Thesis (D. Ed.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-203). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2008. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-05, page: 2672. Adviser: Margaret Caughy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Nursing. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on November 15, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

<strong>Background:</strong> Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 85% of the world's HIV-positive adolescents: an estimated 1.3-2.2 million 10-19 year olds. Adolescents living with HIV face multiple sexual and reproductive health risks: unwanted pregnancies and the risk of mother-to-child-transmission, risk of infecting partners, co-infection with other STIs, and the rising but undocumented risk of re-infection by potentially resistant HI-virus strains. Using contraception, especially condoms, is particularly challenging for all adolescents. It is even more difficult for HIV-positive adolescents due to HIV-related factors such as learning their HIV-positive status, withholding or disclosing their HIV-status to sexual partners, and accessing services in the home, clinics, and schools. This thesis aims to understand which factors shape sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents to inform the development of interventions that promote safe sexual practices in this population. <strong>Methodology:</strong> This thesis applies a socio-ecological model to investigate factors associated with sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents. It consists of three stand-alone papers: a systematic review and two quantitative papers based on a cross-sectional epidemiological and aetiological study of unprotected sex among HIV-positive adolescents and community controls in South Africa. Paper 1 is a systematic review of rates, correlates, and interventions to reduce sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents and youth in sub-Saharan Africa. Paper 2 looks at associations between HIV-status knowledge and disclosure and protective sexual practices in the cross-sectional study sample. Paper 3 explores the relationship between various social protection provisions and unprotected sex among HIV-positive adolescents. The candidate co-developed and conducted a community-traced study of adolescents in the Eastern Cape, in South Africa: 1,060 HIV-positive adolescents and 467 community controls. HIV-positive 10-19 year old adolescents were recruited from 53 government facilities in a health sub-district with antenatal HIV prevalence of over 30%. 90.1% of the eligible sample was traced, with only 4.1% refusing to take part. Community controls were neighbouring or co-habiting 10-19 year old adolescents, 92% of whom agreed to take part. Voluntary informed consent was obtained from adolescents and caregivers in the language of their choice: English or Xhosa. Questionnaires were administered by trained research assistants using mobile devices (tablets) with adolescent-friendly graphic content to ensure participant interest and reduce participant burden through skip-patterns. The systematic review (Paper 1) included studies located through electronic databases and grey literature. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Quantitative studies reporting on HIV-positive participants (10-24 year old) included data on at least one of eight outcomes (early sexual debut, inconsistent condom use, older sexual partner, transactional sex, multiple sexual partners, sex while intoxicated, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy). Only studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa were included. The candidate and a second author independently piloted all processes, screened studies, extracted data independently, and resolved any discrepancies. Due to variance in reported rates and correlates, no meta-analyses was conducted. The systematic review informed the analyses conducted for the two quantitative papers. Analyses for Papers 2 and 3 used condom use at last sexual encounter (dichotomised either as safe sex/abstinence or unprotected sex) as the outcome, controlling for a series of covariates. Analyses used SPSS 22 and STATA 11. For each paper, the hypothesised factors were entered as independent variables in multivariate logistic regressions controlling for potential confounders. Based on the findings of the systematic review, gender moderation analyses was run entering a 2-way interaction term of gender*correlate in multivariate logistic regressions, controlling for covariates. Marginal effect models explored the effect of combinations of risk/ protective factors. Predicted probabilities for safe sex/ unprotected sex were computed for different two- and three-way combinations of the independent variables, controlling for covariates significantly associated with the outcome. Paper 2 tested the effect of three types of disclosure on protective sexual practices: (i) knowledge of one's own HIV-positive status, (ii) disclosing one's HIV-status to a partner, and (iii) knowing a partner's HIV-status. It compared HIV-positive status aware adolescents (n=794) with the rest of the sample (n=733). Paper 3 investigated associations between nine types of social protection provisions and unprotected sex. In line with UNICEF's definition, social protection was defined as any provision aimed at preventing, reducing and eliminating economic and social vulnerabilities to poverty and deprivation among HIV-positive adolescents. The nine social protection provisions tested by the analyses included ‘cash' and ‘care' factors accessed in the home, school, and community. <strong>Results: Paper 1 – ‘Sexual Risk-Taking among HIV-Positive Adolescents and Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of prevalence rates, risk factors, and interventions.'</strong> The systematic review (Chapter 4) found that, despite their heightened vulnerabilities and high rates of sexual risk-taking, there is a dearth of evidence on interventions which may help HIV-positive adolescents engage in safe sexual practices. The review included 35 studies, four of which were interventions aiming to reduce sexual risk-taking. The quality of the included studies was low with most studies (k=31) reporting findings from cross-sectional data. HIV-positive adolescents and youth reported high rates of sexual risk-taking, however findings were inconsistent about potential factors associated with sexual risk-taking. Factors consistently associated with sexual risk-taking in multivariate analyses included: food insecurity, living alone, living with a partner, and gender-based violence. No significant associations were reported for: rural residence, informal housing, anxiety, religious guidance, STI prevention knowledge, poor birth outcomes, orphanhood, parental monitoring, having a supportive family, social support, maternal education level, poverty, disclosing one's HIV-status to a partner, time on ART, ART adherence, receiving care at a hospital, opportunistic infections. However, most of the above associations were reported by only one study, therefore further analyses is needed to build the evidence base on potential determinants of sexual risk-taking among HIV-positive adolescents and youth. The included interventions consist of three individual- and group-based psychosocial interventions evaluated in three small-scale trials (n<150) and one large trial of combination interventions for HIV-positive orphaned adolescent girls (n=710). Three of these interventions had positive effects in reducing sexual risk-taking: an individual based 18-session counselling intervention in Uganda, a support group intervention in South Africa, and a combination intervention in Zimbabwe. <strong>Quantitative data analyses of cross-sectional study data:</strong> Overall, adolescents in the full sample (n=1,527) reported high rates of sexual activity (34.9%) and high rates of unprotected sex (22%), with adolescent girls reporting higher rates of unprotected sex than boys (33% vs. 7%).

This thesis consists of three chapters. In the first chapter, titled "Aggregate Risk and Bank Risk-Taking", I propose a general equilibrium model in which strategic interactions between banks and depositors may lead to endogenous bank fragility and a drop in investment and output. With some opacity in bank balance sheets, depositors form expectations about bank risk-taking and demand a return on bank deposits according to their risk. This creates strategic complementarities and possibly multiple equilibria: in response to an increase in funding costs, banks may optimally choose to pursue risky portfolios that undermine their solvency prospects. In a bad equilibrium, bank lending is crowded out by risky asset purchases and weak economic fundamentals lead to a banking crisis. Policy interventions face a trade-o¤ between alleviating banks' funding conditions and strengthening their risk-taking incentives. Due to this trade-off, liquidity provision to banks may eliminate the good equilibrium when it is not targeted. Targeted interventions have the capacity to eliminate the bad equilibrium. The second chapter, titled "Gambling Traps", analyzes macroeconomic dynamics under this framework in a dynamic general equilibrium model. I show that self-fulfilling expectations about high bank risk-taking may lead to 'gambling traps' associated with slow recovery from crises. In a gambling trap, high bank funding costs hinder the accumulation of bank net worth, leading to a prolonged period of financial fragility and a persistent decline in economic activity. I bring this model to bear on the European sovereign debt crisis, in the course of which under-capitalized banks in default-risky countries experienced an increase in funding costs and raised their holdings of domestic government debt. The model is quantified using Portuguese data and accounts for macroeconomic dynamics in Portugal in 2010-2016. Finally, I show that subsidized loans to banks, similar to the European Central Bank's longer-term refinancing operations (LTRO) may perpetuate gambling traps. The third chapter, titled ''Shadow Banking and Market Discipline on Traditional Banks'', is joint work with Matthieu Darracq-Paries, Christo¤er Kok, and Dawid · Zochowski. In this chapter, we present a general equilibrium banking model in which shadow banking arises endogenously and undermines market discipline on traditional banks. We show that depositors' ability to re-optimize in response to crises imposes market discipline on traditional banks: these banks optimally commit to a safe portfolio strategy to prevent early withdrawals. With costly commitment, shadow banking emerges as an alternative banking strategy that combines high risk-taking with early liquidation in times of crisis. We bring the model to bear on the 2007-09 financial crisis in the United States, during which shadow banks experienced a sudden dry-up of funding and liquidated their assets. We derive an equilibrium in which the shadow banking sector expands to a size where its liquidation causes a fire-sale and exposes traditional banks to liquidity risk. Higher deposit rates in compensation for liquidity risk also weaken threats of early withdrawal and traditional banks pursue risky portfolios that may leave them in default. Financial stability is achieved with a tax on shadow bank profits or collateralized liquidity support to traditional banks.

Submitted by ramon silva vilarins (rsvilarins@gmail.com) on 2016-06-23T12:02:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_final.pdf: 914787 bytes, checksum: f76ebd195ce25157615f7f14bebdee55 (MD5) / Rejected by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br), reason: Bom dia Ramon, Para que possamos dar andamento a sua submissão é necessário um pequeno ajuste. RESUMO E ABSTRACT não pode ter borda. Apos o ajuste submeter novamente para analise. Qualquer duvida estamos a disposição. Att, Pâmela. Tonsa on 2016-06-23T14:25:04Z (GMT) / Submitted by ramon silva vilarins (rsvilarins@gmail.com) on 2016-06-23T14:43:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_final.pdf: 914257 bytes, checksum: c2720e7e809ab96d52c03e041847360c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2016-06-23T14:48:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_final.pdf: 914257 bytes, checksum: c2720e7e809ab96d52c03e041847360c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-23T14:49:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_final.pdf: 914257 bytes, checksum: c2720e7e809ab96d52c03e041847360c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-01 / This dissertation analyzes the impact of government bailout policies on the risk of the banking sector in OECD countries between 2005 and 2013. First, in line with the moral hazard hypothesis, I verify that financial institutions with high bailout expectations assume higher risks than others. Second, I find that, in normal times, rescue guarantees to large financial institutions distort competition in the sector and increase the risk of the other institutions. However, during the recent financial crisis, increases in the rescue expectation of competitors of an institution, to the extent that they represent a reduction in its chance of bailout, decrease its risk taking. Additionally, in a crisis period, I find that the deterioration in the countries’ sovereign capacity to bailout banks is associated with lower risk taking; on average, i.e., the increase in risk taking is higher in countries with a lower credit default swap spread. / Esta tese analisa, entre 2005 e 2013, o impacto das políticas governamentais de resgate sobre o risco do setor bancário nos países da OCDE. Primeiro, em linha com a hipótese de moral hazard, verifica-se que instituições financeiras com expectativa elevada de bailout, assumem riscos mais elevados do que as demais. Segundo, constata-se que, em períodos normais, garantias de socorro às grandes instituições distorcem a competição no setor e incrementa o risco das demais. Durante a crise, entretanto, mostra-se que elevações na expectativa de resgate dos concorrentes de uma instituição, à medida que representa uma redução em sua chance de eventual socorro governamental, diminuem sua tomada de riscos. Adicionalmente, em período de crise também é evidenciado que: reduções na capacidade financeira dos países estão associadas a menor assunção de riscos; em média, o aumento na tomada de riscos é maior nos países com menor spread de Credit Default Swap.

Submitted by margarita Morales (margemor1@gmail.com) on 2017-01-16T15:49:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Estrategia_Morales_Projeto_16012017 vf.pdf: 1798950 bytes, checksum: e630c4b43c31d0304ad07102a9853fe4 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Fabiana da Silva Segura (fabiana.segura@fgv.br) on 2017-01-16T15:56:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Estrategia_Morales_Projeto_16012017 vf.pdf: 1798950 bytes, checksum: e630c4b43c31d0304ad07102a9853fe4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-17T14:08:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Estrategia_Morales_Projeto_16012017 vf.pdf: 1798950 bytes, checksum: e630c4b43c31d0304ad07102a9853fe4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-12-15 / Micro-entrepreneurs and one-person business sector are important factors in the dynamics of emerging economies. In Brazil specifically, around 4,5 million of them are affiliated with direct selling companies. They are non-salaried; receive commissions on sales and work for themselves by setting their own hours and creating their own marketing plans. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between key entrepreneurial behaviors and sales performance among self-employed direct selling representatives in Brazil (SEDSR). Based on a quantitative approach, four independent variables were measured in a sample of 651 SEDSR: need of achievement (NA), self-efficacy (SE), risk-taking propensity (RP) and locus of control (LC). Dependent variable was business performance (Y1). An online survey was submitted to an email address database provided by a global direct selling company with operations in Brazil. Descriptive statistical and regression analysis were performed with the intent to determine first, the prevalence of each entrepreneur behavior, in a population that is traditionally pushed into direct selling by necessity and second, how each affects and predicts business performance. Results showed there is a high prevalence in terms of NA and SE, confirming these behaviors are not exclusive on successful and formal entrepreneurs. LC and RP receive medium score. Unexpectedly, results also show that none of the behaviors on its own have significant impact in predicting business performance. When putting the four behaviors into one only single regression model correlation increases slightly but not enough to make results conclusive. Through main effect plot analysis, results also suggest SE and NA are the biggest influencer factors in business success of a SEDSR. Finally, analyzing the best interactions of the variables allowed building a profile to achieve the maximum business performance. This study attempts to contribute to the academic field of the entrepreneurship and has practical implications in direct selling industry. On the first, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the direct selling entrepreneurship and specifically, to the conceptual debate if SEDSR should or should not be defined as micro-entrepreneurs per se and not simply, as sales distributors as some authors defend. On the second, this study provided insights to direct selling managers that could use to improve recruitment and engagement process of their independent sales force. Further studies need to include other variables besides entrepreneurial behavior to better understand and predict business performance and how enable SEDSR to transition from necessity-driven entrepreneurship to opportunity-driven. / Micros empreendedores e o setor de negócios unipessoais são fatores importantes na dinâmica de economias emergentes. No Brasil especificamente, em torno de 4,5 milhões deles são afiliados com empresas de vendas diretas. Eles são não assalariados, mas recebem comissões sobre as vendas e trabalham para si próprios, definindo suas próprias horas de trabalho e criando seus próprios planos de marketing. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a relação entre o comportamento empreendedor e o desempenho de vendas desse representante independente da venda direta no Brasil (SEDSR). Baseado em uma abordagem quantitativa, quatro variáveis independentes foram medidas em uma amostra de 651 revendedores: necessidade de logro (NA), auto eficácia (SE), propensão a assumir riscos (RP) e lócus de controle (LC). A variável dependente foi o desempenho de vendas (Y1). Uma pesquisa online foi submetida a uma lista de e-mail fornecida por uma empresa de venda direta global, com operações no Brasil. Análise descritivas e regressões estatísticas foram realizadas com o intuito de determinar, primeiro, a predominância de cada comportamento empreendedor em uma população que tradicionalmente atua na venda direta por necessidade. Segundo, como cada um desses comportamentos afetam e prevêem o desempenho empresarial. Os resultados mostraram que há uma alta predominância em termos de ND e SE, confirmando que esses comportamentos não são exclusivos em empresários bem sucedidos e formais, já LC e RP receberam pontuação média. Inesperadamente, os resultados também mostram que nenhum dos comportamentos por si só tem um impacto significativo na previsão de desempenho de negócios. Quando considerados os quatro comportamentos em um único modelo de regressão, a correlação aumenta ligeiramente, mas não o suficiente para tornar os resultados conclusivos. Por meio da análise do gráfico de efeitos principais, os resultados sugeriram que SE e AT são os maiores fatores influenciadores no sucesso empresarial de um SEDSR. Finalmente, a análise das melhores interações entre as variáveis permitiu a construção de um perfil para o desempenho máximo do negócio. Por fim este estudo buscou contribuir com o campo acadêmico sobre empreendedorismo e propôs implicações práticas na indústria de venda direta. Em primeiro lugar, contribuiu para o acervo de conhecimentos sobre empreendedorismo na venda direta e especificamente para o debate conceitual sobre o SEDSR, se deve ou não ser definido como microempresários e não simplesmente como distribuidores de vendas como alguns autores defendem. Em segundo lugar, este estudo forneceu dados para que gestores da venda direta possam melhorar o processo de recrutamento e o engajamento de sua força de vendas independente. Mais estudos poderiam considerar outras variáveis além do comportamento empreendedor para melhor compreender e prever o desempenho dos negócios e como capacitar o SEDSR a realizar a transição de empreendedorismo orientado à necessidade para a orientação à oportunidade.

xvi, 108 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Risky sexual behavior (RSB) places adolescents at risk for unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection, and research is needed to understand the predictors of adolescent RSB and targets for future intervention. The current study used the social contextual model of problem behavior development to examine family, peer, and individual influences on adolescents' sexual behavior and the relationship between RSB and other problem behaviors. Data were previously collected from 998 adolescents and their families. First, I examined the level of agreement between adolescents' and parents' perceptions of family relationships, parental monitoring, and adolescents' friendships and which perceptions were more strongly related to adolescent problem behavior. Pearson bivariate correlations between parent and adolescent perceptions were small. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that adolescent report was a better predictor of problem behavior than was parent report. Second, I assessed whether positive family relations, parental monitoring, family conflict, and parent-adolescent communication about sex in earlier adolescence were related to RSB in later adolescence. Structural equation modeling results suggested that the timing and frequency of parent-adolescent communication about sex and parent monitoring in earlier adolescence were related to RSB in later adolescence among the sample as a whole; results varied somewhat by gender. Third, I examined participants' membership in four risk behavior groups in late adolescence (low problem behavior, RSB only, substance use only, and RSB plus substance use), identified family, peer, and individual factors that differentiated teens in each group, and explored differences by sex and ethnicity. Females were more likely than males to report engaging in a combination of RSB and patterned substance use, and African Americans of both sexes were more likely than European Americans to report engaging in RSB in the absence of other behaviors. The variable that most reliably distinguished among risk groups for both males and females was friend drug use in late adolescence. Discussion considers reasons for these findings and highlights the roles of parent monitoring, parent-adolescent communication about sex, and gender and sociocultural factors in RSB prevention. / Committee in charge: Ellen McWhirter, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Joe Stevens, Member, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership; Elizabeth Stormshak, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Anthony Biglan, Member, Not from U of O; Yvonne Braun, Outside Member, Sociology

This study focuses on the concept of resilience, and seeks to determine the nature, and role, of personal attributes in adolescents' ability to bounce back from life's blows, and continue determinedly along the path of self-actualisation. The personal attributes impacting on the ability to surmount life's challenges are delineated by an empirical study focussing on twenty learning-disabled adolescents, half of whom demonstrate resilience, and half of whom appear to have turned their backs on self-actualisation. The study aims to provide educational psychologists with an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of resilience, so that vulnerable youngsters might ultimately be therapeutically assisted to choose a more resilient attitude and behaviour. The results of the study delineate nine definite personal attributes which anchor resilience and promote self-actualisation, despite obstacle-ridden circumstances. Furthermore, results suggest that personal choice underlies resilience, implying that intervention targeted at inculcating resilience may well be a worthwhile exercise. / Psychology of Education / M.Ed.(Guidance and Counselling)

Si dans la littérature, quelques rares études ont analysé les aspects de genre dans les projets, il faut noter que la plupart d’entre elles ont mesuré le sexe assimilé au genre comme dans bien des travaux effectués dans l’organisation permanente. Pourtant étudier le projet sous l’angle du genre présente plusieurs intérêts. En effet le projet diffuse aujourd’hui bien loin de son berceau d’origine. Les pratiques liées à son management ont fortement évolué si bien qu’on retrouve de plus en plus de femmes dans l’approche managériale des projets (Neuhauser, 2007). Le projet échappe-t-il davantage à la culture organisationnelle ? Favorise-t-il le développement de nouvelles compétences managériales ? Dans tous les cas, nous reconsidérons, dans cette thèse, la question de genre et souhaitons répondre à la problématique suivante : quelle est l’influence du genre sur les situations de management de projet ? Plus particulièrement, notre objectif est de repérer les situations managériales potentiellement complexes, risquées ou improvisationnelles et d’analyser les effets de genre lorsque les acteurs travaillant en contexte de projet font face à de telles situations. / If in literature, very few researches have analyzed the gender aspects in the projects, it should be noted that most of them have measured gender equated with gender as in many work in the permanent organization. However, the study of the project under gender vision has several interests. In fact, nowadays, the project transmits so far from its starting point. Its management practices have so developed that women are more and more found in projects managerial approach (Neuhauser, 2007). Can we say that organizational culture does not deal more with the project ? Does the project encourage the development of new managerial skills? In any case, in this thesis, we deal with gender issue and we would like to answer to the following question : what is gender influence on project management situations ? In this research, our goal is to find complex, risked or improvisational possible managerial situations and analyze gender effects when actors involved in projects are obliged to cope with such situations.