The increase in certified sickness absence recorded in most European countries during the last decade is of increasing concern to public health agencies. While sickness absence can promote rest and recovery from illness, it may also have negative consequences, including increased risks of inactivity and isolation, poorer quality of life and increased uptake of health services. In the Republic of Ireland (ROI) sickness certification is part of General Practitioners’ (GPs’) contractual service to the Department of Social Protection (DSP). Sickness certificates are also issued to patients as evidence of illness for employment purposes. There is limited research exploring GPs certifying practices in the Republic of Ireland. The aim of the thesis was to explore perspectives on sickness certification in general practice in Ireland. The data collection consisted of three stages. Study 1 consisted of in depth individual interviews with 14 GPs across 11 primary care practices in Ireland. Study 2 was based on an on-line questionnaire survey using a number of vignettes with 62 GPs working in primary healthcare. Finally, study 3 consisted of a focus group conducted with eight GPs in a large urban practice in Ireland. Qualitative analysis was conducted in vivo using content and simple thematic analysis techniques. Quantitative data was analysed by descriptive and inferential statistics using PASW version 18 statistical software. Combined results indicate that GPs can find their role as certifiers’ problematic and a source of conflict during the consultation process with patients. GPs concerns are with breaching patient confidentiality and in particular disclosing illness to employers. They reported feeling inadequate in dealing with some cases requesting sickness leave, including certification for adverse social circumstances and they felt a need for better communication between themselves, employers and relevant government departments. Willingness to issue a sickness cert may be influenced by the nature of the patient’s presenting problem. A psychological problem generated greater belief that patients were unfit for work, and GPs were more sympathetic and showed greater satisfaction with the decision they had made to certify these patient in comparison to patients with a physical problem. Average sickness certification periods were longer in cases of psychological nature (1-2 weeks) in comparison to the physical complaint (4-7days). Overall GPs displayed a negative feeling towards prescribing sickness leave and there was a perception that sickness certificates were being used by employers as a management tool in controlling absenteeism. GPs also mentioned cultural factors in work place absenteeism and lack of rehabilitative pathway as impacting on sickness certification practices in Ireland. Issuing a sickness certificate appears influenced by medical and non-medical factors. Potential exists for improving the system, but requires significant engagement with other stakeholders such as employers and social benefit agencies. Focus should be placed on referral and rehabilitative pathways for patients to ensure appropriate certification and early return to work.

African horse sickness virus (AHSV), a member of the Orbivirus genus within the Reoviridae family, causes an acute disease in horses with a high mortality rate. AHSV encodes four nonstructural proteins (NS1, NS2, NS3/NS3A), whose functions in the viral life cycle are not fully understood. The NS1 protein is the most abundantly expressed viral protein during AHSV infection and forms tubular structures within the cell cytoplasm. No function has been ascribed to these tubules to date, although it has been suggested that they may play a role in cellular pathogenesis. Studies aimed at understanding the function of NS1 have been hampered by the lack of a suitable reverse genetics system for AHSV. However, the phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as a powerful tool whereby the function of individual genes can be studied. In mammalian cells, RNAi can be triggered by exposing cells to double-stranded RNA either via exogenous delivery of chemically synthesized small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) or endogenous expression of short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs). Consequently, the aim of this investigation was to develop a plasmid DNA vector-based RNAi assay whereby expression of the AHSV-6 NS1 gene could be suppressed in BHK-21 cell culture with shRNAs directed to the NS1 gene. To investigate, complementary oligonucleotides corresponding to selected AHSV-6 NS1 gene sequences were chemically synthesized, annealed and cloned into the pSUPER shRNA delivery vector under control of the RNA polymerase III H1 promoter. The plasmid DNA vector-expressed shRNAs targeted sequences within the NS1 gene corresponding to nucleotides 710 to 728 (shNS1-710) and 1464 to 1482 (shNS1-1464), respectively. A NS1- eGFP chimeric gene was constructed and used towards establishing a simple assay whereby the gene silencing efficiency of different RNAi effector molecules could be evaluated by analysis of the protein level visually and quantitatively by fluorometry. The effect of the NS1- directed shRNAs on AHSV-6 NS1 protein expression was subsequently evaluated by cotransfection of BHK-21 cells with the respective recombinant pSUPER shRNA delivery vectors and the NS1 reporter plasmid pCMV-NS1-eGFP. The results indicated that shNS1- 710 and shNS1-1464 suppressed NS1-eGFP expression by 19% and 9%, respectively. The potential of the NS1-directed shRNAs to suppress NS1 mRNA expression was investigated by transfection of BHK-21 cells with the respective recombinant pSUPER shRNA delivery vectors, followed by transfection with the recombinant mammalian expression vector pCMVNS1 or infection with AHSV-6. Results obtained by semi-quantitative real-time PCR assays indicated that both NS1-directed shRNAs interfered with NS1 mRNA expression, albeit to different extents in the respective assays. Taken together, these results demonstrated that AHSV-6 NS1 gene expression can be suppressed in BHK-21 cells by plasmid DNA vectorderived shRNAs and suggests that this approach may, with further optimization, be useful in determining the function of the NS1 protein in virus-infected cells. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Microbiology and Plant Pathology / unrestricted

The aim of the thesis is to evaluate selected social security systems in Sweden and France. It is conducted through comparative analysis of sickness and family benefits. Document is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the theoretical introduction of the concept of social security and the definition of terms such as social security or social policy. The second chapter is dedicated to the Swedish social security. It contains a description of the basic characteristics of the Swedish social security and deep study of the sickness and family benefits. Chapter three uses the same structure as the previous chapter but with a focus on France. The fourth chapter compares the historical context of social systems, specifies significant differences in sickness and family benefits, the concept of family policy and gender equality in both countries.

During the nineteenth century, as today, nausea and vomiting were common signs and symptoms of illness, the interpretation of which contributed to doctors' diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic choices. At the core of this thesis lies the research question: how did medical understandings and management of nausea and vomiting change in the period 1800-1900? In addition to being signs of bodily disorder, nausea and vomiting constituted an individual, typically non-medicalised experience of sickness. As such, a secondary thesis question is: how were nausea and vomiting experienced, interpreted and responded to by sufferers? These questions are pursued through four key themes: physiology, vomit analysis, morning sickness and sea-sickness. Medical textbooks, journals, hospital case reports, newspapers, letters and diaries are the principal source base. Throughout the nineteenth century physiological explanations for nausea and vomiting followed a generally reductionist path. In the 1830s Marshall Hall's reflex theory encouraged new perceptions of the nervous mechanisms involved in nausea and vomiting, and helped stimulate their redefinition into local, central and peripheral causes. Changing physiological explanations for nausea and vomiting were also contemporaneous to the growth of microscopy. This thesis draws attention to the interest nineteenth-century practitioners showed in using vomited matters as pathological fluids. This is explored primarily through a case study of sarcina ventriculi, a vegetable microorganism discovered in fermenting vomit. Responses to this discovery showed that laboratory techniques were largely inapplicable to everyday occurrences of nausea and vomiting. Consequently, neither the increasing localisation of the causes of vomiting, nor interest in vomited matters as pathological fluids, contributed to specificity in diagnoses or treatments. This research thereby demonstrates the cumulative and overlapping nature of nineteenth-century medical cosmologies - 'bedside', 'hospital' and 'laboratory' - and the continuation of the 'clinical art'. The histories of morning sickness and sea-sickness contextualise medical understandings of nausea and vomiting in relation to these transient conditions. They bring to the fore perceptions of health and sickness and show that medical theory was often secondary to cultural beliefs and practices. Specifically, this thesis questions the medicalisation of pregnancy during the nineteenth century and uses experiences of sea-sickness to reveal new features of Victorian understandings of the mind-body relationship. This thesis shows that 'feeling sick' (nausea) was arguably as significant to contemporaries as actually 'being sick' (vomiting). It also confirms the complexity and fluidity of taken-for-granted terms such as: 'patient', 'sufferer', 'disease', 'illness' 'sign' and 'symptom', and, of course, 'sick'. Furthermore, it demonstrates the importance to historians of studying everyday, self-limiting illnesses and morbidity.

Ce travail cherche à faire le lien entre deux « pensées » littéraires, celles de deux écrivains italiens majeurs du début du XXe siècle, dont les ressemblances multiples mettent en valeur aussi les dissemblances. Il s'articuleautour d'un problème précis, à savoir celui du personnage romanesque, de sa crise, de sa remise en question, rejoignant ainsi une des problématiques cruciales du roman du XXe siècle dans la culture européenne. Ce type de personnage – exclu, exilé de la réalité – révèle la fragilité de l'accord entre l'être et le monde. Ainsi les auteurs étudiés – Pirandello et Svevo – posent la question de la construction, et à travers elle, de la déconstruction de ces « êtres de papier » que sont les personnages. Chez eux, en effet, les traits du personnage ne sont pas livrés d'emblée, mais ils sont construits par le déroulement du texte. Mais en même temps, leur aventure humaine les expose aux pires dangers, rendant incertaine leur identité, difficile, voire impossible leur rapport au monde. D’où un processus de dé-structuration et parfois d’anéantissement qui les frappe. C’est pourquoi (à l’exception des personnages féminins de Pirandello) ils trouvent refuge dans la maladie, la folie, les rêveries, voire dans la négation de la réalité. / This work tries to make a connection between two literary “thoughts” of two major Italian writers of the 20th century whose similarities bring out the dissimilarities. It presents us with a precise subject; that of the novelistic character, his crisis and the soul searching he does. Then, this matter emphasizes one of the crucial issues of 20th century novel in European culture. This sort of character – excluded, having cut himself from reality – reveals the fragility of the agreement between human being and the world. Thus, the writers we study – Pirandello and Svevo – raise the question of the making and through it, that of the deconstruction of these “men of paper” who are the characters. Pirandello’s and Svevo’s character is not disclosed at once but is gradually structured in the novel. Nevertheless, their human adventure put them at risk, turning their identity uncertain, making their relationship with the world difficult or even unbearable. That results in a process of deconstruction and sometimes of destruction of which they become the victims. That’s why (apart from Pirandello’s femalecharacters) they take refuge in sickness, in madness, in delusion or even in the negation of reality.

Novel vaccine strategies for the presentation of immunologically important epitopes to the immune system are continuously being developed. Two such systems include the particulate protein and live viral vector delivery systems. In his study the long-term objective is to explore the African horsesickness virus (AHSV) serotype 9 viral protein 7 (VP7) and the Lumpy skin disease (LSDV) viral vector as two different vaccine strategies, particularly in view of the development of an HIV-1 vaccine. Consequently two very specific objectives were outlined in this study. The first was to express the HIV¬1 subtype C strain Du 151 gp41 epitopes ALDSWK and RVLAIERYLKD on the surface of the AHSV-9 VP7 particulate protein crystalline structures. A longer-term aim is to synthesise large quantities of these chimeric VP7 crystals in order to assess the immune response against the inserted epitopes. Secondly, the efficiency of the LSDV bi-directional promoter pA7LA8R in expressing chimeric VP7 proteins was to be evaluated by utilising the late element of this promoter to determine expression levels. Nucleotide sequences encoding the ALDSWK and RVLAIERYLKD epitopes were amplified from the HIV-1 subtype C strain Du 151 gp160 gene utilising PCR. These sequences were cloned individually as well as in combination into a multiple cloning site (549-566bp) present in the AHSV-9 VP7 gene. Recombinant pFASTBAC vectors PFASTBAC-VP7-MT 177-RVLAIERYLKD, PFASTBAC-VP7-MT 177-ALDSWK AND PFASTBAC-VP7-MT-177-RVLAIERYLKD-ALDSWK were identified, sequenced and used in the generation of recombinant baculoviruses utilising the BAC-to-BAC™ Baculovirus expression system. Expression of all three chimeric proteins, VP7-ALDSWK, VP7-RVLAIERYLKD and VP7- RVLAIERYLKD-ALDSWK was detected in infected Sf9 insect cells utilising SDS-PAGE. Further investigations will involve high-level expression of these proteins, which in turn will allow their characterisation as well as solubility, scanning electron and immunogenicity studies. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the LSDV bi-directional promoter, the AHSV-9 VP7 gene was cloned under the control of the late element (pA7L) of this promoter. The recombinant pHSsgpt-VP7 transfer vector was subsequently transfected into lamb testis cells infected with wild type LSDV in order to generate recombinant LSDV-VP7. Several rounds of recombinant virus selection in the presence of mycophenolic acid resulted in the loss of the LSDV-VP7 recombinant. Due to this unforeseen result, the expression of the VP7 protein from the late element of the pA7LA8R bi¬directional promoter could not be quantified and the efficiency of this promoter was not determined. The loss of LSDV recombinants, which contain a gene under the control of the late promoter element pA7L, has occurred previously and is suspected to be because of the instability of these recombinants. Due to the difficulties inherent in working with the LSDV viral vector delivery system, it has subsequently been decided to explore an alternate poxviral vector system. The focus in this study is now being shifted onto the promising Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) viral vector system. / Dissertation (MSc (Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Genetics / unrestricted

Motion sickness has been a significant obstacle for the development of Virtual Reality technology since the beginning of its existence. Research has shown that audio can be used to reduce motion sickness in VR. It has also been proven that binaural ambisonic audio can enhance a player’s feelings of immersion and spatial presence, which is known to correlate negatively with motion sickness. This study aims to determine if the application of spatialized binaural ambisonic audio in VR environments can make users feel less motion sick, by enhancing the feeling of presence, compared to environments that utilize regular stereo sound. To validate our hypothesis, two versions of the same VR environment were created: one with binaural ambisonic audio, and another with regular stereo audio. The data was collected with surveys that included both motion sickness-related and experience-related questions. The results indicate that binaural ambisonic audio helped to reduce motion sickness compared to regular stereo audio, even though testers did not show any clear preference for one type of sound over another. / Rörelsesjuka har utgjort ett allvarligt hinder för utveckling av virtual reality-teknologi  (VR) från dess tidigaste utvecklingsfas. Forskning har visat att ljud kan användas för reducering av rörelsesjuka i VR. Det har också påvisats att binauralt ambisoniskt ljud kan förstärka spelarens känsla av immersion och spatial närvaro, som har en negativ korrelation med rörelsesjuka. Denna studies syfte är att avgöra om  användning av spatialt binauralt ambisoniskt ljud i VR-miljö kan reducera användarens rörelsesjuka, genom att förstärka känslan av närvaro, till skillnad från miljöer där rådande stereoteknologi används. Hypotesen testades genom att två  versioner av samma VR-miljö skapades: ett med binauralt ambisonisk ljud och ett  med vedertaget stereoljud. Insamlad data genom ett frågeformulär inkluderade även frågor rörande rörelsesjuka och tidigare erfarenhet av VR. Resultatet indikerar att binauralt ambisoniskt ljud reducerar rörelsesjuka, till skillnad från stereoljud, trots att testpersonerna inte visade på en tydlig preferens för den ena eller den andra ljudtypen.

Background. Virtual reality (VR) technology has evolved to a stage where affordable consumer devices are available. Still, there are limitations to technology which causes compromises to be made. One of the big problems in VR is locomotion, especially regarding immersion and comfort. There are two common ways for locomotion in VR, Teleportation and smooth continuous locomotion. Smooth locomotion is often considered superior for immersion but commonly causes simulation sickness.Objectives. This paper is comparing two different methods of smooth locomotion, one based on head orientation and the other based on controller orientation. The objective is to determine which method is preferred regarding comfort, immersion and ease of use.Methods. To identify the strength and weaknesses of each method, a VR experiment was designed which simulates tasks common in video games. A comparative study was made with fifteen subjects.The fifteen participants performed tasks involving exploring a VR environment and using the VR controller to shoot at targets. After using each of the methods the subjects then answered questionnaires about the usability and the simulations sickness caused by the method. Other data was collected on how well the task was performed such as number of targets hit.Results. The users ranked controller orientation locomotion higher for perceived naturalness and likeability and was ranked lower for items relating to restrictiveness and difficulty. No significant difference was found regarding simulator sickness and performance.Conclusion. Controller orientation locomotion ranked at least as good or better than head orientation locomotion in all categories. This shows that it is the preferred orientation method in this use case where the application is similar to a first person shooter game.

Parasitic infections are ubiquitous in nature, and host-parasite dynamics can have powerful effects on wildlife populations. Many species have evolved behavioral responses to infection that can help mitigate damage from parasites. Anorexia is a common response to infection observed throughout the animal kingdom. Reducing nutrient intake can help shift host resources from digestion to immunity, as well as limit resources available to parasites. Reduced feeding can weaken the host, but in some host-parasite interactions, this cost is less than that of maintaining an infection. Here, I describe an experiment aimed to explore the effects of the parasitic nematode Aplectana hamatospicula on the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) across life stages. Tadpoles were exposed to A. hamatospicula larvae or a sham exposure and growth and behavior were quantified. After metamorphosis, the jumping performance of these frogs was assessed. I revealed that A. hamatospicula could infect and complete its lifecycle in tadpoles. This infection was unique in that it persisted through metamorphosis with the worm continuing to reproduce in the intestinal tract of the terrestrial frogs. These infections reduced the relative mass gain of tadpoles. However, post-metamorphic frogs were able to compensate for this lower growth when provided an ad libitum diet, and infection did not directly or indirectly impact jumping performance, perhaps because of this compensation. Tadpoles that prevented or cleared the infection had a higher rate of anorexia, suggesting that anorexia might be a successful disease-mitigation response to A. hamatospicula.

Obligations of the employer in sickness and pension insurance Abstract This thesis deals with the individual obligations of the employer in sickness and pension insurance. Sickness and pension insurance are two of the social insurance subsystems. The state does part of its responsibilities in this area through employers, as they have the easiest access to some information. Of course, the state could obtain information from the employees themselves, but this would represent a huge administrative burden on the state and a great logistical problem in how to actually obtain information from the employees. Obligations that an employer must fulfil may be difficult for a small employer who does not want to hire external companies to fulfil its obligations to the state and it can be almost impossible to fulfil all obligations properly. The most well-known obligations of employers, of which (perhaps) all citizen-employees know, are payments into the sickness and pension insurance system in the form of social security contributions. The employer pays the social security contributions for himself and his employees. However, this is certainly not the only obligation of employers. There are many more of obligations and they are regulated in various pieces of legislation. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to present...