To investigate the roles of different dorsal spinal pathways in controlling movements in rats, I performed lesions of specific spinal pathways and measured the behaviour abilities of rats using different sensorimotor behavioural tests. The first experiment was designed to understand the contribution of sensory pathways traveling in the dorsal funiculus during locomotion and skilled movements using sensitive behavioural tests. I demonstrated that ascending sensory fibers play an important role during overground locomotion and contribute to skilled forelimb movements. The second experiment compared the differences in sensorimotor abilities caused by dorsal funicular lesions performed at two different levels of rat spinal cord. My results showed that the pathways present in the cervical and thoracic dorsal funiculus exert different functional effects over control of limb movement during locomotion. The third experiment investigated the compensatory potential of dorsal funicular pathways after dorsolateral funicular injuries in rats. My results showed that dorsal funicular pathways do not compensate for loss of dorsolateral pathways during the execution of locomotor tasks, though there is indirect evidence that rats with dorsolateral funicular lesions might rely more on ascending sensory pathways in the dorsolateral funiculus during skilled forelimb movements. Finally, the fourth experiment was designed to investigate the compensation from dorsolateral funicular pathways after injuries to pyramidal tract in rats. I demonstrated that pathways running in the spinal dorsolateral funiculus do provide compensatory input to spinal circuitry to maintain skilled reaching abilities after lesions of the pyramidal tract but these same pathways do not appear to compensate during either overground locomotion or skilled locomotion. Thus, this compensatory response is task-specific. These results highlight the fact that behavioural context determines the nature of compensation from spared pathways after spinal cord injuries.

The purpose of this study was to determine factors influencing skilled delivery service utilisation in order to develop strategies to improve utilisation of skilled birth attendance service in North West Ethiopia. The objectives were to explore and describe the perceptions and experiences of the community regarding skilled utilisation of the birth attendance service; explore reasons for non-utilisation of skilled birth attendance service; asses the health system experience of provision of skilled birth attendance service; and formulate strategies to improve utilisation of skilled birth attendance service. The study employed a qualitative, descriptive, and explorative research design to address the research questions formulated by the researcher. The study used focus group discussion guide to obtain information from pregnant women and women who gave birth recently. Furthermore, the study used an interview guide to gather information from health extension workers, midwives, health centre heads, district health office technical experts and heads. It also employed and inductive thematic analysis approach to analyse the qualitative data. The study further used the Atlas ti version 7 for the data analysis. The steps followed for the analysis were data immersion, coding, displaying, reduction, and interpretation. Overall, nine themes emerged from the analysis of the data. Consequently, the researcher used the findings of the study to develop strategies to improve the utilisation of skilled birth attendance service. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Text in English, with Annexures in English and Amharic / Annexure 5 and Annexure 7 "Questionnaire for qualitative study" in English and Amharic / The Ministry of Health (MOH) and its partners are determined to prevent and manage preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in mothers, neonates and children. In the last decade, special emphasis has been given to increasing the number of health facilities that provide maternal and child health services (MNCH), huge production of skilled birth attendants (SBAs), and equipping the health facilities to improve the utilisation of quality services. This study investigated the community perspectives of health service utilisation and proposes a framework for improving the utilisation of the available SBA and postnatal care (PNC). PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for the utilisation of skilled care for delivery and postnatal care by women of childbearing age (15-45). METHODOLOGY The study used a Sequential explanatory Mixed Methods Approach to investigate the utilisation of SBA and PNC in a district in Ethiopia. The Delphi Technique helped to solicit input from maternal health care experts on the development of a Framework for utilisation of SBA and PNC. This study utilised the Anderson Health Utilisation Model. RESULTS In the study, 79.8% of the women who delivered within 12 months prior to this study received ANC from SBA. Baby care and PNC for the mother and baby received from SBA were at 248 (71.5%), 55 (15.8%), and 131 (38%) respectively. The study further found that women who can read and write and were educated are more likely to utilise SBA and receive quality health care services. The study showed that certain factors such as disrespecting service users, abusing service users’ lack of trust on the SBA by service users, religion and superstition contribute negatively to the use of SBAs. None of the predisposing, enabling and need factors predicted the use of SBA for PNC by the mothers. Nevertheless, through the focus group discussions (FGDs) and individual interviews (IDI), it was revealed that there was a widespread knowledge and perception gaps in the community related to the importance of postnatal period and PNC. Religious sanctification also have imperative role in hampering PNC service use by the mothers. The Health care workers (HCWs) also lacked the keenness and orientation to provide the service. Babies born from families with monthly income equal to 500 or above USD were more likely to use PNC within 45 days. There was a widespread misconception in the community that Babies do not need PNC before 45 days of birth except for vaccination purpose. CONCLUSION To examine their role in health service utilisation for SBA and PNC, researches can integrate social support and social network to the Andersen’s health-service utilisation model. A framework for utilisation of SBA and PNC is proposed. The researcher recommends developing an utilisation tool kit that specifies the detail operationalisation of the framework. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

The researcher of this study " Indian Migrants and Self-Initiated Expatriates in the host Countries: the Focus on Social Support" the whole study about the Indian expatriates who are living in the United Kingdom and the main goal of this research is to predict how successful the Indian expatriates in their settling process in the UK and the focus of social supports. The sample includes both Self-initiated expatriates ( SIE's) and Assigned Expatriates(AE's). SIE's expatriates are Indian students who are studying in the UK and the AE's expatriates are the company assigned Indian full-time employees. Social support includes briefly the overall host country support provided for Indian expatriates in the host country. Social support is measured in three broader dimensions pertinent to Waxin cross-cultural adjustment model (2006), likely perceived organizational support, individual self-motivation, and contextual support, includes family support and host country environment. (Navas et al, 2005) classified six relevant contexts of acculturation of expatriates in a foreign country, which emphasize, politics and government, organizational work-related adjustments, economic perspective, family relations; social relations and ideology, which includes religious belief and customs. The structure of the thesis covers extensive theoretical part based on the intense review of literature in the field of expatriation, cross-cultural studies, information on this context about the United Kingdom and India and final part includes practical data analysis, business cases and recommendation for the future research.

Thesis (MDF)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / For many years, people have migrated to other parts of their countries or across national borders. The reasons for the phenomenon of migration are many. People tend to migrate from poorer regions or countries to those that are comparatively better than their places of origin. Migration affects both host and destination countries in many ways. While there is evidence to support positive effects from migrations, mostly in developed countries, there is ongoing debate in most developing countries as to the effect of this phenomenon of migration. Immigrants are often associated with negative effects in destination countries. The purpose of this research is to determine the contribution of skilled professional immigrants to the South African economy. This report will narrow its focus to a case study of the contribution of skilled professionals in the health and higher education sectors but will also take a cursory look at the broad effects of other immigrant categories in South Africa. This research report focused on selected sectors of the South African economy since 1994 and found enough evidence to conclude that immigrants contribute positively to the South African economy. This is contrary to commonly held assumptions that foreign immigrants negatively affect the South African economy. However, this research only focused on the higher education and health sectors. A broader understanding of the effects of immigrants on the South Africa economy therefore requires further investigation.

M.Comm. / The general conclusion arrived at in this dissertation is that the quality of infrastructure in South Africa has resulted in a large and increasing inflow of students from the other African countries. The ensuing influx of international students has been sustained through the activities of networks based on kin, acquaintance and the support of the source country governments. This has resulted in a large inflow of foreign revenue and growth of employment opportunities and income for South Africa. Although the revenue from the inflow of international students in South Africa is impressive, it is still trivial in comparison to what other countries such as the USA, the UK, Australia and China receive. Another advantage is that the presence of international students offers a potential boost to the skills shortage in South Africa. The direct benefits from international students to South Africa have the capacity to be further enhanced but a proper policy for facilitating such inflow is lacking. Certain administrative processes and practices in South Africa aggravate the situation. These procedures include visa application difficulties, university registration bureaucracy, and police behaviour. Worse still, crime and xenophobia in South Africa are common and they present some of the greatest threats to the continued inflow of international students.

Au Canada et au Québec, au cours des années 2000, la migration des travailleurs qualifiés originaires d’Amérique du Sud a connu une croissance très rapide. Pourtant, ce flux migratoire et sa composante féminine ne semblent pas avoir fait l’objet d’une lecture sociologique. Ce travail vise à combler quelques lacunes dans ce domaine des connaissances, en examinant le processus d’intégration économique d’immigrantes d’origine sud-américaine arrivées durant cette décennie. L’étude comprend l’analyse de 16 cas de femmes originaires de divers pays d’Amérique du Sud qui ont un diplôme universitaire ou l’équivalent, qui avaient déjà une expérience de travail dans leur pays d’origine et qui possèdent une bonne maîtrise de la langue française. Les questions qui guident cette recherche dépassent l’aspect statistique ou sociodémographique d’un groupe non étudié dans le contexte canadien. Le but principal de ce mémoire consiste à examiner l’importance d’une variété de ressources culturelles et symboliques qui sont déployées tout au long du processus d’intégration socioéconomique par des immigrantes sud-américaines de la catégorie des « travailleurs qualifiés » dans le contexte montréalais. Dans ce but, l’étude analyse comment les ressources acquises dans la société d’origine ont des impacts sur le parcours professionnel de ces femmes, en leur permettant de définir des stratégies d’intégration sur le marché du travail dans la société réceptrice. L’analyse se déploie à partir de la problématisation des facteurs construits socioculturellement comme catégories de structuration et de hiérarchisation qui, selon le contexte, définissent la position sociale et qui, à travers l’expérience, expliquent la position situationnelle des immigrantes sud-américaines. L’accès, l’utilisation et la mobilisation des ressources pour définir des stratégies d’intégration socioprofessionnelle sont analysés à partir de quatre axes : l’expérience, la dimension intersubjective, le contexte institutionnel et organisationnel, et finalement, la dimension représentationnelle. / During the beginning of the 21st century the migration of skilled workers from South America to Canada and Quebec has grown very fast. However, this migration and its female component do not appear to have been the subject of a sociological reading. This work aims to fill some gaps in this subject by examining the process of economic integration of South American female immigrants who have arrived in Canada in this last decade. The study includes the analysis of 16 cases of women from various South American countries, specifically women who have a university degree or equivalent, who have working experience in their country of origin and who have a good knowledge of French. The questions guiding this research go beyond the statistical or socio-demographics analysis of a group not studied before in the Canadian context. The central aim of this work is to examine the importance of a range of cultural and symbolic resources that are deployed in the process of the socio-economic integration of South American female immigrants in Montreal who arrived into the category of "skilled workers.” With this aim, the study analyzes how the cultural and symbolic resources acquired in the society of origin can affect the success of these women by allowing them to define strategies of labour market integration in the receiving society. In considering the original and host societies as the social referents, this study offers an understanding of the importance of both the context and the personal experience that will impact directly on the career paths of female skilled immigrants in the post-migratory context. The analysis extends from the study of factors constructed as socio-cultural and hierarchical categories which, depending on the context, defines the social position and through experience, defines the situational position of immigrants. The access, use and mobilization of resources to develop strategies of socio-professional integration are analyzed from four axes : the experiential, the inter-subjective, the organizational and the representational dimensions.

Les études portant sur l’adéquation entre le niveau de formation des individus et celui requis pour l’emploi occupé se sont peu attardées à la dimension temporelle de cette relation. De plus, peu ont abordé la question chez les immigrants canadiens, et de surcroît chez les travailleurs immigrants sélectionnés du Québec. Une seule étude abordant le sujet sous un angle longitudinal a été recensée et se limite à l’accès des travailleurs qualifiés à un premier emploi correspondant à leur niveau de compétences. Cette thèse cherche à aller au-delà des premières transitions sur le marché du travail et vise à mieux comprendre l’évolution de la relation formation-emploi au fil du temps d’établissement. Plus spécifiquement, l’objectif y est de mieux circonscrire l’évolution de la relation formation-emploi au cours des premières années suivant l’arrivée du migrant, d’en identifier les déterminants, mais également de voir l’impact de cette relation sur d’autres dimensions de la qualité de l’emploi : le statut socioéconomique et le salaire. Afin de mieux comprendre les déterminants de l’occupation d’emplois correspondant à son niveau de compétences et d’emplois pour lesquels l’individu est suréduqué ainsi que leur impact respectif sur le statut d’emploi et le salaire, cette thèse considère l’apport de théories sociologiques et économiques. D’une part, différentes théories s’opposent quant au caractère temporaire ou permanent de la suréducation. Ce faisant, elles soulèvent l’impact potentiel des expériences en emploi passées sur le parcours futur et la nécessité d’une vision longitudinale de l’insertion professionnelle. D’autre part, d’autres approches soulèvent, en plus des déterminants individuels, le rôle du contexte social et institutionnel dans lequel l’individu s’insère. Ces différentes approches trouvent écho dans la perspective empirique du parcours de vie qui permet de considérer l’interrelation entre des facteurs micro, méso et macro sociaux et de se représenter les parcours biographiques au fil du temps. L'Enquête sur les travailleurs sélectionnés (ETS) a rendu possible l'étude des parcours en emploi de cette catégorie d'immigrant sélectionnée en fonction de son potentiel d'insertion à la société québécoise dans la mesure où celle-ci comporte à la fois des données administratives sur la situation prémigratoire des travailleurs immigrants, de même que de l'information datée sur chacun des emplois occupés après la migration. L’analyse a été effectuée en trois temps soit : une description du lien entre le niveau de formation et l’emploi, l’étude des déterminants de la relation formation-emploi et finalement, l’étude des salaires et effet de la relation formation-emploi sur ceux-ci. Chacun de ces trois volets est présenté sous forme d’articles soumis pour publication. Les résultats montrent que la proportion d’individus occupant des emplois correspondant à leur niveau de compétences augmente avec le temps passé dans la société d’accueil. Cependant, la suréducation demeure un phénomène présent chez la catégorie des travailleurs immigrants sélectionnés. À ce titre, les premières expériences en emploi sont déterminantes dans la mesure où elles ont un impact non seulement sur l’évolution de la relation formation-emploi, mais également sur les salaires et les statuts des emplois décrochés par les nouveaux arrivants. La grille de sélection, élément central du processus par lequel un candidat peut devenir immigrant au Québec, à travers les attributs des individus qu’elle retient, contribue aussi à façonner les parcours en emploi. La région de provenance des immigrants distingue également les immigrants entre eux, toutes choses égales par ailleurs. La majorité des groupes sont désavantagés lorsqu’ils sont comparés à leurs compatriotes de l’Europe de l’Ouest et des États-Unis, et ce désavantage perdure au fil des années. Cette thèse a démontré que l’insertion professionnelle et la relation formation-emploi sont des sujets se devant d’être abordés sous un angle longitudinal pour bien saisir la complexité des processus à l’œuvre. Au niveau social, les analyses auront permis de montrer l’importance de se pencher sur les services offerts aux immigrants pour les aider dans leur insertion professionnelle, surtout dans un contexte où des départs à la retraite massifs et des pénuries de main-d'œuvre qualifiée sont à prévoir. / Studies on the adequacy between the level of education of individuals and that required for the job held have rarely addressed the temporal dimension of this relationship. Moreover, few have addressed the issue among Canadian immigrants, and fewer still for skilled workers in Quebec. One study examining the subject from a longitudinal perspective has been identified, but is limited to the access of skilled workers to a first job corresponding to their skill level. This thesis seeks to go beyond the first transitions to the labour market and aims to better understand the evolution of the relationship between education and employment over the course of settlement. More specifically, the objective is to better define the progression of this relationship during the first years after the migrant’s arrival, to identify its determinants, but also to see the impact of this relationship on other dimensions of job quality: socio-economic status and salary. This thesis considers the contribution of sociological and economic theories in order to better understand the determinants of having jobs that match one’s level of skills and jobs for which the individual is over-educated, as well as their respective impacts on employment status and salary. On the one hand, various theories disagree regarding the temporary or permanent nature of over-education. In so doing, they highlight the potential impact of past job experiences on the job course and the need for a longitudinal view of labour market integration. On the other hand, other approaches underline, in addition to individual determinants, the role of the social and institutional context in which the individual belongs. These different approaches are reflected in the empirical perspective of the life course that allows us to consider the interrelationship between micro, meso and macro social factors and to represent individual histories through time. Data from the "Enquête sur les travailleurs sélectionnés" (ETS) includes both administrative data on the pre-migration situation of immigrant workers, as well as information on each job held after migration, making possible the study of pathways into employment for this immigrant category which is selected based on its potential for integration into Quebec society. The analysis was conducted in three phases, including a description of the relationship between educational attainment and employment, the study of the determinants of the education-job relationship and finally, the study of wages and the effect of the education-job relationship on them. Each of these three components is presented in the form of articles ready to be submitted for publication. The results show that the proportion of individuals in jobs that match their skill level increases with time spent in the host society. However, over-education is a phenomenon present among the skilled worker immigration category. As such, the first job experiences are critical since they have an impact not only on the evolution of the relationship between education and employment, but also on wages and the socio-economic status of jobs obtained by new immigrants. The selection grid, a central element of the process through which a candidate can become an immigrant in Quebec, also helps shape the job course through the attributes of the individuals that it retains. Region of origin distinguishes immigrants as well, all things being equal. Most groups are disadvantaged when compared to their counterparts from Western Europe and the United States, and this disadvantage persists over the years. This thesis has shown that economic integration and the education-job relationship are topics to be addressed from a longitudinal perspective in order to understand the complexity of the processes at work. At the social level, analyses have demonstrated the importance of looking at the services offered to immigrants to help them establish economically, especially in a context where retirements and massive labour shortages are expected to happen.

La politique d’intégration de l’Union européenne offre de nouvelles possibilités aux travailleurs migrant dans le marché interne. Néanmoins, et malgré toutes les stratégies européennes, des entraves à l’intégration semblent persister. Comment peut-on repenser l’intégration à l’heure de la crise de légitimité de l’Europe ? Derrière ces défis nous retrouvons la manière dont les uns perçoivent les autres. Le stéréotype, largement médiatisé du « plombier polonais » nous en donne ici un exemple. Ce symbole du dumping social est apparu en France en 2005 à la veille du référendum sur le traité constitutionnel européen. Il incarnait l’angoisse de la société occidentale devant le flux migratoire de l’Europe de l’Est menaçant les postes de travail. Dès lors, nous pouvons nous poser la question suivante : qui est ce travailleur immigré ? Ce stéréotype affecte-t-il l’intégration des travailleurs européens en France aujourd’hui ? Nous nous focaliserons sur les obstacles à l’intégration européenne. L’objet de cette recherche consiste en particulier à étudier les représentations sociales et leurs impacts sur les pratiques sociales, ce qui distingue notre recherche d’autres études sur la migration et l’intégration. Nous proposons dans notre démarche de nous placer du point de vue de l’individu. Notre attention se porte sur les immigrés polonais en France employés dans les métiers peu qualifiés et leur expérience migratoire face aux stéréotypes. Nous saisirons les éventuels stéréotypes présents chez les clients, les collègues ou les employeurs français en examinant le discours et le vécu de l’immigré polonais. Puis, à travers les représentations sociales nous souhaitons identifier les conséquences des politiques de l’Union européenne sur le monde du travail. Ainsi, notre recherche implique trois dimensions afin de comprendre l’univers des représentations étudiées et leur impact sur l’intégration : le travailleur polonais vis-à-vis du milieu polonais en France, le travailleur polonais vis-à-vis de la société française et le travailleur polonais vis-à-vis de l’Union européenne. Cette analyse relève deux points capitaux : l’ouverture du marché et des frontières a provoqué un changement de conscience des Polonais en œuvrant à l’émergence d’un sentiment d’égalité et de liberté ; la possibilité d’un choix permet à l’immigré de construire un projet pour l’avenir, en France ou en Pologne, qui détermine la motivation à s’adapter et à s’intégrer à la société hôte. / The European Union integration policy offers new opportunities for its citizens in the community labour market. Nevertheless, despite all EU strategies to achieve it, resistance to European integration is inevitable. It is important to ask the question of whether or not problems concerning EU integration can be solved during current crises in Europe. One of the most important reasons for resistance to integration may be due to the way different EU member state populations perceive one another in a social context. The stereotype of the "Polish plumber", one that was widely propagated by the French media, gives us one such example. This symbol of social dumping appeared first in France in 2005, just before the referendum on EU Constitution. Behind this depiction, is the western EU’s anxiety of mass immigration from EU Central and Eastern European member states. Here it is important to closely examine the European immigrants and whether or not the societal portrayal of them has had an effect on their societal integration in France today. We focus on the obstacles of the European integration. The purpose of this research is particularly to study social representations and their impact on social practices, which distinguish our analysis from other migration and integration studies. The worker’s own perception of himself within French society should be taken into consideration as a response to the supranational structure of the European Union. The focus of this research will be placed on Polish immigrants in France who are entirely employed in low-skilled labour and the stereotypes they currently face. The stereotypes of Polish workers in France are then tabled and analysed in order to better understand the impact certain stereotypes and depictions have on the process of integration into French society. This research will also identify the societal consequences that certain EU policies have had as well on integration. The research involves three different approaches in order to understand the power of social representations and their impact on the integration process: a Polish worker and the Polish social circle in France, a Polish worker and the French society and a Polish worker and the European Union. Our analysis identifies two crucial points: the European market and the borders opening caused the Polish workers’ consciousness changing towards the emergence of a sense of equality and freedom; the possibility of choice allows the Polish immigrant to construct a project for the future, in France or in Poland, which determines the motivation to adapt and to integrate into the host society.

Infant mortality (IM) incidence in health facility systems during or after infant delivery is substantially high in Nigeria. In this quantitative, cross-sectional study, the effects of skill birth attendants (SBAs), prenatal care, and providers of prenatal care on IM in health facility delivery centers were examined. The Mosley and Chen theoretical framework informed this study and was used to explain the relationship between SBAs, prenatal care, and providers of prenatal care and IM. One hundred and sixty infant deaths were examined among mothers who used an SBA versus those who did not, mothers who had prenatal care versus those without, and mothers who received prenatal care from a health facility versus traditional providers. The 2014 verbal and social autopsy secondary data set was analyzed using binary logistic regression technique. There was no significant difference in risk of IM between mothers who had SBA during infant delivery in health facility compared to those without SBA during delivery. Mothers who received prenatal care had a significant higher risk of infant death in a health facility compared to those that did not receive prenatal care. Mothers who received prenatal care from traditional providers did not have a statistically significant risk of IM compared to mothers who received prenatal care from a health facility. The findings could have positive social change implications by encouraging multilevel public health stakeholders to support and promote the use of health surveillance in understanding the barriers and challenges of health facility delivery practices, prenatal care, and use of SBA as it relates to IM to facilitate policy change in maternal and infant care practices in Nigeria.