A irradiação com laser de CO2 e o emprego de compostos fluoretados podem contribuir para que o esmalte do dente decíduo se torne mais resistente a desafios ácidos. Assim, o presente estudo tem por objetivo avaliar in vitro o efeito do laser de CO2 e de compostos fluoretados no controle da progressão de lesões de cárie em esmalte de dentes decíduos por meio da análise de microdureza subsuperficial. Foram utilizados 40 caninos humanos decíduos, dos quais foram obtidos fragmentos de 3x3x2 mm. Estes foram submetidos a desafio cariogênico inicial que consistiu na imersão em solução desmineralizadora por 3 horas e remineralizadora por 21 horas, durante 5 dias. Os fragmentos foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em 4 grupos (n=10) de acordo com o tratamento superficial: CO2 - laser de CO2 (10,6 μm), VF - verniz fluoretado a 5%, FFA - flúor fosfato acidulado a 1,23% e ST - sem tratamento (controle). O laser de CO2 foi aplicado no modo ultra pulso, com potência de 0,5 W, densidade de energia de 0,04 J/cm2. Nos grupos que receberam tratamento com os fluoretos foi realizada uma aplicação de 0,1g durante um minuto. Após o tratamento superficial, foi realizado desafio cariogênico durante 5 dias, seguindo o protocolo anteriormente descrito. Foram realizadas 3 leituras de microdureza subsuperficial Knoop (KHN) a 30 μm da superfície. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a análise de variância (ANOVA) e teste de Duncan com significância de 5%. Verificou-se que a microdureza subsuperficial do esmalte do dente decíduo obtida após irradiação com laser de CO2 foi semelhante à obtida após a aplicação do FFA, mas estatisticamente diferente dos grupos ST e VF (p≤0,05), que obtiveram as menores médias. Conclui-se que o laser de CO2 pode contribuir para o controle da progressão de lesões de cárie em esmalte de dentes decíduos. / The CO2 laser irradiation and the employment of fluoride compounds may contribute to the deciduous tooth enamel becoming more resistant to acid challenges. Thus, this study aims to evaluate in vitro the effect of CO2 laser irradiation and fluoride compounds in the control of the progression of carious lesions on enamel of deciduous teeth by subsurface microhardness analysis. A total of 40 deciduous canines were used, of which fragments were obtained 3x3x2 mm. These fragments were submitted to an initial cariogenic challenge that consisted of immersion on demineralizing solution for 3 hours and remineralizing solution for 21 hours, for 5 days. The fragments were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 10) according to the superficial treatment: CO2 - CO2 laser (10.6 μm), VF - fluoride varnish 5%, FFA - acidulated phosphate fluoride 1.23% and ST - without treatment (control). The CO2 laser was applied in ultra pulse mode with power of 0.5 W and power density of 0.04 J/cm2. In the groups treated with fluoride application was performed from 0.1 g for one minute. After superficial treatment, cariogenic challenge was performed during 5 days, following the protocol described previously. Three Knoop subsurface microhardness (KHN) readings were performed at 30 μm from the surface. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan test with significance of 5%. It was found that the subsurface microhardness on the enamel of deciduos teeth obtained after irradiation with CO2 laser was similar to that obtained after the application of FFA but statistically different from the VF and ST groups (p≤0.05) that received the lowest average . It was concluded that the CO2 laser can contribute to the control of the progression of carious lesions on enamel of deciduous teeth.

A doença hepática terminal reduz de forma significativa a qualidade de vida de pacientes e com o transplante do órgão é possível melhorar as condições de saúde. A sexualidade é aspecto central do ser humano durante todo o ciclo vital. É área complexa do comportamento humano, assim a sexualidade de candidatos e receptores de transplante de fígado não deve ser menosprezada. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar as evidências disponíveis na literatura sobre as alterações na sexualidade de candidatos e receptores de transplante de fígado. Trata-se de revisão integrativa da literatura: as bases de dados selecionadas para a busca dos estudos primários foram PubMed, CINAHL e LILACS. Os 16 estudos primários incluídos na revisão foram agrupados em três categorias: (1) sexualidade feminina (n=5); (2) sexualidade masculina (n=5) e; (3) sexualidade masculina e feminina (n=6). Na categoria 1, os principais temas de investigação foram contracepção, gravidez, disfunção sexual, presença de sintomas ginecológicos e doença sexualmente transmissível. Na categoria 2, o foco principal dos estudos primários agrupados foi a disfunção erétil e investigou-se também desejo/satisfação sexual e as consequências de homens que tiveram filhos, em regime imunossupressor com ácido mycofenólico. Na categoria 3, a avaliação da função sexual foi o principal tema abordado nas pesquisas analisadas. A sexualidade é problemática desafiadora, revestida por tabus e preconceitos, vivenciada de forma diferente pelos indivíduos. Assim, os pacientes podem apresentar dificuldades em relatar para os profissionais da saúde seus problemas, acarretando atraso do diagnóstico e tratamento, prolongando a sensação de desconforto e sentimento de angústia. A dificuldade em abordar sobre sexualidade também ocorre por parte dos profissionais de saúde que não recebem capacitação adequada. O conhecimento sobre as dúvidas e problemas vivenciados pelos candidatos e receptores de transplante de fígado pode proporcionar a implementação de intervenções direcionadas para prevenção, redução ou controle das complicações no período pré e pós-transplante. O presente estudo forneceu subsídios para encorajar os profissionais de saúde a incorporar a sexualidade na rotina de atendimento destes pacientes, bem como indicou lacunas no conhecimento para a condução de novas pesquisas com o propósito de implementar intervenções na pratica clínica para prevenir, minimizar e/ou controlar as alterações relacionadas à sexualidade do paciente, contribuindo para a melhoria da assistência de enfermagem e, consequentemente, para o sucesso do tratamento / The end-stage liver disease significantly reduces the quality of life of patients. However, with organ transplantation it is possible to improve health conditions. Sexuality is a central aspect of the human being throughout the life cycle. It is a complex area of the human behavior and therefore the sexuality of liver transplant candidates and recipients should not be overlooked. The present study aimed to analyze the evidence available in the literature on the changes in the sexuality of candidates and recipients of liver transplant. This is an integrative literature review, and the databases selected for the search of the primary studies were PubMed, CINAHL and LILACS. The 16 primary studies included in the review were grouped into three categories: (1) female sexuality (n = 5), (2) male sexuality (n = 5) and (3) male and female sexuality (n = 6). In category 1, the main research topics were contraception, pregnancy, sexual dysfunction, presence of gynecological symptoms and sexually transmitted disease. In category 2, the focus of the primary studies grouped was erectile dysfunction, it was also investigated the sexual desire/satisfaction, and the consequences of men who had children under immunosuppressive regimen with mycophenolic acid. In category 3, the evaluation of sexual function was the main topic addressed in the studies analyzed. Sexuality is a challenging problem, enrobed with taboos and prejudices, and experienced differently by individuals. Thus, patients may present difficulties in reporting their problems to health professionals, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment, prolonging feelings of discomfort and distress. The difficulty in addressing sexuality also occurs on the part of health professionals who do not receive adequate training. Knowledge about the doubts and problems experienced by candidates and recipients of liver transplant can facilitate the implementation of interventions aimed at prevention, reduction or control of complications in the pre- and post-transplantation period. The present study provided subsidies to encourage health professionals to incorporate sexuality in the care routine of these patients, it also indicated gaps in knowledge for the conduct of new research with the purpose of implementing interventions in clinical practice to prevent, minimize and/or to control the changes related to the patient\'s sexuality, contributing to the improvement of nursing care and, consequently, to the success of the treatment

Aim. The overall aims of this study were to develop a tailor-made educational intervention and to examine its effectiveness on short- and longer-term outcomes among Chinese patients with traumatic limb fractures who had undergone surgery. / Background. Fracture limb and undergoing surgery is the common problem after injury. It is the most common source of pain and anxiety and research continues to demonstrate a high prevalence of unrelieved pain in injured patients who have undergone surgery. Patient's belief in pain is the major barrier in pain management. Strategies directed to have appropriate educational interventions are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes for those suffering acute pain after surgery for traumatic limb fracture. / Conclusion. The C-BEI was effective in terms of reducing the pain barrier, providing post-operative pain relief, reducing anxiety, and improving sleep satisfaction in patients with fractured limbs during their first week of hospitalization after surgery. This study has generated evidence supporting the use of a C-BEI in acute pain management. / Method. The study was conducted in the orthopaedic wards of two regional hospitals in Hong Kong and comprised two phases. In phase one, qualitative interviews were conducted with twenty-six Chinese patients who had traumatic limb fractures and were undergoing surgery regarding their experiences of and beliefs about pain management. Ten orthopaedic nurses were also interviewed about their perceived pain management practices and the barriers that prevented better pain control among patients. The findings from these qualitative interviews were used to develop a cognitive behavioural approach educational intervention (C-BEI). C-BEI was used to enhance knowledge of pain, modify their beliefs about pain management and promote positive coping thoughts and behaviour. The C-BEI consisted of two sessions. The first was a 30-minute session comprised a combination of patient education and breathing relaxation exercise and conducted at T0 (1 day before surgery). A 30-minute reinforcement session was conducted at day 7 after surgery (T3). / Results. A total of 125 participants completed the study, with 62 in the experimental group and 63 in the control group. The participants were homogenous in terms of demographic data (P > 0.05) and baseline clinical characteristics (p > 0.05). The short-term outcomes (from T0 to T3) for the participants in the experimental group were a statistically significant with lower pain barrier (p = .003), lower level of pain (p = .003), lower level of anxiety (p < .001), and better sleep satisfaction (p = .001) than the control group. The experimental group had a significantly higher frequency of analgesic use at T2 (p < .001) and better self-efficacy in pain management at T3 (p = .011) than the control group. There were no statistically significant differences in the total length of stay in hospital, although the mean length of stay was shorter in the experimental group than in the control group (8.1 day VS 10.1 days). For longer-term effects, the C-BEI was effective at the post-operative stage in anxiety reduction ( p = .002) and sleep satisfaction improvement (p = .002). There were no statistically significant differences for the VAS pain level, GSE scores, physical health summary component (PCS) and mental health summary component (MCS) of the SF36 between two groups over three months, although the experimental group had better scores in the mental health dimension. Findings of the process evaluation showed that most participants perceived the C-BEI as effective in enhancing their knowledge on pain management and the use of analgesics, and helping them to cope with pain, the could sleep better and regain self-control. / The main study was conducted in phase II which consisted of outcomes and process evaluation. A quasi-experimental design of two groups' pre-test and post-test between subjects was employed for the outcomes evaluation. All participants in the experimental group received the C-BEI and usual care, whereas those in the control group received usual care only. The short-term outcomes were treated as primary outcomes and evaluated in terms of the participants' pain barrier score, pain level (Visual Analogue Pain Scale: VAS, anxiety level (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory:STAI), sleep satisfaction, self-efficacy in pain management (General Self Efficacy Scale: GSE), and frequency of analgesic use. All of which were measured at T0, T1 (day 2), T2 (day 4), and T3 (day 7) after surgery. The total length of stay in hospital of the two groups was also compared. Longer-term outcomes were further evaluated over three months at T4 (1 month) and T5 (3 months), and included the VAS pain level, STAI, sleep satisfaction, GSE and health-related quality of life (SF36).The intention-to-treat method was adopted. The process evaluation involved a qualitative study using telephone interviews. / Wong, Mi Ling, Eliza. / Adviser: Sally Chan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 71-01, Section: B, page: 0231. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-278). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Avian influenza H5N1 is one kind of important bird flu. Unfortunately, this virus has swiftly evolved and become highly pathogenic to humans and poultry, resulting in 100% of death in infected poultry and over 60% of mortality among infected human population. Moreover, the virus tends to reassort with other influenza viruses, such as the current swine flu H1N1, to establish themselves in environments and further this epidemic all over the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has in fact warned that highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 poses a graver risk of a global human pandemic than at any time since the Hong Kong outbreak (H3N2) in the 1960s. / Finally, avian influenza is an inter-disciplinary issue across virology, medical geography, and spatial epidemiology. How to quantify and integrate knowledge from different disciplines remains a challenge in fully understanding the disease. We propose a method to formally integrate genetic analysis that identifies the evolution of the H5N1 virus in space and time, epidemiological analysis that determines socio-environmental factors associated with H5N1 occurrence and statistical analysis that identifies outbreak dusters. Our integrated results show a significant advance in findings over reports in, for instance, Gilbert et al. (2008) and we believe our findings are more precise and informative in representing the occurrence and the space-time dynamics of H5N1 spread. Overall, unlike traditional influenza studies, our work sets up a solid foundation for the inter-disciplinary study of this and other spatial infectious diseases. / First, we apply multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis to determine the temporal scaling behavior of outbreaks in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the whole of the world between December 2003 to March 2009. Long-range correlation and multifractality, two important properties characterizing the scaling behavior of complex dynamics, are first detected in the outbreak time series. In addition, this study identifies different temporal scaling behaviors of outbreaks of these continents 8,nd specific seasonal patterns in Asia. These findings confirm our perspective that avian-influenza outbreak behaviors are self-similar over time and are spatially heterogeneous. / One key to preventing such a calamity is to obtain a thorough understanding of the mechanisms of avian influenza transmission and its spatio-temporal patterns of dispersal. The issues at stake are outbreaks' spatial and temporal patterns, the interrelationship of these with the evolution of influenza viruses in such a way that geography is understood as a dimension of the disease's virology, and the human and avian behaviors and socio-ecological environments associated with H5Nl spread. This thesis sets out to study these problems in detail and propose solutions. / Second, we conduct a spatial analysis for global trends and local clusters of H5N1 outbreaks at multiple geographical scales. Currently, the local K function used in a point pattern analysis searches outbreak clusters, assuming the disease is spatially homogeneous. The thesis proposes a much more efficient method to measure the degree of clusters accurately. The modified function works by weighting outbreaks through distances, counting the number of the weighted outbreaks for each lattice point no matter whether the disease emerges in a grid. This weighted local K function extends cluster analysis from a point pattern to lattice data. Spatial representation in these terms then seeks to explore local patterns of H5N1 over a continuous space. / Third, we study a set of socio-environmental factors, which are plausibly associated with the occurrence of H5N1. Spatial epidemiological models are built for predicting the disease at both continental and national levels, covering Indonesia, China, and the whole of East-Southeast Asia. We evaluate the statistical models using 1,000 bootstrap replicates, showing a consistently high rate of prediction, assessed by statistics: AUC, Kappa Index, and pseudo R square. / Ge, Erjia. / Advisers: Yee Leung; Tung Fung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 73-06, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-197). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

Pesquisa de natureza descritiva e abordagem quantitativa de dados sobre a Aplicabilidade da Norma Regulamentadora-32 (NR 32) do Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE), visando mobilizar os trabalhadores de enfermagem para reduzir a exposição aos riscos inerentes do trabalho em estabelecimentos de saúde. Problema de pesquisa: Quais os fatores que interferem na implantação da Norma Regulamentadora-32 nas enfermarias de um Hospital Público Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, na visão dos trabalhadores de enfermagem? Teve como objetivo geral analisar os fatores que interferem na aplicabilidade da NR 32 pela enfermagem, em um hospital público do Rio de Janeiro. A população foi composta de 138 trabalhadores de enfermagem das enfermarias de clínica médica, cirúrgica e ortopédica. Utilizou-se para a coleta de dados um questionário estruturado com perguntas fechadas. Os dados foram coletados no período de 28 de janeiro a 14 de fevereiro de 2009, e analisados através do Programa Statical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) versão 13 for Windows e Microsoft Office Excel 2003. Os resultados apontaram que os trabalhadores de enfermagem desse hospital estão, em sua maioria, na faixa etária de 30-49 anos, com pelo menos 1 ano de atuação no mesmo setor e formaram-se há 15 anos ou mais, além disso, 68,1% são estatutários. Constatou-se que há recomendações da NR-32 e precauções-padrão não são seguidas pelos participantes da pesquisa. Os fatores que interferem no cumprimento da atual legislação vão desde o desconhecimento dos riscos ocupacionais e comportamento dos trabalhadores, até a falta de uma ação efetiva de Educação Continuada e da Comissão de Controle de Infecção Hospitalar (CCIH). Destacaram-se, entre outros, o uso de adornos (51,8%); calçado aberto (48,9%); alimentação no posto de trabalho (46,3%); uso da pia para outras finalidades (44,9%), reencape ou desconexão manual de agulhas (36,4%); sair do local de trabalho com uniforme ou Equipamento de Proteção Individual - EPI (21%); limite de recipiente de descarte de perfurocortantes não respeitado (11,8%), falta de uso de EPI quando auxilia no exame com Raios-X (32,6%) e na manipulação de quimioterápicos (7,8%). A instituição não fornece uniformes nem calçados. Outros fatores institucionais foram a falta de equipamentos, a falta de um política de prevenção e promoção da saúde, inexistência de serviço de saúde ocupacional e instalações físicas inadequadas. Tal descumprimento expõe, de forma excessiva, os trabalhadores de enfermagem aos mais variados fatores de riscos ocupacionais, podendo refletir na sua saúde e no processo de trabalho. Recomenda-se um trabalho efetivo e integrado dos Programas de Educação Continuada e CCIH para esclarecimento dos trabalhadores de enfermagem, e implantação do Serviço de Saúde do Trabalhador. Sugere-se aos gestores expandirem este estudo para os demais setores das unidades hospitalares e outras instituições públicas de saúde para o conhecimento da situação de trabalho, bem como a criação de espaços de discussão para a busca de soluções dos problemas com a participação dos trabalhadores. / This study consists of a descriptive research and quantitative data analysis on the Applicability of Regulatory Standard-32 (NR 32) created by the Brazilian Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) for mobilizing nursing workers in order to reduce exposure to work risks in health facilities. Research question: concerning nursing professionals, what are the factors that interfere in the implementation process of the Regulatory Standard 32 in wards of a Rio de Janeiro State Public Hospital? The general aim was to analyze the factors that influence the applicability of NR 32 for nursing in a Rio de Janeiro public hospital. The population corresponded to 138 workers of nursing wards of internal, surgical and orthopedic medicine. A questionnaire composed by closed questions was used for data collection. Data were collected from January 28th to February 14th, 2009, and analyzed using the software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13 for Windows and Microsoft Office Excel 2003. The results showed that nursing workers are mostly aged 30-49 with at least 1 year of experience in the same sector and they are trained for at least 15 years, and 68.1% corresponded to statutory workers. It was found that some of the NR 32 recommendations and standard precautions are not followed by the participants. Factors that interfere in the current legislation performance ranged from unawareness of occupational hazards and employees conduct to lack of encouragement for Continuing Education and inefficiency of the Hospital Infection Control Committee (HICC). The following factors also stood out: use of adornment (51.8%), open footwear (48.9%), feeding in the workplace (46.3%), use of the sink for other purposes (44.9% ), manual needle disconnection or recapping procedures (36.4%), use of uniform or personal protective equipment - PPE - out of the workplace (21%), undetected disregard for container limit of sharps disposal (11.8%); lack of use of PPE when helping exams with X-rays (32.6%) and chemotherapy handling (7.8%). The institution does not provide uniforms nor shoes. Other institutional factors were lack of equipment, lack of prevention and health promotion policies, lack of occupational health programs and inadequate physical facilities. Such inefficiency excessively exposes nursing professionals to a variety of occupational risk factors which can have an impact on their health and on the work process. It is recommended that the Continuing Education and the HICC programs work together in order to increase awareness among nursing professionals, and a Workers Health Program should be created. It is suggested that managers extend this study to other sectors of hospitals and other public health institutions for increasing awareness of the work situation and allowing discussions on these problems with the professionals participation.

A teoria da identidade mente-cérebro, que foi desenvolvida no início da segunda metade do século XX, especialmente por filósofos que trabalhavam em universidades australianas, como J. J. C. Smart e U. T. Place, os chamados materialistas australianos, sofreu grande impacto de uma teoria que foi desenvolvida logo após, o funcionalismo. A presente dissertação pretende mostrar que não há uma divisão rigorosa entre as duas teorias e que desenvolvimentos da teoria da identidade feitos por David Armstrong e David Lewis, posteriormente considerados como formas de funcionalismo, foram implicações naturais da teoria da identidade. / The mind-brain identity theory, developed in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, especially by philosophers working in Australian universities, such as J. J. C. Smart and U. T. Place, the so called Australian materialists, suffered a large impact from a theory developed soon after, functionalism. This thesis intends to show that there is not a rigorous division between the two theories, and that the developments done in the identity theory by David Armstrong and David Lewis, later considered as types of functionalism, were natural implications from the identity theory.

Mapas de documentos são representações visuais que permitem analisar de forma eficiente diversas relações entre documentos de uma coleção. Técnicas de projeção multidimensional podem ser empregadas para criar mapas que refletem a similaridade de conteúdo, favorecendo a identificação de agrupamentos com conteúdo similar. Este trabalho aborda uma evolução do arcabouço genérico oferecido pelas projeções multidimensionais para apoiar a análise interativa de documentos textuais, implementado na plataforma PEx. Foram propostas e implementadas técnicas que permitem ao usuário interagir com o mapa de documentos utilizando tópicos extraídos do próprio corpus. Assim a representação visual pode gradualmente evoluir para refletir melhor os interesses do usuário, e apoiá-lo de maneira mais efetiva em tarefas exploratórias. A interação foi avaliada utilizando uma técnica de inspeção de usabilidade, que visa identificar os principais problemas enfrentados pelos usuários ao interagir com as funcionalidades desenvolvidas. Adicionalmente, a utilidade das funcionalidades foi avaliada pela condução de dois estudos de caso, em que foram definidas tarefas a serem conduzidas pelo usuário sobre os mapas de documentos. Os resultados mostram que com o auxílio das visualizações foi possível conduzir as tarefas satisfatoriamente, permitindo manipular de forma eficiente milhares de documentos sem a necessidade de ler individualmente cada texto / Content-based document maps are visualizations that help users to identify and explore relationships among documents in a collection. Multidimensional projection techniques have been employed to create similaritybased maps that can help identifying documents of similar content. This work aims to enhance the generic framework offered by the multidimensional projection techniques in the PEx visualization platform to support interactive analysis of textual data. Several interaction functions and visual representations have been proposed and implemented that allow users to interact with document maps aided by topics automatically extracted from the corpus. By exploring the topics and maps in an integrated manner, users can refine and evolve the visual representations gradually to better reflect their needs and interests, enhancing support to exploratory tasks. The proposed interaction functions were evaluated employing a usability inspection technique, seeking to detect interface problems. Moreover, two illustrative case studies were conducted to evaluate the usefulness of the proposed interactions, based on typical user tasks defined over different document collections. They illustrate how the developed visualizations can assist the proposed tasks, allowing users to interactively explore large document corpora and refine document maps

A teoria da identidade mente-cérebro, que foi desenvolvida no início da segunda metade do século XX, especialmente por filósofos que trabalhavam em universidades australianas, como J. J. C. Smart e U. T. Place, os chamados materialistas australianos, sofreu grande impacto de uma teoria que foi desenvolvida logo após, o funcionalismo. A presente dissertação pretende mostrar que não há uma divisão rigorosa entre as duas teorias e que desenvolvimentos da teoria da identidade feitos por David Armstrong e David Lewis, posteriormente considerados como formas de funcionalismo, foram implicações naturais da teoria da identidade. / The mind-brain identity theory, developed in the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, especially by philosophers working in Australian universities, such as J. J. C. Smart and U. T. Place, the so called Australian materialists, suffered a large impact from a theory developed soon after, functionalism. This thesis intends to show that there is not a rigorous division between the two theories, and that the developments done in the identity theory by David Armstrong and David Lewis, later considered as types of functionalism, were natural implications from the identity theory.

Cette thèse fournit une étude comparative des constructions disloquées à gauche en anglais et en arabe standard (AS). À la lumière des cadres théoriques récents, nous examinons la syntaxe et les propriétés discursives de la dislocation à gauche en AS que nous comparons avec leurs équivalents en anglais. La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude des propriétés syntaxiques translinguistiques des constructions placées dans la périphérie gauche. Il est soutenu notamment que l’anglais et l’AS partagent beaucoup de similarités syntaxiques. Une typologie prenant en compte des faits constatés dans les structures disloquées à gauche AS est proposée. La seconde partie est consacrée à la résomptivité dans les constructions disloquées à gauche. Il est démontré que le résomptif dans la HTLD est un pronom indépendant étant donné qu’il n y a aucune exigence syntaxique pour l’élément disloqué d'être présent. De même, il est soutenu que l’optionalité du résomptif dans la CLD est mieux expliquée en termes discursifs. Dans la troisième partie, nous proposons que les constructions CLD en AS suivent le même modèle que les CLD en anglais, en ce qu'elles expriment une fonction de Focus contrastif préétabli dans le discours. De même, nous soutenons que les HTLD en AS sont analogues aux données translinguistiques en ce sens que ce sont des entités discursives de saillance préalable, étant déjà présentes dans la conscience du locuteur. En outre, nous démontrons que l’insertion du PR dans la CLD II n’est ni facultative, ni n’émane d’effets de spécificité / référentialité ; il s'agit plutôt d'un dispositif discursif qui promeut l’élément disloqué au statut de Topique. / In this thesis, I offer a comparative approach to Left-dislocation constructions in both standard Arabic (SA) and English. Under recent theoretical developments, I investigate the syntax and the discourse properties of constructions involving left-dislocation in SA and compare them with their English counterparts. In the first part, I discuss the syntactic properties of SA left-dislocation and compare them with cross-lingusitic CLLD, HTLD, and Topicalization. A further comparison between SA and English Left-dislocation is presented provides an important ground for an evaluation of the SA data. A new classification of Left-dislocated structures, which takes into account SA and English data, is offered. In the second part, I investigate the status of resumptives in both HTLD and CLD. I claim that in HTLD, the RP is a syntactically non-connected argument but a pragmatically “connected” referential pronoun, provided the HTLDed is salient enough in discourse. It is further argued that resumptives and gaps in CLD are not in free variation. In the third part, it is proven that SA CLD left-dislocation constructions pattern alike with English data at the discourse level. Likewise, it is argued that the absence of resumptives in CLD I does not promote the CLDed element to a Topic status. It is only the overt coreference of a RP with a discourse-linked antecedent in CLD II that renders the CLDed salient in discourse thereby promoting it to a Topic status.

<p>Studies carried out by different scholars have shown that the social roles society assigns to women and men create differences in how the genders use language. However, there is little previous research in the domain of gender and topic shift or initiation. This essay aims to investigate possible gender differences in topic shift and initiation in multiparty conversation among second language learners of English in upper secondary school. The three group discussions were recorded in a classroom setting and the data collected was transcribed. The topical shifts in the transcripts were coded using the Topical Episode Analysis (TEA) and the episode shifts in each conversation were analyzed on the basis of gender distribution and type of shift. In addition, the findings of the three groups were compared and discussed. The main result of this study was that the boys initiated 100 percent more shifts than the girls. The boys took up more linguistic space and dominated the topical shifts in the conversation which indicates that gender differences in topic shift and initiation exists, a finding that is consistent with previous research within the field of gender and language. In conclusion, gender differences were found between how the girls and the boys participating in this study shifted and initiated topics. The boys initiated more shifts than the girls in the multiparty conversations.</p>