=.034). More frequent use of Counting Blessings predicted 36% lower hazard of care recipient mortality (HR=0.648,p=.017) when also accounting for the increased risk of mortality with older care recipient age at dementia onset (HR=1.052,p=.004). Analyses revealed only low to moderate associations between some caregiver personality traits and coping strategies, with Neuroticism having the greatest number of significant associations with five emotion-focused coping strategies. Personality traits did not modify the associations between caregiver coping strategies (Avoidance and Counting Blessings) reported above. Generally, the examined caregiver characteristics often assumed to be more stable (i.e. personality traits) were not predictive of care recipient outcomes, while caregivers’ use of some coping strategies was predictive of development of severe dementia and mortality in care recipients. This allows for the possibility that interventions aimed at encouraging dementia caregivers to use effective coping strategies may promote better outcomes for care recipients.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第21644号 / 医博第4450号 / 新制||医||1034(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 小西 靖彦, 教授 伊達 洋至, 教授 川口 義弥 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Chatbots are becoming more common in modern society, but there are almost no studies that explore both the differences and causes that divides human communication from communication with a chatbot. The aim of this thesis was to explore different recipient design people take when communicating with a human and a chatbot. A chatbot was built and an experiment was conducted that measured the performance and experience of the participants. A thematic analysis then found out causes for these experiences. The study focused on finding new differences in addition to exploring people’s boredom, frustration, understanding, repetition, and performance in a task. The study found differences and causes in people’s recipient design when communicating with a human compared to a chatbot, as well as differences in the performance of a task. Hopefully, this will help future research figure out solutions for the differences found.

This research contributes to current understandings of how the process of learning unfurls temporally during coaching conversations. This experience has been obtained through first-hand lived experience, in particular, my active participation as a coachee in a series of one-to-one coaching conversations with two professional coaches. To assist in developing and enriching these understandings further I have crafted a research design with a two-stage process. And a hybrid methodology drawn from Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Dialogical Methods. This approach is beneficial in enabling the complexity of self-other relationships that unfold within coaching conversations to be fully articulated. I have chosen to adopt autoethnography as a research method in stage one of this research, and interviews in stage two, respectively. Autoethnography enables a complex exploration of first-hand lived experience, providing a forum in which reflexive dialogues between self and other can emerge. Thus, allowing multiple perspectives to be heard. In stage two I have interviewed 6 professional coaches, facilitating an additional dialogue to unfold between self and others, enriching this research. Critically, within this research, the self is described as malleable and non-identical with itself, where on encountering others in external and inner dialogues it experiences challenges and struggles with the unknown and unfamiliar. Significantly, through this experience the self is transformed. Finally, this process can be understood as artistic, since this research describes an aesthetic metaphor informed by Bakhtin and Gell, in which coach and coachee - described as the recipient are actively engaged in emotionally crafting and shaping the other.