Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The school environment presents a valuable opportunity for the identification, monitoring and support of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. Many children are caring for parents suffering from AIDS-related illnesses and/or they are the main breadwinner of the household. As a result of HIV/AIDS and poverty therefore, children might be dropping out of school, or their ability to perform adequately at school might be significantly reduced. The aim of this study was to use a case study approach to explore and describe support provision in a South African formal school, examining, in particular, the relative significance of leadership, organisational development and gender-related matters in addressing the needs of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and poverty. The availability and quality of this support is analysed within the context of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) transforming itself from a system focused on controlling schools to a system focused on supporting schools. The reflexive qualitative research approach was decided upon m order to describe and understand how, and to what extent, the teachers and the principal of a poverty-stricken primary school might benefit from the WCED's systemic change processes when addressing issues related to HIV/AIDS and poverty. The methodological rationale for this qualitative research approach forms part of a search for meaning within the cultural context(s) of the school in an effort to understand issues related to HIV/AIDS in schools. The research's second aim was to establish principles for an approach to educational support, which would be applicable in similar situations elsewhere. In the case study, the focus is on the WCED supporting the principal and teachers at a poverty-stricken primary school in carrying out their roles as leaders, teachers and caregivers. In order for the principal and teachers to provide quality support to the learners, they themselves need to receive appropriate forms of support from the education system. For this research to be contextually grounded, questions around HIV/AIDS and the growing number of orphans and vulnerable children in many communities were considered. One of the central questions was: How are the challenges of daily life in the running of a school met where issues related to poverty and health are dominant? Gender-based sexual violence and sexual abuse of children, as well as other social problems affecting learners in the school investigated for this thesis were included in the addressing of the main questions The complexity of the issues involved when exploring the research questions became increasingly more apparent during the research journey of this thesis. I experienced fully the potential of the case study to provide a 'thick' description and contribute significantly to an in-depth understanding of a complex phenomenon from a local and holistic perspective. I was able to focus on how the macro-narratives of support policy connected to the micro-narratives of teachers in primary schools. Based on the findings of the research, I concluded that the problems of HIV/AIDS-affected children, families and communities do not only overlap considerably with the problems related to poverty - a widely held view among researchers - but that poverty-related problems may, indeed, conceal the very existence of HIV/AIDS. The investigation shows that the wide-spread poverty affecting the case school learners, seems to have 'blinded' teachers in terms of 'seeing' the learner in a context of HIV/AIDS. This phenomenon in the case school was observed in spite of the HIV/AIDS Programme Coordinator claiming that the district's teachers had learned to 'see' the learner in ways which they had not prior to the introduction of the WCED's HIV/AIDS Life Skills Programme I trust that the different stakeholders within the field of education and HIV/AIDS will benefit from the findings and recommendations flowing from this investigation. First and foremost, I believe that the lessons learnt from the fieldwork, could be of use to South African stakeholders generally, and, in particular, to the Western Cape Education Department and those working as school support staff at district level (the EMDCs). The findings of the study may provide valuable feedback to the current practices of the school support structures, including the voluntary HIV/AIDS support structure, and form a basis for informed further action by the relevant government departments and other stakeholders in education. In this way, the thesis could contribute to improved formal school support provision in the context of HIV/AIDS, and therefore, serve to enhance the quality of education for all children.

MA (Youth in Development) / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / Commercial sex work (CSW) has turned out to be a subject of concern in most societies. CSW occurs in most countries of the world, and has existed since ancient times. Different nations have different viewpoints with regards to prostitution. In some nations it is illegal while in others it is legal. Prostitution is regarded as a social problem that offends culture, societal morals and values and leads to the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). In most studies about sex work, male counterparts receive little attention but they play a role in the industry. In light of the profiled background context of the problem, this study explored the experiences of female sex workers (FSWs) at Ngundu Growth Point in Zimbabwe. This study endeavored to examine the circumstances that drive women into CSW and the impact of prostitution on the wellbeing of FSWs. The study further examined the role played by government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and health professionals towards service delivery to CSWs. In order to understand the experiences of sex worker intersectionality and feminist standpoint theories were deployed. A case study approach involving Ngundu growth point in Masvingo was utilized. The choice of Ngundu emanated from the fact that it is located along the highway that connects South Africa with Zimbabwe, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo and as a result, it experiences varying prostitution encounters. Methodologically, the study followed a qualitative research path involving the use of open-ended interviews as data collection methods. A total of nine participants were interviewed that includes sex workers as well as the key informants. Data analysis was done using thematic analysis. The overall study finding was that prostitution at Ngundu is proliferating due to economic hardships where most people are unemployed and living in poverty. From the field interviews with those involved in the prostitution business, it emerged that the socioeconomic situation in the country is forcing women to be in the sex industry. The recommendation proffered is that is that the government should create employment opportunities for the people, open vocational training centres and there should be awareness campaigns targeting sex workers. / NRF

The background to this thesis is that we know very little about lesbian and bisexual women's sexual health in Sweden, particularly in relation to sexually transmitted infections (STI) and their transmissions. An internet-based questionnaire with self-selected participants targeted to the group WSW (Women who have Sex with Women) has been implemented. An international survey on the subject shows that the WSW has sexually transmitted infections. This is also in line with the results in this study. The most common sexually transmitted infection in the survey is chlamydia which 12.3 percent have had. This is a remarkably high figure in comparison with international studies. There are a number of barriers to WSW developing safer sex strategies. Many described a heteronormative response and very low level of knowledge in the health-care.Also WSW themselves have no or little knowledge on the subject. Prevention messages to the group, WSW is often about to use dental dams and very few in practice and in the case where it is used, it has only a very limited function. The majority of women in the study have had sexual contact with both men and women, this applies to both lesbian and bisexually women. In a theoretical analysis, it is possible to discern a conflict between the postmodern and the modern understanding of love and sexuality. This conflict does not exist only on an interpersonal / cultural level but also on a intrapsychic level of humans.

Das »Sächsische Aktionsprogramm zur HIV/AIDS- und STI-Bekämpfung« wurde erstmals im Jahr 2008 durch das Sozialministerium veröffentlicht. Im Jahr 2013 wurde das Programm überarbeitet und angepasst. Jetzt – 2023 – liegen das Sächsische Aktionsprogramm zu HIV / Aids und sexuell übertragbaren Infektionen – Maßnahmen, Handlungsfelder und Strategien, vor. Das Papier beinhaltet weiterhin Leitgedanken der Strategien des Bundes, angepasst an die Verhältnisse des Freistaates Sachsen. Die Inhalte wurden umfassend überarbeitet. Redaktionsschluss: 31.08.2023

Chlamydia trachomatis ist ein obligat intrazelluläres Humanpathogen, welches sich, nach der Einnistung in seiner Wirtszelle, innerhalb einer membranumhüllten Vakuole, der sogenannten Inklusion, befindet. Die Inklusionsmembran stellt dabei die primäre Kontaktfläche für Pathogen–Wirtszell-Interaktionen dar und definiert dadurch die Nische, in welcher sich die Bakterien vermehren können. Zum ersten Mal beschreiben wir in dieser Arbeit die Isolation und biochemische Charakterisierung der Inklusion von C. trachomatis, mittels herkömmlicher Organellaufreiniungsverfahren und massenspektrometrischer Proteomanalyse an einem zentralen Zeitpunkt der Infektion. Die relative Quantifizierung von Proteinen mittels stabiler isotopenmarkierter Aminosäuren in Zellkultur (SILAC) und die zusätzliche markierungsfreie Quantifizierung erlaubten uns die Darstellung dieses subzellulären Proteoms mit hohem Konfidenzniveau. Mithilfe dieser Methoden haben wir über dreihundert Wirtszellproteine identifiziert und quantifiziert, welche noch nicht als inklusionslokalisiert bekannt waren. Die globale Analyse dieser Daten bestätigte die Rekrutierung vieler Proteine, welche in verschiedenen Membrantransportwegen involviert sind. Zudem fanden sich viele Proteine des retrograden Transportweges, welcher bislang nicht im Zusammenhang mit Chlamydien-Infektionen untersucht wurde. Die detaillierte Analyse dieser Proteine zeigte, dass Sorting Nexine sehr spezifisch zur Inklusion rekrutiert werden. Zudem haben wir mithilfe des unlängst beschriebenen Inhibitors Retro-2 gezeigt, dass retrograder Transport essenziell für die effiziente intrazelluläre Replikation von C. trachomatis ist. Zusammengefasst haben wir eine große Anzahl zuvor unbekannter inklusionsassoziierter Proteine identifiziert und quantifiziert, und auf Basis unserer Daten schlagen wir den retrograden Transportweg als neues Potenzielles Angriffsziel von Therapeutika zur Behandlung von C. trachomatis Infektionen vor. / Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular human pathogen which, after invasion of its host cell, resides within a membrane bounded vacuole called the inclusion. The inclusion membrane represents the main host-pathogen interface of Chlamydiae and thereby defines the environment in which the bacteria thrive. Here we describe for the first time the isolation and biochemical characterization of the mid-infection inclusion of C. trachomatis using mass spectrometry based proteomics in combination with traditional organelle purification techniques. Relative quantification by Stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and additional label free quantification allowed the generation of a high confidence subcellular proteome. Using this approach, we were able to identify and quantify over three hundred host cell proteins that were not reported previously to be inclusion localized. By analyzing the obtained data on a global scale, we were able to confirm previous reports on the recruitment of proteins implied in several membrane trafficking pathways. Detailed analysis of proteins identified to be involved in retrograde trafficking, a pathway that has not been described previously in the context of chlamydial infections, showed that sorting nexins are specifically recruited to the inclusion. We furthermore identified retrograde trafficking to be essential for the efficient intracellular replication of C. trachomatis using the recently described inhibitor Retro-2, which drastically reduced bacterial progeny formation upon treatment. Taken together, we identified and quantified a large number of previously unknown inclusion associated proteins, and we propose retrograde trafficking as a novel potential drug target for the treatment of infections with C. trachomatis.

Vietnam is a populous nation experiencing rapid social and economic transition. These changes, in combination with the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, are compromising the reproductive health of young Vietnamese. Access to reliable reproductive health information is limited and social taboos prevent young people from talking openly about this topic. A huge number of young people living in Vietnam thus find themselves without access to relevant, accurate, non-threatening and unbiased information about sexuality and sexual health. The research outlined in this thesis approaches the issue of sexual health information provision for young people living in Vietnam from a participatory action research foundation. A key focus is investigation of the ways in which young people living in Vietnam can be included in the development of online sexual health communication tools by, for and about young Vietnamese. As part of this investigation, this thesis describes research conducted with young Vietnamese in Australia and Vietnam to identify and elucidate their reproductive health information needs, as situated within the contemporary Vietnamese socio-cultural context. The research was undertaken in order to determine how an online resource might meet these needs. This exploratory process involved the utilisation of a range of research methods to determine the website's optimal content, style, features and tone in relation to the Vietnamese context and requirements of its target users. It is hoped that the record of discovery resulting from this research journey will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on online health communication and participatory approaches to the development of context-sensitive health and behaviour-change communication.

Vietnam is a populous nation experiencing rapid social and economic transition. These changes, in combination with the spread of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV/AIDS, are compromising the reproductive health of young Vietnamese. Access to reliable reproductive health information is limited and social taboos prevent young people from talking openly about this topic. A huge number of young people living in Vietnam thus find themselves without access to relevant, accurate, non-threatening and unbiased information about sexuality and sexual health. The research outlined in this thesis approaches the issue of sexual health information provision for young people living in Vietnam from a participatory action research foundation. A key focus is investigation of the ways in which young people living in Vietnam can be included in the development of online sexual health communication tools by, for and about young Vietnamese. As part of this investigation, this thesis describes research conducted with young Vietnamese in Australia and Vietnam to identify and elucidate their reproductive health information needs, as situated within the contemporary Vietnamese socio-cultural context. The research was undertaken in order to determine how an online resource might meet these needs. This exploratory process involved the utilisation of a range of research methods to determine the website's optimal content, style, features and tone in relation to the Vietnamese context and requirements of its target users. It is hoped that the record of discovery resulting from this research journey will contribute to the existing body of knowledge on online health communication and participatory approaches to the development of context-sensitive health and behaviour-change communication.

La localisation précise des véhicules et la sécurité des échanges sont deux grands axes qui font la fiabilité des services fournis dans les systèmes de transport intelligent. Ces dernières années, elles font l’objet de nombreux projets de recherche pour des champs d’application divers. Dans cette thèse, le contexte d’application est la réalisation d’un service de télépéage utilisant la technologie ITS-G5. Cette technologie de communication sans-fil permet dans un premier temps le partage des informations de sécurité routière entre les véhicules (V2V), le véhicule et l’infrastructure (V2I). Dans cette thèse, on propose une architecture permettant d’échanger des transactions de télépéage utilisant les équipements communicants en ITS-G5 embarqués dans les véhicules connectés et les unités bord de route (UBR) de l’infrastructure. Les problématiques de nos travaux de recherche se concentrent sur la méthode de localisation des véhicules ayant effectué la transaction afin de pouvoir la valider et sur la sécurité de l’architecture proposée pour assurer l’échange de cette transaction. Afin de bien localiser les véhicules lors du passage au péage, notre approche propose la compréhension de la cinématique du véhicule par une modélisation adéquate à partir des données recueillies dans les messages coopératifs (CAM : Cooperative Awareness Message) en approche du péage. Cela améliorera les informations de géolocalisation déjà présentes. Notre objectif est d’arriver à une précision de moins d’un mètre pour distinguer 2 véhicules adjacents. D’autre part, le protocole de sécurité proposé permet d’assurer l’authentification des équipements participant à l’échange et à la validation de la transaction, l’intégrité des données échangées ainsi que la confidentialité des échanges compte tenu du contexte de communication sans-fil et de la sensibilité des données échangées. Une preuve de concept de la solution de télépéage utilisant la technologie ITS-G5 est développée et intègre nos deux contributions. / The precise localization of vehicles and the security of communication are requirements that make almost of the services provided in intelligent transport systems (ITS) more reliable. In recent years, they have been the subject of numerous research projects for various fields of application. In this thesis, the context is the development of an electronic toll service using the ITS-G5 technology. This wireless communication technology initially allows the sharing of traffic safety information between vehicles (V2V), vehicle and infrastructure (V2I). In our work, we propose a tolling application using equipment operating in ITS-G5 embedded in the connected vehicles and roadside units. For this, ensuring both precise geolocation of the vehicles and security of communication are required to validate the transaction.In order to properly locate the vehicles during the toll crossing, our approach is based on the understanding of the kinematics of the vehicle through a suitable modeling from the data collected in the cooperative messages (called CAM: Cooperative Awareness Message). This approach aims to improve the geolocation information already present in the message. Our goal is to achieve vehicle localization with an accuracy lower than one meter to distinguish two adjacent vehicles. On the other hand, the proposed tolling protocol ensures the authentication of the equipment or entities involved in the exchange and the validation of the transaction, the integrity of the transmitted data as well as the confidentiality of the communication. In this way, we take into account the context of the wireless communication and the sensitivity of the exchanged data. Our two contributions are integrated in the implemented Proof of Concept of the tolling application using the ITS-G5 technology.

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