Thesis (Ph.D.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2009.

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (B.A. (Hons.)) - University of Queensland, 2005. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [58]-60)

Thesis (D. Min.)--McCormick Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 125-126). Also available online via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity International University, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-98).

153 f. / Submitted by PPGE PPGE (pgedu@ufba.br) on 2013-09-23T16:40:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Cássia.pdf: 1935060 bytes, checksum: c95157789e4ba85bee16806fcd05de39 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora Lopes(silopes@ufba.br) on 2013-09-25T14:32:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Cássia.pdf: 1935060 bytes, checksum: c95157789e4ba85bee16806fcd05de39 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-09-25T14:32:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Cássia.pdf: 1935060 bytes, checksum: c95157789e4ba85bee16806fcd05de39 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Esta pesquisa, a partir da bibliografia da Cibercultura e dos Estudos Culturais reflete os movimentos juvenis contemporâneos - num olhar específico para a música - sustentados num novo estado da cultura, cuja característica mais marcante é a ampliação de espaços nos quais se encontram uma nova paisagem de informação, da qual resulta uma condição cultural específica para os coletivos juvenis, construída por diferentes territórios culturais. A cibercultura ocupa um lugar de destaque nessa paisagem da informação, uma vez que se constitui conjunto de técnicas materiais e intelectuais, práticas, atitudes, modos de pensamento e valores que formam e interconectam as mentes e os corpos juvenis. A partir dessa perspectiva, o trabalho desenvolve um estudo sobre as relações dos jovens contemporâneos, nos espaços virtuais, reflete esses sujeitos redimensionam, por meio da intersemiose das linguagens, suas práticas musicais e o que essas práticas sugerem enquanto princípios pedagógicos à educação contemporânea. É uma pesquisa qualitativa, de cunho descritivo e analítico, fundada na Et/netnopesquisa. Na busca de um entendimento do processo de comunicação que se estabelece entre os sujeitos juvenis e suas práticas musicais nos espaços cibercuturais, foram realizadas entrevistas com jovens pertencentes a três bandas de rock and roll, em Palmas/To, seleção e agrupamento de temas e abordagens que demonstram as relações desses jovens com esses novos modos de construção de conhecimento por meio de suas fruições com a música. Dar “voz” a esses sujeitos permitiu perceber a força que as tecnologias digitais exercem no se fazer artista e nos modos de fazer arte desses sujeitos, (re)dimensionando, inclusive, suas práticas cognitivas. Com a pesquisa foi constatado que esses sujeitos desenvolvem outros mecanismos de construção de conhecimento, sustentados pelos princípios da liberdade, da colaboração, da autonomia e da dádiva, consolidados pela remixagens de ideias, conceitos e sensibilidades. A conclusão ressalta que os sujeitos juvenis são sujeitos em gerúndio, performatizados pela liberdade da e-música, em identidades avatarizadas. Seu habitat cibercultural são telas criadoras de inventividades e visibilidade de seu fazer, conhecer, aprender e ensinar. / Salvador

Survival from breast cancer has significantly improved over the past years. Therefore, survivorship issues are an area of crucial importance to be addressed as early as possible by all health care providers dealing with breast cancer patients. Fertility and pregnancy-related issues represent a priority area of concern for young women with breast cancer. Despite a growing attention towards these issues has been given over the past years and is currently provided to young breast cancer patients, several grey zones persist in many domains of this field and some physicians are still uncomfortable to deal with this topic. In this thesis, we aimed at providing evidence on several unmet fertility and pregnancy-related issues faced by young breast cancer patients with the ultimate goals to further improve their quality of life and to help physicians during the oncofertility counseling of these women.In Chapter 1 of this thesis, we addressed questions related to the factors with a potential negative or protective impact on the ovarian function of young breast cancer patients. First, we assessed the influence of carrying a germline BRCA mutation on the reproductive potential of young breast cancer patients and the performance of fertility preservation strategies in this setting. We conducted a retrospective analysis within two prospective studies that involved young women with newly diagnosed breast cancer who underwent oocyte cryopreservation or ovarian tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation at CUB-Hôpital Erasme in Brussels (Belgium) between January 2006 and December 2016. A total of 101 patients were included, of whom 29 had germline deleterious BRCA mutations. We observed a consistent trend for reduced reproductive potential and performance of both oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation in BRCA-mutated patients.Second, we evaluated the gonadotoxicity of anticancer treatments focusing particulary on the risk of treatment-related amenorrhea (TRA) with the addition of taxanes to anthracycline-based chemotherapy and with the administration of chemotherapy plus the anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) agents trastuzumab and/or lapatinib. This analysis was conducted in 2,862 premenopausal patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer enrolled in the ALTTO randomized trial (NCT00490139) by assessing menopausal status at week 37 visit following the initiation of anti-HER2 treatment. Addition of taxanes to anthracycline-based chemotherapy led to a statistically significantly higher risk of TRA. No difference in TRA rates was observed between the four anti-HER2 treatment arms (trastuzumab alone, lapatinib alone, their sequence or their combination); the absence of higher TRA rates in the dual blockade arm as compared to single agent arms may suggest the gonadal safety of these agents. TRA was associated with statistically significant improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with hormone receptor-positive/HER2-positive disease. Third, we provided evidence on the efficacy and safety of temporary ovarian suppression with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) during chemotherapy as an option for ovarian function preservation in young breast cancer patients undergoing (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. We performed a meta-analysis including individual patient-level data from the 5 major trials (PROMISE-GIM6, POEMS/SWOG S0230, Anglo Celtic Group OPTION, GBG-37 ZORO, Moffitt-led trial) that investigated the role of this strategy. A total of 873 breast cancer patients were included. Concurrent administration of GnRHa and chemotherapy significantly reduced the risk of developing chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), and was associated with a higher number of subsequent pregnancies. Similar DFS and OS were observed between groups irrespective of the estrogen receptor (ER) status of the disease suggesting the safety of administering GnRHa concurrently with chemotherapy.In Chapter 2 of this thesis, we aimed to address questions related to the safety of pregnancy following prior history of breast cancer including the impact of timing of pregnancy, induction of abortion or breastfeeding, as well as to investigate the pregnancy outcomes in these patients. First, we assessed if there were differences in survival outcomes between patients who conceived following breast cancer diagnosis as compared to those who did not have a subsequent pregnancy with a particular focus to women with ER-positive tumors. In addition, we investigated the potential impact of timing of pregnancy, induction of abortion and breastfeeding on patients’ prognosis. For this purpose, a multicenter retrospective case-control study was conducted. A total of 1,207 breast cancer patients with known ER status were included in the analysis, of whom 333 conceived after prior breast cancer and 874 had no subsequent pregnancies. Long-term results from this study confirmed that pregnancy after breast cancer can be considered safe irrespectively of ER status and should not be discouraged. This was observed independently of pregnancy outcome, pregnancy interval, and breastfeeding status. Second, we assessed the safety of pregnancy following prior history of HER2-positive breast cancer, and the pregnancy outcomes in women who conceived during or after chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 treatment. We collected all the pregnancy events that occurred in the NeoALTTO (NCT00553358) and ALTTO (NCT00490139) trials. These are two randomized studies that explored the role of trastuzumab and/or lapatinib in patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment, respectively. A total of 92 patients had at least one pregnancy after inclusion in the two trials, of whom 12 patients conceived during anti-HER2 targeted therapy (exposed group) while 80 after the end of treatment (unexposed group). We observed that having a pregnancy after prior history of HER2-positive early breast cancer did not appear to impact on DFS. A high rate of induced abortion was observed among women in the exposed group; nevertheless, despite only 5 live births being described in this group, unintentional exposure to trastuzumab and/or lapatinib during gestation did not seem to affect newborn outcomes. Patients in the unexposed group appeared to have normal pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, overall, having a pregnancy following completion of chemotherapy plus anti-HER2 therapy showed to be safe without compromising fetal outcome or maternal prognosis.In conclusion, taken together, we believe that our findings can serve as a rational basis to improve the oncofertility counseling of young breast cancer patients facing concerns related to TRA risk, preservation of ovarian function and/or fertility as well as for those willing to consider a future pregnancy. Several ongoing and upcoming projects from our group have been started based on the results presented in this thesis and are expected to provide further evidence on these crucial topics. / Doctorat en Sciences médicales (Médecine) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This study explores the complex factors that contribute to low youth education attendance in Malawi. While current education and youth policy is framed in terms of providing access to quality education for all Malawians, this has proved challenging to implement in practice. A qualitative approach involving a range of stakeholders was adopted. 341 respondents participated in one–to-one and group interviews and provided in-depth insights into the issues affecting educational attendance. Data was thematically coded using NVivo and network analysis was used to determine the complexity of the interrelationships of the factors undermining youth attendance. Human capital theory (HCT) underpins the design of the study and the analysis of the data collected; however, HCT alone was insufficient to account for patterns in the data and therefore post-colonial, women's empowerment, motivation, decentralization, corruption and media development theories were used to complement and extend HCT in the analysis undertaken. Furthermore, while, in HCT, education and training are considered strategies for empowering people to make informed choices, enter employment and contribute to personal and national development, a central concern of the Malawian education system is the preparation of young people, and particularly young women, to undertake traditional roles. This study demonstrates that youth, especially young women in rural settings, face many challenges to their remaining in education and achieving employment outcomes beyond traditional expectations. This also limits the potential for wider-ranging social changes and economic development. Examples provided illustrate how sector-wide patterns of educational resourcing and provision, organisational issues, teacher and learner attitudes, and cultural practices interact. Policy formation and evaluation in Malawi are driven by external funder priorities and political expediency rather than being evidence-based. This study, contrastingly, offers an empirical basis for policy formation and decision-making vis-a-vis youth education, and proposes a strategic plan to improve levels of education attendance.

This study is concerned with migration of children/young people from northern to southern cities in Ghana. It focuses attention on the following specific research questions: What are young peoples’ motivations for migration, and negotiations surrounding the decision-making process? What are the precarious employment and living situation associated with young migrants? In what ways do social networks support young migrants in the migration process? What role does migration for work play in the lives of young migrants and their left behind families? What are young migrants’ aspirations for the future? To answer these questions, the study draws on the analytical insights gained from the concept of social navigation and social capital/network literatures, and primary research conducted in Ghana. A key finding from this study demonstrate that young peoples’ migration is closely linked to the unequal spatial development manifested in relative poverty conditions in rural northern Ghana, and the desires of children/young people to work and earn income in the south, where better economic prospect exists. Migration is also propelled by young migrants’ decisions to be free from strained and abusive relationships. It is evident that young migrants’ transitions into the labour market demonstrates their own agency and the important role that their networks can play in providing the finance necessary for travel and to secure work. The experiences of migration vary greatly involving both negative and positive aspects. Their precarious employment situation involves considerable uncertainty and risk, and exploitation by employers and clients. Incomes are low and irregular, which brings additional difficulties in fulfilling daily subsistence needs. Some of these difficulties are mitigated through social networks. These networks are fundamental in the life trajectories of young migrants, right from the time the decision to migrate is taken. However, they are also associated with discrimination and exploitative practices. Findings also reveal that migration offer opportunities for youngsters to see new places, undertake paid work, earn income, save and engage in popular global culture of consumerism and materialism, and sending of remittances to left-behind families. Access to mobile phones facilitates communication with families up north and this helps in maintaining intergenerational relations that are spread across spatial boundaries. Future aspirations of the youngsters centred on desires for better job prospects and greater stability although lack of financial and linking social capital serve as constraints. Overall this study makes an important contribution to the literature by providing new insight on the pathways that migration may be beneficial to young people and their left behind families. The findings suggest that addressing the internal geographical imbalance in development between the north and south is key to tackling the interlinked problems associated with child migration in Ghana. Findings also call for interventions to better strengthen the agency of young migrants in navigating hardships while improving their wellbeing.