Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Età adulta'

Il presente studio si propone d’indagare alcuni aspetti dell’apprendimento in età adulta, e in particolare dell’apprendimento della lingua inglese, in Italia. Esso si colloca nella prospettiva del lifelong learning e si inserisce nel filone di ricerca sulla validità degli assunti dell’andragogia. La metodologia utilizzata è lo studio di caso e gli adulti presi in considerazione sono persone in età compresa tra i 18 e i 65 e più anni, esclusi i giovani adulti universitari, e i loro docenti. La ricerca si è svolta in contesti di educazione formale e non formale e una parte di essa si focalizza sull’apprendimento e insegnamento della lingua inglese in contesto di lingua seconda al fine di operare un confronto a livello metodologico.
This study investigates some of the aspects involved in the learning and teaching of the English language in adulthood in Italy. It aims at providing evidence of the validity of certain assumptions of andragogy and it is based on the direct observation of class work and data collection from 497 informants: 445 students of English in Italy and 22 students of English in Wales, between 18 and 65+ years of age, and 30 teachers of English, 26 working in Italy and 4 working in Wales.

La ricerca su "L'educazione di comunita' nelle strategie di Lifelong learning in eta' adulta. Le learning communities of place" si propone di analizzare i modelli di community education e di learning community e di descrivere i processi educativi e di apprendimento che si realizzano nei contesti locali e, nello specifico, nelle comunita'. Si assume, infatti, che nella comunita' la dimensione della prossimita' (fisica e relazionale), nella misura in cui fa da ponte tra l'individuo, il gruppo e la societa', rende il locale un ambito privilegiato non solo per fronteggiare i fenomeni di disorientamento, di emarginazione e di esclusione sociale ma, anche, per l'implementazione di politiche e di interventi educativi tesi a risvegliare il desiderio di apprendere degli adulti. L'obiettivo della ricerca consiste nel valutare l'ipotesi di una relazione positiva tra l'educazione di comunita' e la partecipazione degli adulti alle attivita' di lifelong learning. L'articolazione della ricerca si sviluppa in tre fasi logicamente conseguenti. Nella prima ci si propone di fornire un contributo alla riflessione sulle origini storiche e teoriche della community education. Successivamente, si prosegue con lo studio teorico ed epistemologico della learning community e con la riflessione, ad essa strettamente connessa, sulla natura sociale dei processi di apprendimento. Infine, nell'ultima parte della ricerca, la comparazione dei modelli di learning city e delle comprehensive community initiatives finalizzata all'elaborazione di alcune considerazioni sulla possibilita' di un adattamento e/o di un trasferimento dei modelli anglosassoni di learning community of place nei contesti italiani.
The research activity concerning Community education in the strategies of Lifelong learning for adults. Learning communities of place is addressed to analyze models of community education and learning community and to describe educational and learning processes as they come to be in local contexts and, specifically, in the communities. It is assumed, in fact, that in communities the dimension of proximity (physical and relational) as far as it bridges the individual, the group, and general society makes local environments the favorable place for both facing disorientation, emigration, and social exclusion phenomena and the implementation of education policies for reviving the desire of learning in adults. The objective of the research is to evaluate the hypothesis according to which there is a positive relationship between community education and adults engagement in lifelong learning activities. The research develops into three phases. During the first phase we try to improve on the analysis of the historical and theoretical origins of community education. Then, we shall explore the theoretical and epistemological dimension of learning community and, as they are tightly linked, the social nature of learning processes. Finally, we shall employ the comparison between models of learning city and those of comprehensive community initiatives in order to formulate some considerations on the possibility of adapting and/or transferring Anglo-Saxon models of learning community of place into Italian contexts.

La lettura è un’abilità fondamentale nella vita quotidiana. Essa si compone di due abilità chiave: la decodifica e la comprensione. Un lettore competente deve essere in grado di decodificare ciò che legge, pronunciandolo in modo corretto e di comprenderlo. Da sempre c’è stato grande interesse da parte dei ricercatori per la valutazione e il potenziamento di tale competenza. A fronte di numerosi studi rivolti all’età evolutiva, sono, tuttavia, pochi gli studi condotti sulle abilità di lettura e comprensione in età adulta. Gli strumenti ad oggi utilizzati per la valutazione di tale competenza tendono a considerare velocità, decodifica e comprensione come aspetti separati. L’obiettivo di questo progetto è quello di riprendere gli studi di Scagnelli, Della Beffa e Santulli (2018), i quali propongono di utilizzare un nuovo parametro per la valutazione delle competenze di lettura in età adulta: l’efficacia di lettura, già utilizzato all’interno del corso Super Reading, in grado di integrare il tempo e la comprensione. Nonostante il grande vantaggio dell’efficacia di lettura, quest’ultima presenta un limite consistente: si è notato che, mentre la comprensione può raggiungere il valore massimo del cento per cento, il tempo è illimitato. In questo modo i due valori hanno un peso diverso all’interno della formula. Per tale ragione in questo elaborato è stata rivista la formula dell’efficacia di lettura ed è stato inserito un tetto anche al tempo. In questo progetto verranno presentati i dati riguardanti la prestazione di un gruppo di studenti universitari in compiti di lettura e comprensione. Nello specifico sono stati somministrati i medesimi test utilizzati all’interno del corso Super Reading e presentati in Scagnelli, Della Beffa & Santulli (2008). I dati raccolti sono relativi al tempo, alla comprensione e all’efficacia di lettura, modificando la modalità di somministrazione, ovvero inserendo un tetto massimo al tempo. L’ultima sezione della ricerca riguarda le considerazioni finali, date dal confronto dei risultati ottenuti dalla popolazione di studio con quelli raggiunti dal gruppo di controllo, per il quale è stata utilizzata la formula originale, ovvero senza tetto al tempo ma solo alla comprensione.

La lettura è un compito cognitivo complesso caratterizzato da due processi fondamentali: da un lato la decodifica dei segni grafici nei corrispondenti suoni linguistici, e dall’altro la comprensione di ciò che viene letto. Quando si riscontrano difficoltà di decodifica del testo, cioè nel mancato riconoscimento della corrispondenza tra grafema e fonema, ci si trova di fronte ad un disturbo di lettura comunemente conosciuto come dislessia. La dislessia rientra nella categoria dei Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA) ed è un disturbo nella lettura che compromette la capacità di leggere in modo corretto e fluente; essa si può manifestare nei bambini ma anche negli adolescenti e negli adulti. Il presente lavoro è volto ad indagare l’efficacia di SuperReading, un metodo d’intervento per il recupero della dislessia in età adulta. SuperReading è un corso che è stato progettato da Ron Cole negli anni ’90 del secolo scorso in California, rivolto sia a normolettori sia a soggetti con dislessia, con l’obiettivo di migliorare la velocità di lettura unitamente alla comprensione del testo. I risultati emersi da vari studi dimostrano che SuperReading si rivela efficace per entrambe le popolazioni indagate, normotipici e dislessici; tutti i partecipanti, infatti, hanno ottenuto un incremento delle prestazioni di lettura in modalità silente, in termini sia di velocità sia di comprensione del testo. I cambiamenti si sono verificati per entrambi i gruppi, però, è stato dimostrato che i soggetti con diagnosi di dislessia sono quelli che hanno ricavato maggiore beneficio dal corso.

L'indagine prende le mosse dalla diffusione del paradigma narrativo nel campo dell'educazione degli adulti, allo scopo di approfondire le implicazioni della parola poetica. Dopo una ricostruzione delle principali ragioni per le quali le pratiche narrative e biografiche sono diventate oggetto d’interesse negli studi sull’educazione degli adulti, si sofferma su quei contributi ritenuti fecondi per la riflessione sulla poesia e, in seguito, esplora processi educativi ricostruiti tramite i vissuti di soggetti adulti dotati di intenzionalità riconoscibile verso l’esperienza della lettura e della scrittura di poesie. L'intento è indicare le implicazioni e le declinazioni pedagogiche della capacità di "innovazione semantica" (Ricœur 1975) presente nel linguaggio umano, tensione metaforica e polisemica che agisce in senso vitale per allargare gli orizzonti del significato: le possibilità linguistiche come quelle esistenziali. Prendendo in considerazione quella che è stata definita la "svolta narrativa" (West et al. 2007) nell'educazione degli adulti, si mostra come questa sia da mettere in relazione a una condizione adulta caratterizzata dalla dissoluzione dei riferimenti identitari (Alheit et al. 1995), dalla precarietà e dalla fragilità (Castiglioni 2011), dal venir meno degli habitus convenzionali (Demetrio e Alberici 2002); condizione esistenziale immersa nei più generali cambiamenti di un’epoca definita, a seconda dello sguardo, ora “tarda modernità”, ora “surmodernità”, ora “modernità liquida”, ora “postmodernità”. In seguito, si delineano gli elementi nodali del paradigma narrativo approfondendo il concetto di “identità narrativa” nella cornice proposta da Paul Ricœur (1950, 1970, 1975, 1983) – mostrandone anche le ricadute sugli studi psicologici (Bruner 1990, 2002), politici (Nussbaum 1997, 2012, ), antropologici (Geertz 1973, Clifford 1988) – per evidenziare come il percorso che porta alla teoresi dell’identità narrativa trovi origine nell’attenzione rivolta al simbolo e in un proposito generale di costruzione di una “poetica della volontà”. Vista la qualità fondamentale che il pensiero poetico assume per il paradigma narrativo, sono state ulteriormente approfondite le caratteristiche del linguaggio poetico, con il contributo di studi semiologici (in particolare Lotman 1970, 1984 e Corti 1976), per ritrovare aspetti centrali evidenziati da Ricœur, ma anche per mostrare aspetti meno considerati, come ad esempio il tema del suono. Parallelamente è stata svolta un'indagine empirica che ha voluto osservare e interrogare soggetti in età adulta che sono stati individuati come attori di processi educativi legati alla poesia che si è articolata in una serie di azioni: raccolta di autobiografie relative al rapporto con la poesia; interviste a promotori della cultura poetica (Marcos y Marcos, Casa della Cultura, Spazio/Poesia); interviste a poeti (Butcovan, Capalbi, Corona, De Angelis, Loi, Pusterla, Rossi); osservazione partecipante di un gruppo di lettori di poesia; partecipazione a un progetto europeo sulla poesia nell’educazione degli adulti; sperimentazione di un percorso di formazione alla scrittura creativa e poetica nell’ambito di un corso universitario per educatori e assistenti sociali. Dentro la cornice fenomenologica è stato possibile collocare pedagogicamente la poesia come una manifestazione particolare di trascendenza della coscienza intenzionale, una forma attraverso cui il soggetto fa esperienza del mondo collocandosi nella propria interiorità e nel linguaggio. Pedagogicamente la poesia assume un doppio interesse per il suo statuto di processo che cerca tramite il linguaggio di dare una forma al flusso di pensiero mantenendosi in un contatto con l’interiorità e per la capacità di sintonizzarsi, risvegliare, sensibilizzare, risuonare con le altrui interiorità e creare tramite il suo linguaggio un ponte empatico, che si fa anche sensibilità collettiva.
This research takes its cue from the spread of the narrative paradigm in the field of adult education, with the intention of exploring the implications of poetic language. After outlining the main reasons why narrative and biographical practices have become a focus point in adult education theory, works considered useful for a reflection upon poetry shall be examined, before exploring educational processes reconstructed through the life experiences of adult individuals who possess a recognizable interest in the experience of reading and writing poetry. The intention is to indicate the educational implications and varieties of the capacity for “semantic innovation” (Ricoeur 1975) present in human language; namely, a metaphorical and polysemic tendency, which acts vitally to expand the horizons of meaning, with both linguistic and existential possibilities. Taking into account what has been defined the “narrative turn” (West et al. 2007) in adult education, it is demonstrated how this should be linked to an adult condition featuring the loss of identity-related references (Alheit et al. 1995), precariousness and fragility (Castiglioni 2011), the decline of conventional habitus (Demetrio and Alberici 2002); an existential condition that is immersed in the more general changes of an era which has been variously defined, depending on viewpoints as “late modernity” (Giddens 1994), “surmodernity” (Augé 2009), “liquid modernity” (Bauman 2011), and “post-modernity” (Lyotard 1981). The central elements of the narrative paradigm shall then be outlined, by exploring the concept of narrative identity within the framework proposed by Paul Ricoeur (1950, 1970, 1975, 1983) – also demonstrating its impacts on research in psychology (Bruner 1990, 2002), politics (Nussbaum 1997, 2012), and anthropology (Geertz 1973, Clifford 1988) –to highlight how the theories on narrative identity originally developed from an interest in the symbol, and as part of a general idea of constructing a “poetics of will”. Given the fundamental quality that poetic theory holds for the narrative paradigm, further analyses have been made of the characteristics of poetic language, with the contribution of semiology research (specifically Lotman 1970, 1984 and Corti 1976), in order to pinpoint central aspects highlighted by Ricoeur, as well as showing less noted aspects, such as the theme of sound, for example. In parallel, an empirical survey was conducted in order to observe and question adult-age individuals who were identified as actors in poetry-related educational processes; this survey comprised a series of actions: gathering autobiographies concerning their relationship with poetry; interviews with promoters of poetic culture (Casa della Cultura, Spazio Poesia, Marcos y Marcos); interviews with poets (Loi, De Angelis, Pusterla, Butcovan, Corona, Rossi, Capalbi); participatory observation in a group of poetry readers; participation in a European project on poetry in adult education; experimentation with training sessions on creative writing and poetry as part of a university course for educators and social workers. Within the phenomenological framework, it was possible to situate poetry, pedagogically, as a specific manifestation of the transcendence of intentional consciousness, a form through which the individual experiences the world, located within his or her own interior sphere and language. In educational terms, poetry has a dual relevance: for its status as a process which seeks, through language, to give shape to the flow of thoughts, maintaining contact with inner life; and for its ability to tune in, reawaken, raise awareness, resound with other people’s inner beings, and to create through its language an empathic bridge, also acting as a collective sensibility.

This study concerns the strategy of lifelong and life wide learning as a form of "taking care of oneself". I assume, as Beck and Bauman say, that nowadays we live in a "risk society" and in a "liquid" society. In this context, the world has become more complex and the future more unpredictable in comparison with only few decades ago. The former collective agents (workers, women, social movements in general) seem to have vanished and the prospect of a public solution to the problems posed by the new/post modernity is very slim. It is the individual who has to undertake responsibility for his/her own future. There are at least two ways of considering lifelong learning: the first focuses on personal ability to purchase the skills, the competences, the capabilities required by the market, and become a "lifelong learner" in order to continuously respond to market-place challenges and remain employable. Somehow the person has always got to learn and can never consider himself/herself a complete professional, citizen, individual but is obliged to follow adaptive strategies just to stay afloat. The second way tries to see the "positive" side of an epoch of uncertainty: if social roles and status have become less solid, it should be possible, in adult life, to have the opportunity to seek for an autonomous form of satisfactory life, where lifelong learning links with experience and original, personal ways of elaborating experience. In this perspective, lifelong learning is a construct that has to give account of the situated, historical, economical, political role that education experiences play at the individual level but also in the individual's social context. I investigate the link between "necessity and possibility" in the process of "Bildung" of subjectivities. There are social, structural and cultural bonds that strongly condition access to education and to the opportunity to find one's place into society and there must be some possibility to overcome those bonds. What are the resources that individuals can count on to express their aptitudes and yearnings? What is the role of gender differences in such a need? I can say that lifelong learning may be only one of many different strategies to respond to deep and latent needs concerning identity, membership, self-planning, gender. As no dominion disposals are given without some resistance disposals, I look at experiences of existential re-definition that take place through a fracture, a crisis, a withdrawal, and lead to a new equilibrium, where the people experiencing them look for a "second chance" in their lives. I de-construct the idea of "second chance" pointing up notions of falling, risk, gain and loss, crisis and opportunity, freedom of choice. Also, the courage to look for something considered "second best" - or the courage to quit aiming for a first place in a competitive and individualistic society is to be valued. In the concept of "second chance" there is a redeeming dimension: the idea that learning throughout one's life does not mean to accumulate knowledge, skills, competencies in a linear and adaptive process, but - on the contrary - can be an evolutionary process similar to that found in nature, expressed by the concept of "exaptation". By the term "exaptation" I refer to the ability of individuals to learn, develop and self construct using in a creative form what they already possess. Maybe this is a particular kind of wisdom. It is also necessary to re-think the role of education in individual life stories, the different weight and the different meaning that people give to it depending on the moments in which they come into contact with educational systems. The role of those responsible for educational processes must also change: there is a need for a more circular way of defining educational requirements and knowledge. And so, the research, moving from a critical theory of society and from a Foucoultian perspective (with regards to the categories of power, resistance and freedom), makes use of the method devised in Italy by Riccardo Massa and by the Clinic of Education, because it allows investigation of the latent and hidden dimensions of everyday actions and beliefs while simultaneously constructing new forms of knowledge and self-knowledge. The research participants are individuals who have decided to give themselves a "second chance": they are adult students in Bicocca and many of them have abandoned previous studies, some have changed their lifestyles and have experienced a personal crisis. In this research, narrative and auto/biographical pedagogy play a substantial role: this approach, as a matter of fact, in the last fifteen years has gained full recognition in many context (Denzin & Lincoln; West; Josso; Ferrarotti; Pineau; Demetrio; Formenti; Gonzàlez Monteagudo, etc) and has proved to be a powerful research method in its own right for understanding subjectivity and making subjective experiences more visible and intelligible. Above all, this approach, with the aim of critiquing hierarchical models, has important implications for the change of roles. It is a way of acquiring knowledge and a social action, that promotes self-directed learning and the appropriation of one's own education. For these reasons I selected a small group of adults (aged 34 and up) who have decided to give themselves a "second chance", taking possession of their own lives, and by so doing taking care of themselves. I investigated together with these people their life history and the roots of the "turning point". To carry out this research I used face-to-face instruments, such as open and in-depth interviews, into a clinic perspective. The Clinic of Education as a method that brings to light the hidden dimensions of actions and decisions, in other words the symbolic, cognitive, emotional and procedural latencies related to education, is the theoretical frame in which the research is inscribed.

It is well established that early cannabis use during adolescence leads to neurobiological changes that can affect adult brain functions which in turn might lead to an increased vulnerability to drug abuse (Realini et al., 2009). Epidemiological evidence of cannabis use before other drugs has reinforced the idea of the "Cannabis gateway hypothesis" according to which early exposure to cannabis increases the risk of starting the use of harder drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and amphetamine (Kandel, 1975). Indeed, several studies have suggested the presence of significant functional interactions between the endocannabinoid and dopamine systems (Cheer et al., 2007; González et al., 2002) in the mesolimbic pathways, but also between endocannabinoid and opioid systems (Fattore et al., 2005) and between endocannabinoid and the cholinergic-nicotinic systems (Scherma et al., 2008) necessary for the expression of heroin and nicotine reward-related behaviours. Moreover, sex-dependent differences are frequently observed in the biological and behavioral effects of drugs of abuse (Becker and Hu, 2008) and in keeping with epidemiological data in humans, differences in drug-intake and seeking have been well-documented in animal studies, and the most recent findings have implicated cannabinoid abuse as well. (Fattore et al., 2010). Clinical and preclinical findings indicate that sex and gonadal hormones may account for individual differences in susceptibility to the reinforcing effects of addictive substances, and that differences in vulnerability to drug abuse may be mediated by the same biological mechanisms (Fattore et al., 2009). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to THC, primary psychoactive substituent of cannabis, during adolescence is able to increase the reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse such as nicotine, heroin and cannabinoids in adult male and female rats, and to compare the results obtained in order to identify possible sex-specific differences. To this end, behavioral studies have been conducted on both male and female rats using a validated experimental model to study dependence (O’Brien et al., 2005): the chronic intravenous self-administration (IVSA). Male, at 45 postnatal day (PND) and female adolescent, at 35 PND, Sprague-Dawley (for nicotine and heroin studies) and Lister Hooded rats (for WIN55,212-2 studies) (Deiana et al., 2007), were treated intraperitoneally (i.p) with increasing doses of THC (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) or with vehicle twice/day for 11 consecutive days. Once animals reached the adulthood (85 or 75 PND), we studied the effects of THC exposure on acquisition and maintenance of nicotine (30 μg/kg/infusion), heroin (30 μg/kg/infusion) and cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 (12.5 μg/kg/infusion) IVSA using continuous fixed-ratio (FR-1) schedule of reinforcement with lever-pressing as operandum. Faster acquisition and higher rate of drug intake was considered as index of vulnerability to drug abuse. Behavioral data obtained with male rats showed that exposure to THC during adolescence produces an increased vulnerability to CB1 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 and heroin but not to nicotine intake in adulthood with respect to each control group. Data from nicotine self-administration in adult female rats showed no differences in intake between animal exposed to THC in adolescence and vehicle-treated rats. On the other hand, THC adolescence exposure increased both heroin and WIN55,212-2 intake as compared to corresponding control groups. Comparison of results obtained in females and male rats of heroin and WIN55,212-2 IVSA experiments shows that average intake of drugs during the maintenance phase of self-administration training is significantly higher in females than in males. This increased vulnerability of female rats to drug taking as compared to males is in line with previous studies on sex-dependent differences showing that females are more sensitive than males to cannabinoid-induced behavioral effects. In summary, these studies seem to support the hypothesis that a previous exposure to THC during adolescence increases the vulnerability to heroin and cannabinoids, but not to nicotine abuse in adult rats with sex-specific differences.

Introduction: The progression from adolescence strong use of Cannabis to heroin abuse in adulthood, theorized by Kandel as Gateway Hypothesis (GH) doesn't adequately account the importance of phenotype vulnerability as predisposing factor involved in the development of a drug abuse-related behavioral disorder. Addiction prone Lewis (LEW) and addiction resistant Fischer (F344) inbred rat strains represents a useful animal model of different drug vulnerability in light of the different susceptibility to opiates and psychostimulants reinforcing properties. Aim: Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of Δ9-THC adolescence exposure on the addictive properties of heroin in LEW and F344 strain, during heroin self-administration (SA) in adulthood. Methods: On the 6th postnatal (PN) week rats were administered twice a day with increasing doses of Δ9-THC (2, 4, 8 mg/kg, i.p.) for three consecutive days. In adulthood (12th PN), LEW and F344 rats were trained to acquire heroin SA behavior (0.025 mg/kg/48 μl, 1-h daily session), under Fixed Ratio-1 (FR-1) (1NP = 1 infusion) schedule of responding. When criterion of acquisition was met, LEW and F344 rats were subjected to self administer heroin: i) under Fixed Ratio (FR-3 and FR-5) schedule of responding (Exp I), to better understand how Δ9-THC could influence heroin reinforcing properties; ii) under Progressive Ratio (PR3-4) schedule of reinforcement (Exp II) in order to evaluate if Δ9-THC adolescent exposure affect the motivational value of heroin; iii) during daily 4-h SA (long access, LA), with increasing doses of heroin (0.025, 0.050 and 0.100 mg/kg), under FR-1 schedule (Exp. III) to determine the role of Δ9-THC as predisposing factor in the vulnerability of opiate abuse by escalation of heroin intake. Results: In each experiments, adolescent pre-exposure to Δ9-THC induced higher operant responding activity and greater adaptation to all experimental conditions (Exp I, II, III) of opiate-reinforced SA behavior in adult LEW rats as well as progressive escalation of heroin intake when exposed to higher doses of heroin, compared to LEW vehicle as well as to F344 strain (Exp III). Furthermore, LEW Δ9-THC pretreated rats readily acquire PR schedule, showing greater nose poking behavior and higher breaking point values compared to their controls as well as to the counterpart F344 groups. No such differences were observed in the F344 rats strain. Conclusion: Genetic vulnerability plays a critical role as a predisposing factor in the progression to opiate abuse and related behavioral disease. The results of my research strongly demonstrate that Δ9-THC pre-treatment in adolescence differentially affects both heroin rewarding properties and motivational value, in adulthood, in a strain-related way, and for the first time clearly indicate that heavy Cannabis use during adolescence could have a gateway effect in the adulthood only on individuals provided by an addiction prone genetic and/or phenotype background.

1. Introduction Coping with a chronic disease during emerging adulthood is challenging. The journey from adolescence to adulthood spans many years and may be delayed in young patients with chronic conditions, such as liver transplantation. Moreover, young patients are involved in a significant process of transition from the paediatric to adult care. The study is based on a theoretical framework that considers patient education as an empowerment process aimed to promote self-reflection and life skills through educational relationship and dialogue. 2. Aims The main aims of this study were: i) to explore the experience of transplantation and transition process ii) to create, implement and verify the effectiveness of targeted ad hoc educational measures and ad hoc dialogue tools in a group of young patients (late adolescence, young adulthood) who underwent liver transplantation. These educational interventions have been focused on: quality of life and adherence after liver transplantation, transition process from paediatric to adult care and independent management of health. 3. Study design The study consists in a pilot project with mixed methodologies. Patients have been randomized in experimental group (E) (involved in educational interventions) and control group (C) (not involved in educational interventions). 4. Materials and methods According to specific aims, different methodologies have been used: i) with regard to the analysis of experience of transplantation and transition process: a semi-structured interview has been performed for each patient. Interviews have been recorded, transcribed and then analysed considering emerging themes (Atlas.ti, 7.1.8); ii) considering the assessment of educational interventions' efficacy: a pre and post analysis has been conducted (before and after interventions). Patients filled in some questionnaires in order to evaluate: overall well-being: Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P); adherence: Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-4) and an ad hoc questionnaire concerning adherence after liver transplantation; patients' perceptions about their problem solving and decision making skills: (APSP); patients' perceptions about their health managing skills: ad hoc questionnaire. Data have been analysed using SPSS, 23. 5. Results The study has been conducted between July 2015 and October 2016. 14 young liver transplanted patients have been enrolled in the project. 8 (57,1%) were male; the mean age was 23,9 (±4,7) (range: 16-30). The mean age at transplantation was 8,7 (±7,2) (range: 1-25). Qualitative data: with regard to the three main topic (transplantation, autonomy and transition) some interesting suggestions emerged from the analysis. Transplantation has been frequently associated with the discussion about "identity". Patients expressed their difficulties in talking about transplantations; moreover, some problems have been expressed with regard to relationships with parents, concerning the management of health after transplantation. Autonomy has been expressed as a conflicting challenge between the desire to be independent (from every point of view) and the need to be protected. Quantitative data from the pre-test overall analysis: considering well-being (SAT-P) physical and social dimensions presented higher average (67±15,3 and 66±18,5 respectively) compared to psychological dimension, occupation and sleep and nutrition (60±18,7; 62,8±22,2 and 60,9±15,4 respectively). Considering MMAS, 30% of patients resulted non adherent. With regard to patients' perceptions about problem solving and decision making skills (APSP) results revealed a low mean score: 66±13,1. Quantitative data from the post-test analysis (E pre vs. E post; C pre vs. C post): considering well-being, data from the E post-test analysis revealed an improvement concerning mood (p<0,001), emotional stability (p<0,05) and self-confidence (p<0,05). An overall maintenance or improvement of adherence has also been observed in E. In C a general decrease of self-efficacy has been observed at post-test analysis (p<0,05). 6. Discussion Qualitative analysis revealed some critical issues related to the process of understanding and talking about the experience of transplantation among young patients. Quantitative data pointed out these problems concerning overall well-being (especially considering psychological dimension) as well as adherence and patients perceptions about their skills. These results are consistent with literature concerning this topic, revealing the presence of some difficulties in managing health after transplantation during this period of life, even considering transition process as a crucial developmental step toward independence. With regard to the implementation of educational measures, the comparison within the two groups at the pre-test and post-test analysis revealed some encouraging data. Educational interventions and dialogue tools can play a significant role in promoting self-reflection and the understanding process linked to transplantation. Moreover, educational dialogue (with specific dialogue tools) may be useful in order to foster an independent management of health after transplantation and during the transition process. 7. Conclusion This is a pilot study with a very small sample, so it is not possible to generalize data. Results are useful in order to guide future research on this field. Considering this first results, educational interventions and dialogue tools will be revised in order to implement the study in a larger cohort of young transplanted patients.
1. Introduzione Il delicato equilibrio sul quale la persona tenta in età giovanile di poggiare la propria costruzione identitaria può venire in alcuni casi alterato da una malattia o da una condizione di cronicità quale il trapianto. Proprio in questa età, il paziente si trova inoltre coinvolto in un delicato processo di transizione dal servizio pediatrico al servizio di cura per adulti. La cornice teorica all'interno della quale si muove il presente progetto si riferisce a forme di educazione alla salute che privilegiano un'azione finalizzata all'empowerment della persona, alla promozione di abilità autoriflessive e di resilienza e al miglioramento di una serie di life skills attraverso la relazione educativa mediata dalla narrazione e dal dialogo. 2. Obiettivi Sono stati perseguiti due obiettivi: i) analisi del vissuto di trapianto e dell'esperienza di transizione; ii) strutturazione, implementazione e verifica dell'efficacia di una serie di interventi educativi mediati dall'uso di strumenti di dialogo originali in un gruppo di pazienti (tarda adolescenza, giovani adulti) sottoposti a trapianto di fegato. Gli interventi educativi (quattro in tutto, con specifici protocolli) si sono focalizzati sui seguenti aspetti: qualità di vita e aderenza dopo trapianto; processo di transizione; sviluppo di abilità di gestione autonoma della salute. 3. Disegno dello studio Lo studio prevede la messa in atto di un progetto pilota con metodologie di ricerca miste. I pazienti coinvolti nel progetto sono stati randomizzati in gruppo sperimentale (Gs) (con il quale sono stati realizzati gli incontri educativi) e gruppo di controllo (Gc) (non hanno partecipato agli incontri). 4. Materiali e metodi Sono state utilizzate metodologie e metodi differenti a seconda degli obiettivi perseguiti: - obiettivo i) analisi del vissuto di trapianto: intervista semi-strutturata con tutti i pazienti coinvolti. Tutte le interviste sono state audio registrate, trascritte e analizzate attraverso la ricognizione di temi ricorrenti (Atlas.ti, versione 7.1.8). - obiettivo ii) verifica di efficacia degli interventi educativi: conduzione di un'analisi pre e post interventi attraverso la somministrazione di una batteria di questionari atti a valutare le seguenti dimensioni: benessere complessivo: Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P); aderenza: Scala di Morisky per l'aderenza terapeutica (MMAS-4) e questionario ad hoc "Valutazione dell'aderenza in pazienti sottoposti a trapianto di fegato"; autoefficacia percepita nella gestione di situazioni problematiche: Scala di autoefficacia percepita nella soluzione di problemi (APSP); livello di competenza percepito rispetto al tema della transizione: questionario ad hoc "Gestione autonoma del proprio stato di salute in relazione al processo di transizione". Le statistiche descrittive e inferenziali sono state condotte mediante l'utilizzo del software SPSS, versione 23. 5. Risultati Lo studio ha preso avvio a luglio 2015 e si è concluso ad ottobre 2016. Sono stati coinvolti 14 pazienti con un'età media (±DS) di 23,9 (±4,7) anni (range: 16-30) e un'etè media (±DS) al trapianto di 8,7 (±7,2) anni (range: 1-25). Contenuti qualitativi: l'analisi delle interviste ha permesso di approfondire diversi aspetti legati al trapianto connessi al tema del ricordo, della comunicazione e del racconto. Ancora, il legame ambivalente con i genitori nella gestione della salute dopo il trapianto, il rapporto con amici e compagni di scuola e l'esperienza di transizione caratterizzata da una significativa tensione tra dipendenza e autonomia (soprattutto dalle figure genitoriali). Dati quantitativi: considerando l'intero gruppo di pazienti, i dati emersi dall'analisi pre indicano per il benessere soggettivo (SAT-P) medie (±DS) più elevate per la funzionalità fisica (67±15,3) e sociale (66±18,5) rispetto a quella psicologica (60±18,7), lavorativo/scolastica (62,8±22,2) e legata allo stile di vita (60,9±15,4). Quasi il 30% dei pazienti si colloca nella fascia di mancata aderenza (MMAS-4). Rispetto alla percezione di autoefficacia nella soluzione di problemi (APSP) emerge un punteggio medio (±DS) classificato come basso di 66 (±13,1). Al confronto operato entro i gruppi nel pre e post test, i dati evidenziano un miglioramento statisticamente significativo alla somministrazione post nel Gs per i punteggi del SAT-P inerenti il tono dell'umore (p<0,001), la stabilità emozionale (p<0,05) e la fiducia in se stessi (p<0,05). Si ravvisa inoltre un generale mantenimento o rinforzo dell'aderenza nel Gs e un mantenimento della mancata aderenza nel Gc (p=ns). Rispetto all'autoefficacia (APSP) si osserva un decremento significativo del punteggio complessivo al post test nel Gc (p<0,05). Decremento generale osservato, sempre nel Gc, per il livello di competenza percepito rispetto al tema della transizione a fronte di un generale miglioramento dei punteggi dello stesso nel Gs (p=ns). 6. Discussione I diversi risultati presentati hanno permesso di elaborare alcune riflessioni in merito al vissuto dopo trapianto, a partire da alcune generali difficoltà espresse dai ragazzi nel parlare e raccontare questa esperienza. Difficoltà ravvisate anche e soprattutto sul piano psicologico ed emotivo (per quanto riguarda, ad esempio, la stabilità emozionale e il tono dell'umore). Criticità sono state inoltre riscontrate rispetto all'aderenza, soprattutto all'assunzione della terapia immunosoppressiva. Entrambi questi dati trovano conferma nella letteratura specifica di riferimento. I risultati (sia qualitativi che quantitativi) hanno permesso di identificare alcune possibili aree di intervento educativo. Tra queste, la promozione dell'autoriflessione e dell'elaborazione dell'esperienza del trapianto, il lavoro più mirato sull'acquisizione e rinforzo di determinate competenze psicosociali con i pazienti e il supporto e l'accompagnamento dei genitori nel corso del processo di transizione. 7. Conclusioni Questo studio rappresenta una prima esperienza a carattere interventistico rispetto all'educazione in questo ambito. Essendo questo un progetto pilota che ha coinvolto un gruppo ristretto di pazienti non risulta possibile operare delle generalizzazioni per quanto concerne i risultati identificati. Le prospettive future, ed auspicabili, al termine dello studio consisteranno in una revisione degli interventi (alla luce dei risultati conseguiti) e una loro possibile implementazione con un campione pià ampio di giovani pazienti. Il progetto potrebbe inoltre fornire un nuovo punto di vista rispetto al tema della transizione nelle sue implicazioni clinico - pratiche.

Genetic metabolic diseases or congenital defects of metabolism, are a large and diverse sub-group of genetic diseases characterizad by the dysfunction of an enzima, a protein or other more complex molecules involved in cell metabolism, with a consequent disruption of it. In medicine, the assesment of quality of life perceived by the subject, is a very important aspect in order to emphasize by the importance of the needs perceived by each patient. The objective of this study was initially born of the desire to analyse the variables witch might influence a subjective perception of a good quality of life in patients suffering from a metabolic disorder. During the course of this study, the focus shifted mainly on cognitive functioning , considered asa variable significantly affecting the perception that every patients has in regard to their physical and psychological well-being. Here is the analysis on a group of patients affected by Galactosemia , with the aim of: - assess and quality the cognitive functions, find a possible correlations between the type of mutation and the phenotype, asses the relationship between the biochemical context of each patient ( levels of total plasma galactose) and the neurological and neuropsychological framework. it was analysed the clinical history of 7 patients with Galactosemia, 3 children and 4 adults. The cognitive changes highlighted in the adults are: Verbal apraxia, constructive apraxia,attention deficits,change in perception-gnosis capacities. A careful analysis of the patients also revealed the presence of specific aspects of personality.
Le malattie metaboliche ereditarie (MME), o difetti congeniti del metabolismo, rappresentano un vasto ed eterogeneo sottogruppo di malattie genetiche caratterizzate dalla disfunzione di un enzima, di una proteina o di altre molecole più complesse coinvolte nel metabolismo cellulare, con conseguente perturbazione dello stesso. La valutazione della qualità  della vita percepita dal soggetto rappresenta in medicina un aspetto molto importante al fine di enfatizzare l'importanza dei bisogni percepiti da ciascun paziente. L'obiettivo del presente studio inizialmente è nato dalla volontà  di analizzare quali variabili potessero influenzare maggiormente la percezione soggettiva di una buona qualità  di vita, in pazienti affetti da una patologia metabolica. Durante il corso dello studio l'attenzione si è spostata principalmente sull'analisi della funzionalità  cognitiva, intesa come variabile notevolmente influenzante la percezione che ogni paziente ha relativamente, al proprio benessere fisico e psicologico. A questo proposito si riporta l'analisi compiuta su di un gruppo di pazienti affetti da Galattosemia, con l'obiettivo di : valutare e quantificare le funzioni cognitive, stabilire una possibile correlazione tra genotipo e fenotipo del campione, valutare l'eventuale relazione esistente tra il quadro biochimico di ogni singolo paziente (livelli di galattosio totale plasmatico) ed il quadro neuropsicologico e neurologico. E' stata analizzata in modo retrospettivo la storia clinica di 7 pazienti con galattosemia, 3 in età  pediatrica e 4 in età  adulta. Le alterazioni cognitive evidenziate in modo eterogeneo nel campione adulti sono: aprassia verbale, aprassia costruttiva,deficit delle capacità  attentive,alterazioni delle capacità percettivo gnosiche. Ad un'attenta analisi dei pazienti inoltre, emerge la presenza di specifici aspetti di personalità.

In order to create more efficient, useful alcohol treatment and intervention methods tailored specifically for the older population, it is important to understand the reasons that older adults perceive that they consume alcohol. For this reason, this study explored older adults’ perceptions regarding why they use alcohol. Older adults, age 60 and older, were surveyed through questionnaires completed at senior community centers within San Bernardino County. This was a mixed method design that used qualitative and quantitative analysis for the purpose of exploring the most frequently reported reasons for why older adults use alcohol. The main finding of the study is that older adults in the sample most frequently reported using alcohol for “having fun and celebration” and for “social reasons.” However, it is important to note that older adults reported a variety of motivations for using alcohol. Further research is suggested to determine correlations between demographics, alcohol use patterns, and older adults’ perceptions of why they use alcohol.

Transitioned perinatally HIV-infected patients may be at increased risk for poor outcomes, yet the impact of transition and of transition programs on health are not well understood. This research examined: (1) post-transition mortality, (2) engagement in adult HIV care, (3) transition experiences, and clinical and sociodemographic influences, including transition program exposure. Data were collected from patients who had transitioned from a Florida pediatric clinic to adult HIV care between January 2003 and September 2012. Post-transition mortality and care engagement were assessed in a retrospective analysis of medical record data. Fisher exact and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for significance testing. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated to assess strength of associations. Stratified analysis controlled for confounding. Transition experiences were examined in a mixed-methods study, with qualitative data from a computer-assisted survey subjected to thematic analysis. Of 51 transitioned patients, nine (18%) had died by May 2014, five (56%) in the first post-transition year. Of 42 survivors, 33 were eligible; 27 (82%) provided consent. Post-transition mortality was high, particularly in those severely immunosuppressed (CD4 count <100/mm3; RR =6.0, 95% CI =1.88-19.19 [P=.005]) at transition. When controlled for CD4 count, employment was associated with decreased (adjusted RR= 0.19; 95% CI=0.04-0.88 [P=.02]), and high school non-completion with increased (adjusted RR= 3.0; 95% CI=1.37-6.40 [P=.07]) mortality risk. The number of kept HIV appointments decreased from last pre-transition (Median = 5, IQR 4-6) to first post-transition (Median = 2, IQR 1-10; P=.002) year; the proportion of poorly engaged increased from 3% to 35% (P=.006), with no significant changes between first and second post-transition years. Non-Hispanic black and low-income participants were less likely to be regularly engaged in adult HIV care one year post-transition. Transition program exposure did not significantly affect mortality or care engagement. Most of 27 received transition services, but 59% had trouble doing well in adult care. Needs for patient-centered care, with caring, personal patient-provider relationships and accessible HIV care, characterized post-transition experiences. This research suggested that transitioned perinatally HIV-infected young adults are at risk for poor health outcomes. Systematic programs using a socio-ecological framework to include multi-level interventions and post-transition support may improve outcomes.

Background: There is considerable evidence that physicians lack sufficient training in facilitating transition from pediatric to adult care systems for adolescents and young adults (A/YA). While several primary care residency programs have introduced health care transition (HCT) curricula in recent years, there are few studies that assess the effectiveness of HCT teaching models. Purpose: To assess the impact of a residency education program that uses electronic health records (EHR) and other methods to teach residents how to prepare A/YA for transition to adult care. Methods: In a mixed methods, quasi-experimental research design, quantitative methods were used to measure change in knowledge, confidence and experience among 67 Pediatrics and Med-Peds residents who participated in the program. All residents and a comparison group were invited to complete a 35-item pre/post-survey; a retrospective chart review provided documentation of age-specific HCT preparation tasks completed by residents during well visits for A/YA aged 12-21. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted to compare differences between resident and control test scores for 5 outcome variables, and to measure resident utilization of the HCT tool in the EHR. Using the Reach Effectiveness-Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) evaluation model as a guide, semi-structured interviews were conducted concurrently with residents and faculty to assess program acceptability, feasibility, and other important attributes. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparative, iterative process. Results: Survey results showed residents (11 matched pairs) scored significantly higher than controls (13 matched pairs) in 2 of 5 outcomes: exposure to HCT learning activities (p=.0005) and confidence in providing primary care for YSHCN (p=.0377). Overall utilization of the EHR tool among 51 residents was 52.8% (57 of 108 patient visits). In interviews conducted with 16 residents and 6 faculty, both groups said that HCT training is a highly relevant need. Residents said they had little knowledge or experience in HCT prior to the intervention but felt more confident in their abilities afterwards. The HCT tool in the EHR was the only intervention element among multiple modalities that reached all study participants, with more than 80% of residents interviewed reporting they used the HCT tool "usually" or "always." Factors that influenced program adoption included accessibility of educational materials, ease of use, time constraints, patient age and health condition, and attending physicians' enforcement of the protocol. Conclusion: This study contributes to the body of knowledge concerning HCT by increasing our understanding of ways to effectively educate residents about transition preparation. Results show a positive intervention effect on selected dimensions of resident knowledge, confidence, and practice in HCT, highlighting program strengths and weaknesses. The program is distinctive in educating residents to prepare all A/YA for HCT, as recommended by major medical associations for pediatric and adult care physicians, and in its use of the EHR as a primary teaching tool, a consideration for reducing time-intensive didactic instruction. It provides a model that can be adapted by other residency and provider training programs, and suggests a need to integrate acquisition of health care self-management skills more broadly in child and adolescent health preventive care tools and policies.

L'utilisation d'hépatocytes foetaux pourrait permettre de surmonter les difficultés rencontrées avec les hépatocytes adultes dans les programmes de thérapie cellulaire hépatique. La transplantation prénatale vise à optimiser la prise de greffe, tout en proposant une alternative à l'IMG en cas de diagnostic prénatal. Nous avons isolés, transduits et congelés des hépatocytes foetaux de primatenon humain (Macaque cynomolgus) Après allo-transplantation in utero à 2/3 de gestation, les cellules sont retrouvées à court terme. Nous avons isolé, caractérisé, transduits et congelés des hépatocytes humains foetaux (HHF) précoces (10-13 SA). Après transplantation dans le foie de souris athymiques, les HHF s'intègrent à long terme (12 sem), prolifèrent (chimérisme jusqu'à 7-10%). . .
Transplantation of hepatocytes is a promising approche for the treatment of severe liver disease. The hurdles faced with adult hepatocytes could be surmounted with the use of human fetal hepatoblasts. Intra-uterine transplantation could improve chimerism and avoid termination of pregnancy in case of prenatal diagnosis. Primate fetal hepatocytes can be isolated, cryopreserved and immortalized. In utero allo-transplantation is feasible, allowing for short-term detection of donor hepatocytes. We have isolated, characterized,transduced and cryopreserved hepatoblasts from human livers at an early stage of development (11-13 weeks of gestation). After transplantation, cryopreserved cells engrafted into the liver of athymic mice for long term (12 sem), proliferated(up to 10% repopulation) and matured expressing Alb, Alpha-1-Antitrypsin, Cytochrome P450.

This study analyses the challenges faced by adult educators in reducing illiteracy among adult above twenty years of age in the Eastern Cape. The focal point is on ascertaining why there is an increase in the percentage of illiteracy in the province despite a slight decrease in other provinces. Most importantly is the determination of the significant role played by adult educators. A qualitative approach is employed to pursue the aims of the study. Data is collected using semi-structured interviews. The study has shown that lack of monitoring and supervision by ABET administrators, lack of resources for skills development and language of instruction, all contribute to the increase in illiteracy rate in the Province. For administrators of adult learning programmes it is suggested that they become more familiar with operations at Adult Learning Centres and provide training including technical where appropriate. Designers of curriculum should select curriculum resources appropriate to adult learners. Providers of direct support to adult learners should ensure that training is provided on an ongoing basis. This training should focus on teaching methods and learning approaches (pedagogy) as well as the effective use of ABET learning and teaching guides.

Knowledge of anthropometric dimensions is important for the design of workspaces and equipment. In a developing country, such as Colombia, no anthropometric survey for Colombian adults has yet been published. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assemble a Colombian adult anthropometric data set sufficiently accurate for design applications. An anthropometric survey was conducted on 134 Colombian adults living in South Florida. Twenty body dimensions were measured. Moreover, an anthropometric estimation method was selected, described and validated to be used as a reference when measurement of the user population is not possible. Anthropometric estimates, using the scaling ratio method, and those obtained in the survey were analyzed and compared with other population data. Tables are assembled and dimensional models are suggested which may be used as a design tool.

Although there are ample studies confirming that memory self-efficacy (MSE) declines with age, less is known about what factors account for the variation in MSE among older adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between MSE, diagnostic and clinical characteristics, and subsequent episodic memory performance in older adults. A nonprobability sample of 200 cognitively normal and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participating in a longitudinal population-based study investigating the incidence, prevalence and risk factors for MCI completed a questionnaire about self-referent beliefs of MSE. Bandura's (1989) selfefficacy theory and the Integration Model (Whittemore, 2005) informed the descriptive study. Pearson product-moment correlations, a general linear model and a multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. The difference in MSE ratings between the cognitively normal group and the MCI group tested as a whole was significant when adjusting for age, gender and educational attainment (p < .001; ES= 0.585). The overall regression model explained 17 % of the variance of MSE (p < .001) and included age, gender, educational attainment, APOE 4 genotype, family history of dementia, cognitive diagnosis and depressive symptoms. After controlling for age and the other variables of interest, cognitive classification and depression were significant predictors of MSE. Higher MSE ratings were correlated with better episodic memory performance for both groups (r = .273, p < .001). Memory training that capitalizes on the benefits accruing from higher MSE is needed for cognitively normal older adults and older adults with MCI.

Cette thèse se propose d’examiner les mécanismes de la perception des expressions faciales émotionnelles et leur développement précoce, grâce à une approche de présentation visuelle périodique rapide (Fast Periodic Visual Presentation : FPVS) couplée à l’électroencéphalographie (EEG). Plus spécifiquement, nous avons cherché à caractériser des réponses cérébrales de discrimination des expressions faciales et à déterminer l’influence d’un contexte olfactif hédonique sur ces réponses, chez l’adulte (Etudes 1 et 2) ainsi que chez le nourrisson à différents stades de développement (Etudes 3 et 4).Nous avons montré que l’adulte présente des réponses cérébrales distinctes selon l’expression faciale cible à discriminer, indiquant une catégorisation spontanée des expressions faciales de base (Étude 1). Par ailleurs, nous avons mis en évidence que la présence d’un contexte olfactif hédonique influence les réponses cérébrales de catégorisation des expressions faciales. Tandis que la réponse à la joie reste inchangée, la réponse au dégoût est moindre en présence d’un contexte olfactif hédonique agréable ou désagréable. L’effet de l’odeur est particulièrement retrouvé pour la réponse à la neutralité, la réponse étant presque absente en contexte désagréable vs. amplifiée en contexte agréable. Les odeurs hédoniques orienteraient ainsi la perception des expressions faciales vers leur propre valence émotionnelle, ou vers la valence de l’odeur pour l’expression neutre émotionnellement ambiguë, entravant ou facilitant leur discrimination des autres expressions, majoritairement négatives (Etude 2). Chez le nourrisson, une première étude a permis d’isoler des réponses cérébrales de discrimination des expressions faciales à 3,5 et 7 mois (Étude 3). Une évolution de la réponse cérébrale à la joie a été observée entre 3,5 et 7 mois (activité fronto-centrale additionnelle), suggérant l’intégration progressive de la signification émotionnelle de cette expression positive. La seconde étude a été initiée chez les nourrissons de 7 mois pour tester l’influence d’un contexte olfactif agréable sur la réponse cérébrale à l’expression de joie (Etude 4, en cours). Elle semble indiquer que la réponse à la joie est amplifiée par un contexte olfactif agréable plutôt que neutre.Ces résultats révèlent que les expressions faciales sont facilement discriminées chez l’adulte, la présence d’un contexte olfactif hédonique orientant la perception vers la valence émotionnelle de l’expression faciale plutôt que vers l’émotion de base associée en tant que telle. La valence émotionnelle des expressions pourrait être acquise précocement au cours du développement, avant 7 mois, âge auquel évolue la discrimination de la joie (positive) par rapport aux autres expressions (majoritairement négatives). En outre, à cet âge, la perception de la joie semble facilitée en présence d’un contexte olfactif agréable. Ainsi, du fait de la maturité fonctionnelle précoce du système olfactif, les odeurs pourraient activement participer à l’acquisition de la signification émotionnelle des expressions faciales au cours du développement, et faciliter la perception des expressions dont la signification émotionnelle est ambiguë chez l’adulte. Dans l’ensemble, nos travaux éclairent le rôle de l’intégration multisensorielle au cours du développement perceptif précoce et ouvrent d’intéressantes perspectives pour investiguer le développement sociocognitif et affectif typique et atypique
This thesis examines the mechanisms subtending the perception of emotional facial expressions and their early development using a Fast Periodic Visual Presentation (FPVS) approach coupled with electroencephalography (EEG). More specifically, we tried to characterize brain responses reflecting facial expression discrimination and to determine whether hedonic odor contexts influence these responses in adults (studies 1 and 2), and in infants at different developmental stages (studies 3 and 4).We showed specific responses to the discrimination of every facial expression in the adult brain, indicating rapid and automatic categorization of basic facial expressions (study 1). In addition, we revealed that hedonic odor contexts influence these expression-specific brain responses. While the response to happiness is unchanged, the response to disgust is weaker in both pleasant and unpleasant odor contexts. The odor effect is strong for the response to neutrality, this response being nearly absent in the unpleasant odor context vs. larger in the pleasant context. Hedonic odors could thus orient facial expression perception toward their own emotional valence, or toward the valence of the odor for the emotionally ambiguous neutral expression, hampering or facilitating their discrimination from the other mainly negative expressions (study 2). In infants, a first study isolated brain responses to the discrimination of facial expressions in 3.5- and 7-month-olds (study 3). In particular, we observed that the response to happiness evolves between 3.5- and 7-month-old (additional fronto-central activity), suggesting the progressive integration of the emotional meaning of this positive expression. The second study has been initiated in 7-month-old infants to test the influence of a pleasant hedonic odor context on the specific brain response to happiness (study 4, ongoing study). This study seems to indicate that the response is larger in a pleasant rather than neutral odor context.These results reveal that facial expressions are readily discriminated in adults, hedonic odor contexts orienting perception toward emotional valence rather than related basic emotions. Emotional valence may be acquired early in development, before 7 months, since the discrimination of happiness (positive) from other expressions (mainly negative) evolves at this age. Moreover, at 7 months, the perception of happiness seems facilitated by the presence of a pleasant odor context. Hence, due to the early functional maturity of the olfactory system, odors may actively participate in acquiring the emotional meaning of facial expressions during early development and facilitate the perception of expressions whose emotional meaning is ambiguous in adults. Overall, our work sheds new light on the role of multisensory integration during early perceptual development and opens interesting perspectives to investigate typical and atypical socio-cognitive and affective development

The purpose of this project was to develop aids and strategies for identifying and assisting adult students with learning disabilities. Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV 1994). The project addresses specific descriptions for identifying traits, behaviors, and characteristics in the recognition of: dyslexia; color blindness, tic disorders, Tourette's syndrome, scotopic sensitivity syndrome, behavior disorders, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), aphasic disorders, and autistic disorders.

This research examined demographic factors and reported preferential learning mode among a sample of Florida Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) members compared to a national sample profile of OLLI members. This study was prompted by an earlier study of OLLI members conducted by the National Resource Center (NRC) for OLLIs, which produced a national profile describing OLLI members. Although there was a national profile for OLLI members, there were no existing profiles of Florida OLLI members that could be used by OLLI administrators and instructors. This study employed an online survey to compare data between the national OLLI member profile and the Florida profile. Demographic factors such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, and relocation after retirement, as well as reported preferential learning mode were compared. The data resulting from this comparison indicated that although the gender and marital status distributions of the sample participants were similar, a majority of the other demographic variables were different for the Florida and national OLLI samples. The reported preferential learning mode between national and Florida OLLI members also were significantly different, in contrast to earlier research, which suggested that OLLI members were a homogenous group. The findings from this study suggest that it is important for adult education field educators, administrators, and OLLI instructors to recognize the growing diversity and technical proficiency of current retirees in order to continue to promote effective lifelong learning practices.

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes toward adult education among adult learners without a high school diploma or the General Educational Development (GED). In this study, adult learners without a high school diploma or GED completed the Attitudes Toward Adult Education Scale (AACES) and selected respondents volunteered to participate in a face-to-face interview in conjunction with the mixed methods section of the study. For this study, I used a 5-point Likert scale to measure the responses on the 22-item AACES survey. Three hundred and fifty respondents participated in the study. Descriptive statistics and a three-way ANOVA revealed attitudes toward adult education were not very favorable among adults without a high school diploma or GED. Overall, there were no significant differences among adult learners without a high school diploma or GED. However, age was statistically significant, as older adult learners had more favorable attitudes toward adult education than younger adults did. Race/ethnicity and gender showed no significant differences. The qualitative data revealed interviewees valued adult education and thought it was important for them to obtain their GED or high school diploma. Those interviewed believed they needed to obtain their GED or high school diploma in order to acquire meaningful employment. The interviewees did not express any immediate plans to participate in adult education or post-secondary/GED studies upon completion of the GED program. Based on the results, adult learners without a high school diploma or GED recognized the importance of obtaining a high school diploma or GED, but their attitudes toward the perception of participation in adult education were not favorable. The respondents believed participation in adult education is important and necessary to gain employment, but they did not show much enthusiasm for participation in adult education beyond the GED program.

Motor learning is an important component of daily life: humans are constantly adjusting their movements and acquiring new skills in order to meet the demands of their environment. Motor learning also contributes to neurorehabilitation, so it is therefore important to understand the neural mechanisms underlying motor learning so that these mechanisms can be exploited to promote neurorehabilitation after central nervous system injury. This dissertation focuses on three distinct methods of improving motor learning in healthy adults. In Chapter 2, we tested the effects of perturbation schedule on retention of a locomotor adaptation. The results of this work demonstrated that introducing a perturbation slowly and incrementally versus introducing a perturbation abruptly produces similar behavioral expression of locomotor memories across days. In Chapter 3, we tested whether administering 200 mg of caffeine immediately after practicing a novel motor skill enhances retention of that skill 24 hours later. However, we found that post-practice caffeine administration did not significantly improve retention of the motor skill. In combination with previous reports, these results suggest that the effects of post-practice caffeine administration are likely task-specific. In Chapter 4, we examined the interactions between hand use, practice-dependent plasticity and motor learning. We found that experimentally immobilizing the left hand for 8 hours facilitates subsequent practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability in a topographically-specific manner. In contrast, immobilization did not facilitate practice-dependent changes in TMS-evoked thumb movements, nor did it promote learning or retention of a ballistic motor skill. Although it is thought that practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability are an important and potentially causal contributor to motor memory, the results of this work indicate that experimentally enhancing practice-dependent changes in corticospinal excitability is not sufficient to promote motor learning. In sum, although none of the experimental interventions tested here substantially improved motor learning, these experiments highlight the influence of various mechanisms on motor learning in the intact nervous system.

Treatment for adulthood stuttering traditionally focuses on some combination of stuttering management and fluency management and may also target emotional and cognitive reactions to stuttering. However, long-term gains are often limited, and there is a need for continued development of approaches for mitigating impacts of stuttering. We know of no evidence-based therapy approaches designed to target functional communication in adults who stutter (AWS), despite widespread interest in improving functional communication in members of this speaker group. Script training is an intervention approach designed to improve accuracy and automaticity in functional communication. Script training was originally designed for use with adults with aphasia and was also recently applied successfully with adults with apraxia of speech. The aim of this study was to determine effects of script training in AWS. Three males participated, one who stuttered mildly, one moderately, and one severely. Using a single-subject, multiple-baseline design, treatment and maintenance performance was compared to baseline performance on three dependent variables: Script accuracy, percentage of syllables stuttered, and speaking rate. Results indicate that script training may benefit AWS. Script accuracy increased and percentage of syllables stuttered decreased in all three individuals. Speaking rate increased for one participant, whose pre-treatment stuttering was rated as mild in severity. All participants reported a self-perceived increase in confidence communicating. These effects indicate that additional research is warranted to continue investigating effects of script training in people who stutter.

The current study investigated family, individual and sibling relationship variables of adult sibling loss, using a cross-sectional survey design. A purposive sampling procedure was used to recruit adult subjects that had experienced the death of an adult sibling within the last five years. Ninety-four subjects responded to the initial request with 84 subjects returning questionnaires for an 89% response rate. Family variables of communication, cohesion, and adaptability and individual variables of individuation, self esteem as well as level of grief were operationalized using standardized instruments through a mailed questionnaire. It was predicted that significant relationships would be found between family variables and current level of grief. It was also predicted that individual characteristics (individuation, self esteem, church attendance, and cause of death) would be significantly related to the level of grief. Characteristics of the sibling relationship (frequency of contact, communication, perceived emotional closeness, geographical proximity, age differential and same sex) were predicted to reveal significant relationships. Bivariate analysis yielded support for only four of the sixteen hypotheses. No family variables were related to the subjects’ level of grief at the time of the survey. The individual characteristics of individuation, self esteem and church attendance were all significantly related to the level of grief. Support was also found for the sibling relationship variable of geographical proximity with level of grief. Multivariate regression analysis was used in testing two models that investigated demographic, family, individual and sibling relationship variables with current level of grief. The first model included all variables that were statistically significant at the bivariate level and relevant demographic variables. In addition, the level of grief at death and the amount of time since death were included in the model. The level of grief at death was the strongest predictor of current level of grief. The first model explained 61.7% of the variability of current level of grief. The second model selected those variables that had significant t-values from the first model. The level of emotional involvement was the strongest predictor of the level of grief at death. This model explained 58% of the variability of current level of grief. The level of grief at death was the strongest predictor of the current level of grief in both models.

This PhD project by publication begins to explore how Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) policy and practice carves out its role and remit. It examines the ways that concepts like “abuse”, “vulnerability” and “protection” have been constructed, both by individual practitioners and at a policy level. The submission comprises five papers published in peer-reviewed journals and this contextualising document, which knits together the work and draws out overall conclusions and implications. The papers themselves report on a literature review, a further analysis of case study research into ASP practice and a critical policy comparison. The case study research was conducted immediately prior to legislative changes in Scotland with respect to ASP, and the policy comparison was conducted subsequently to these changes. Overall, the findings highlight the ways that a social constructionist approach can usefully deepen our understandings of ASP. That is, they show how understanding concepts like “protection”, “vulnerability” and “abuse” to be actively constructed in unique and complex contexts can promote criticality in policy-making, practice and research.

Résumé : Introduction : Au Québec, jusqu’à l’âge de 21 ans, les enfants et adolescents ayant une déficience intellectuelle (DI) profonde ont des services de pédiatrie adaptés et l’opportunité de fréquenter des écoles spécialisées publiques. Toutefois, au-delà de cet âge, l’accès à ces services spécialisés est plus limité : le financement pour la fréquentation scolaire cesse et les jeunes adultes transfèrent des services de santé pédiatriques vers le secteur adulte. Malgré la mise en place de solutions visant à faciliter cette transition, des difficultés tendent à persister, une situation pouvant avoir des effets négatifs considérables au niveau de la personne ayant un handicap et de sa famille. Cependant, peu d’études se sont intéressées aux facteurs qui influencent le vécu de la transition vers la vie adulte des familles de jeunes personnes présentant une DI profonde, rendant difficile l’adaptation des programmes déjà existants de planification de la transition à la réalité de ces familles. Objectif : Ce projet vise à décrire les besoins des personnes présentant une DI profonde et de leur famille lors de la transition vers la vie adulte, en décrivant le vécu des parents lors de cette période et les facteurs qui l’influencent, ainsi qu’en explorant les pistes de solution à mettre en place. Méthodologie : Afin de réaliser cette étude qualitative, un devis descriptif interprétatif a été choisi. Deux entrevues semi-dirigées individuelles ont été réalisées auprès de quatorze parents, la deuxième entrevue permettant de valider et d’approfondir les résultats à l’aide d’un résumé de la première rencontre. Résultats : Plusieurs facteurs multisystémiques de l’ordre du soutien matériel, informatif, cognitif et affectif semblent influencer la transition vers la vie adulte. Ces différents facteurs contribuent au vécu particulièrement difficile des familles, qui vivent beaucoup d’anxiété et de frustration face au peu de soutien qui leur est offert. Plusieurs idées intéressantes ont été proposées par les parents pour répondre à ce manque de soutien, autant au plan du partage des connaissances, de l’amélioration de la collaboration inter-établissement que du soutien psychologique. Conclusion : Cette étude souligne l’importance d’impliquer l’ensemble des acteurs œuvrant auprès du jeune adulte et de sa famille dans la planification de la transition. La compréhension de la réalité des personnes avec une DI profonde et de leur famille devrait permettre de développer des interventions concrètes leur étant destinées dans de futurs projets.
Abstract : Introduction: In Quebec, until the age of 21, children and teenagers with profound intellectual disability (ID) have adapted pediatric health services and the opportunity to attend specialized public schools. However, beyond this age, access to specialized services is more limited: funding for school attendance ceases and young adults have to transfer from pediatric health services to the adult health services. Despite the implementation of solutions to facilitate transition to adulthood, some difficulties tend to persist, a situation that could have significant adverse effects on the person with a disability and their families. However, only few studies have focused on factors that influence the experience of the transition to adult life of families with a young people having profound ID, making it difficult to adapt transition planning programs to the reality of these families. Objective: This project aims to describe the needs of people with profound ID and their families during the transition to adulthood, by describing the experience of parents during this period and the factors influencing it, and by exploring potential solutions to implement. Methodology: In order to achieve this qualitative study, an interpretative descriptive design was used. Two individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen parents, the second interview was made to validate and deepen the results with a summary of the first interview. A semi-structured interview guide was created for the first interview and was previously validated by two families with a child with ID. Results: Several multisystemic factors targeting material, informative, cognitive, and emotional support seem to influence the transition to adulthood. These factors contribute to the particularly difficult experiences of families who live a lot of anxiety and frustration facing the lack of support offered. Several interesting ideas have been proposed by parents to address this lack of support, both in terms of knowledge sharing, improvement of inter-institutional collaboration, and psychological support. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of involving all stakeholders working with young adults and their families in planning the transition. Understanding the reality of people with profound ID and their families will help to develop concrete actions for future projects.

Interspeech posture (ISP) is a term used to define the position of a person’s articulators when they are preparing to speak. Research suggests that ISP may be representative of a speaker’s phonological knowledge in a particular language, as determined empirically with ultrasound measures of the tongue in English-French bilinguals (Wilson & Gick, 2014). It is possible, therefore, that measuring ISP could be a diagnostic tool for determining phonological knowledge in bilingual speakers. However, more information on ISP in typical adult bilingual speakers is needed before diagnostic claims can be made. For example, ISP is believed to be language specific, and the typical ISP for each language must be determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to extend the research by Wilson and Gick (2014) to investigate ISP in Spanish-English speaking adults. To this end, 13 bilingual Spanish-English adults were asked to produce 30 sentences while speaking in monolingual and bilingual modes. While they were speaking, ultrasound images of the oral cavity were obtained by placing a probe sub-mentally and analyzing the position of the tongue using Articulate Assistant Advanced 2.0 software (Articulate Instruments, 2012). Tongue and palate contour measurements were made by using a curved tongue spline that was manually drawn and semi-automatically fit to each speaker’s tongue/palate contour. ISP was measured using the participant’s tongue tip height along a reference angle from the probe to the alveolar ridge. Additionally, monolingual English speaking adults were asked to rate the accentedness of each bilingual’s speech in English as a behavioral correlate of language proficiency. Overall results of this study were non-significant; bilingual Spanish-English speakers utilized similar postures in monolingual Spanish and English modes, and in bilingual mode, in contrast with the findings of Wilson and Gick (2014). Accentedness ratings in English v indicated that the bilingual speakers were relatively uniform in their lack of accentedness. Although overall results from this study differ from those of Wilson and Gick (2014) a subset of their participants- speakers that were rated as having non-native accents- had similar results in that they also showed no difference in ISP. Related ISP’s across languages may be due to participants having native sounding English but non-native Spanish. Due to contrasting findings from Wilson and Gick (2014), further investigation with accented speakers is needed to determine if distinct ISPs exist for bilingual Spanish-English speakers.

Fourteen native Spanish-speaking adults participated in a study on tense and aspect in Spanish. Subjects viewed videos that depicted completed events or videos that ended with an ongoing event and chose a sentence in the past tense that best described the event. One condition included adverbial cues and the other condition did not. Subjects also read paragraphs describing bounded and unbounded events and chose a past tense verb that best fit the context. It was found that subjects consistently chose preterit responses for completed event videos in both the adverb and non-adverb condition, but responses varied more in the videos that ended with ongoing events. The majority of subjects selected preterit verbs for bounded events and imperfect verbs for unbounded events. Implications and further directions of research are discussed.

As dementia progresses older adults may lose the ability to communicate their pain experiences to healthcare providers, relying on the ability of the provider to infer their pain (Kelley, Siegler, & Reid, 2008; Pesonen et al., 2009). In the long-term care setting, the licensed nurse and certified nurse aide provide direct patient care to these residents and may be more likely to identify nonverbal behaviors that may indicate pain (Nygaard & Jarland, 2006; Pautex, Herrmann, Michon, Giannakopoulos, & Gold, 2007). The Conceptual Model for Assessing Pain in Nonverbal Persons with Dementia highlights provider, patient, and method-related factors that can hinder the process of inferring pain in nonverbal persons with dementia. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the impact of these potential barriers on pain assessment/screening. Each chapter of this dissertation explores provider, patient, or method-related factors that impair the judgment of pain in others, either through an integrative review of the literature or by secondary analysis of a data set that was originally collected for the psychometric evaluation of the Non-communicative Patient's Pain Assessment Instrument. Statistical analysis was completed using SPSS version 21.0. Results indicate that nurse-related factors are well supported in the literature as barriers to pain assessment and can impair the nurses' pain assessment decisions. Ethnic differences in the expression of the nonverbal pain behavior "pain words," signify the role of patient-related factors on the pain assessment process. Lastly, examination of method-related factors support the benefits of training staff to use nonverbal pain assessment tools, with those staff members who were trained having greater accuracy in pain assessment when compared to untrained raters. In closing, this dissertation has implications for nursing science, education, policy, and practice and serves as a valuable contribution to the current literature.

Research on mental rotation has consistently found sex differences, with males outperforming females on mental rotation tasks like the Vandenberg and Kuse (1978) mental rotation test (MRT; D. Voyer, Voyer, & Bryden, 1995). Mental rotation ability has been found to be enhanced with experience (Nazareth, Herrera & Pruden, 2013) and training (Wright, Thompson, Ganis, Newcombe, & Kosslyn, 2008) and the effects of training have been found to be transferable to other spatial tasks (Wright et al., 2008) and sustainable for months (Terlecki, Newcombe, & Little, 2008). Although, we now are fairly certain about the malleability of spatial tasks and the role of spatial activity experience, we seem to have undervalued an important piece of the puzzle. What is the mechanism by which experiential factors enhance mental rotation performance? In other words, what is it that develops in an individual as a consequence of experience? The current dissertation sought to address this gap in the literature by examining cognitive strategy selection as a possible mechanism by which experiential factors like early spatial activity experience enhance mental rotation performance. A total of 387 adult university students were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions. The three experimental conditions differed in the amount and type of non-spatial information present in the task stimuli. Participant eye movement was recorded using a Tobii X60 eye tracker. Study I investigated the different types of cognitive strategies selected during mental rotation, where eye movement patterns were used as indicators of the underlying cognitive strategies. A latent profile analysis revealed two distinct eye movement patterns significantly predicting mental rotation performance. Study II examined the role of early spatial activity experience in mental rotation performance. Male sex-typed spatial activities were found to significantly mediate the relation between participant sex and mental rotation performance. Finally, Study III examined the developmental role of early spatial activity experience in cognitive strategy selection and strategy flexibility to enhance mental rotation performance. Strategy flexibility was found to be significantly associated with mental rotation performance. Male sex-typed spatial activity experiences were found to be significantly associated with cognitive strategy selection but not strategy flexibility. Implications for spatial training and educational pedagogy in the STEM fields are discussed.

This study presents the analysis of Mormon characters in seven young adult novels: Emily Wing Smith's The Way He Lived and Back When You Were Easier to Love, Louise Plummer's A Dance for Three, A.E. Cannon's Charlotte's Rose, Kimberly Heuston's The Shakeress, Susan Campbell Bartoletti's The Boy Who Dared, and Angela Morrison's Taken by Storm. The characters in these novels are negatively stereotyped as typical Mormons. In four of the novels, the characters are stereotyped by other Mormon characters. In two of the novels, the characters are stereotyped by non-Mormon characters. The Mormon narrators in six of the novels prove the stereotypes incorrect, but the last novel, Taken by Storm, portrays a Mormon character fitting the stereotype. In all of the novels, the faith of the characters influences how they act, think, and speak.

The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are examined in an African American emerging adult population. The effects of parent-child relationship quality and racial socialization on reports of racial discrimination to parents are also considered. The influences of demographic characteristics on reports of racial discrimination are also assessed. The purpose of this study is to examine if there are relationships between cultural origin, gender, socio-economic status and reports of racial discrimination to parents. The study also aims to determine if parent-child relationship quality has an effect on whether or not black youth report experiences of racial discrimination to their parents. The study included 133 emerging adult participants between the ages of 18-25, and 33 didactic pairs of parents and their emerging adult children. Via electronic surveys, young adults answered questions about their relationships with their parents, while the parents answered questions about their racial socialization strategies. The results indicated that cultural origin, gender, and SES did not have a relationship with reports of racial discrimination to parents. However, analyses suggested that having a low or working SES has a relationship with reporting racial discrimination to parents. Findings also showed that racial socialization along with parent-child relationship quality had an effect on reports of discrimination. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed.

Introduction : En France, le TDA/H de l'adulte reste aujourd'hui encore controversé. L'absence de consensus sur l'existence même du trouble en tant qu'entité diagnostique singulière, et les nombreux débats idéologiques dont il est l'objet, placent le TDA/H dans un flou théorique, avec pour conséquence, une méconnaissance du trouble chez l'adulte, une négligence diagnostique et une prise en charge limitée voire inexistante de cette population. Or, le TDA/H engendre une multitude d'impacts psychologiques et fonctionnels considérables, provoquant une souffrance psychologique, et des altérations fonctionnelles variées. L'abondance de données sur le TDA/H de l'enfant, en contraste avec la pauvreté des études françaises sur le trouble chez l'adulte, souligne l'importance d'apports spécifiques à cette population. Cette recherche s'inscrit dans une approche intégrative du TDA/H de l'adulte, réunissant une méthodologie quantitative à la fois catégorielle et dimensionnelle. Nous avons étudié la dimension impulsive du TDA/H, à travers les prévalences des comorbidités psychiatriques et addictives, les troubles du contrôle des impulsions, et l'aspect dimensionnel de deux traits de personnalité (impulsivité et recherche de sensations) chez des adultes présentant un Trouble Déficit de l'Attention avec ou sans Hyperactivité (TDA/H).Méthode : 199 adultes âgés entre 18 et 65 ans (m= 34.3 ans) issus de consultations psychiatriques spécialisées du TDA/H de l'adulte, ont été diagnostiqués (hétéroévaluation) par une approche à la fois catégorielle (DSM-IV-T-R) et dimensionnelle (ASRS-v1.1 ; CAARS ; WURS-61). Les 199 participants ont été répartis en deux groupes, en fonction de la forme présentée. A savoir, soit une forme inattentive prédominante (TDA/n=83), soit une forme mixte (TDAH/n=116). La prévalence de troubles psychiatriques et addictifs (MINI) et de troubles du contrôle des impulsions (MIDI) associés au TDA/H, a été évaluée dans les deux groupes. De plus, deux traits de personnalité, à savoir l'impulsivité (BIS-11 ; EIFD) et la recherche de sensations (ERS), ainsi que l'altération du fonctionnement global (WFIRS-SR) ont été évalués par le biais d'une approche dimensionnelle (autoévaluations). Résultats : Les résultats de prévalence des comorbidités ont conclu à une prépondérance des troubles de l'humeur (spécifiquement la dysthymie), et des troubles anxieux (spécifiquement l'anxiété généralisée). On relève par ailleurs, pour les troubles addictifs, des prévalences majoritaires de troubles du contrôle des impulsions (spécifiquement l'achat pathologique), suivies par les troubles liés à l'usage de substances psychoactives (spécifiquement l'abus d'alcool), et les troubles du comportement alimentaire (spécifiquement la boulimie). La catégorisation diagnostique distinguant les deux groupes, a conclu à l'absence de différence significative concernant la prévalence des comorbidités. Seule le nombre moyen de comorbidités addictives a distingué les deux groupes (TDAH > TDA). Concernant les traits de personnalité, impulsif, et de recherche de sensations, si les deux groupes ont montré des profils dimensionnels parallèles, les scores des TDAH ont tous été significativement supérieurs à ceux des TDA. Même constat pour les niveaux d'altération du fonctionnement, qui bien que comparables au vu de la nature des dimensions altérées, ont tous été supérieurs pour les TDAH (vs TDA).Conclusion : L'impulsivité définit le TDA/H, et les manifestations impulsives inhérentes au trouble, s'apprécient au travers des profils psychiatriques et addictifs, mais également au travers des profils de personnalité
Introduction: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADH/D) still remains controversial in France, leading to a misreading of the disorder, a lack of diagnosis, and treatment, despite the considerable impacts in patients' life, psychological as well as functional. If AD/HD is recognized in children, the lack of studies in adults needed an input of new perspectives, especially in the psychological and psychopathological fields.We focused on the impulsive dimension of AD/HD, by evaluating psychiatric and additive comorbidities, two personality dimensions (Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking), and levels of functioning impairments in several dimensions, among adults, presenting an Attentional Disorder with or without Hyperactivity. Method: 199 respondents aged between 18 and 65 (mean= 34.3 years), coming from psychiatric consultations specialized in adult ¿AD/HD, received diagnosis of AD/HD (ASRS-v1.1; CAARS; WURS-61) and were classified in two groups depending on the form of disorder presented, either ADHD or just AD. The two groups, ADHD (n=116) and AD (n=83) were evaluated for the prevalence of psychiatric and addictive comorbidities, including impulse control disorders (MINI, MIDI), personality dimensions (BIS-11; FIDI; SSS) and functioning impairment level (WFIRS-RS). Our procedure allowed both categorial and dimensional assessments of AD/HD diagnosis. Results: We found as majority psychiatric comorbidities, mood disorders (specifically dysthymia), anxiety disorders (specifically generalized anxiety), and impulse control disorders (pathological buying) among the additive comorbidities. No significant difference was found in terms of prevalence between the two groups. In addition, the personality dimensions (impulsivity and sensation seeking) and the functioning impairment levels (7 dimensions) were all significantly higher for the ADHD group (vs AD group). However, all the respondents displayed identical score profiles in the two groups, concluding that, only the intensity levels of impulsivity, sensation seeking and impairment functioning, discriminate the two groups.Conclusion: Impulsivity is the core manifestation of AD/HD, appearing through high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities (through mood lability and pathological anxiety) addictive disorders (whether related to psychoactive drugs or behaviors), as well as impulsive personality trait, and some functional impairments (specifically those related to daily life skills). Our procedure shows that a dimensional evaluation of AD/HD diagnosis should always complete a categorial one, in order to evaluate the extent of the impulsive dimension in AD/HD. This study provides first data on psychological and psychopathological profiles of French AD/HD adults and future researches are needed to complete these data

This study explores the assessment practices of adult educators in Mamelodi Adult Learning Centers using a qualitative methodology. The study recognizes that assessment is an important activity within the education and training enterprise since it can be used to improve the quality of teaching as well as improve and support the learning process. The study sets out to investigate how Mamelodi adult educators conceptualize assessment
the skills levels of these educators
the nature of support and training these educators received to enhance their assessment practices
the different assessment methods employed by the adult educators to assess learners
and the educational validity and efficacy of these practices.

Les ECFC (endothelial colony forming cells) sont considérées comme des cellules endothéliales dérivées des progéniteurs endothéliaux circulants in vitro. Les capacités angiogéniques de ces cellules leur confère un intérêt thérapeutique pour traiter les lésions ischémiques résultant des pathologies cardio-vasculaires. Les ECFC isolées à partir de sang périphérique adulte (ECFC-SPA) sont moins fonctionnelles et perdent leur capacité à former des vaisseaux sanguins persistants contrairement aux ECFC de sang de cordon ombilical (ECFC-SC). Une meilleure connaissance des mécanismes impliqués dans cette dysfonction est requise pour comprendre et prévenir l’altération des ECFC-SPA au cours du vieillissement en vue d’une stratégie autologue. De même, l’utilisation des ECFC-SC en thérapie cellulaire hétérologue est conditionnée par une caractérisation fonctionnelle plus poussée de cette source de cellules angiogéniques.Ce travail de thèse a permis d’établir un profil précis du rendement en ECFC du SPA et du SC. Aucune corrélation avec l’âge du donneur n’a été mise en évidence. Les ECFC-SC sont particulièrement hétérogènes, générant de 0 à plus de 100 colonies. Les échantillons générant moins de 10 colonies présentent une altération fonctionnelle similaire aux ECFC-SPA, associée à une perte de leur caractère immature. Les ECFC-SC les plus clonogéniques sont également les plus angiogéniques. La clonogénicité primaire des ECFC apparait donc comme le marqueur le plus précoce accessible au cours de leur culture permettant de prédire leur future fonctionnalité. Ce pourrait être un critère pertinent pour hiérarchiser et sélectionner les ECFC-SC les plus efficaces en thérapie cellulaire
ECFCs (endothelial colony forming cells) are derived from endothelial progenitor cells in vitro. Angiogenic capacity of these cells confers a therapeutic benefit for treating ischemic injuries resulting from cardiovascular pathologies. ECFC isolated from peripheral blood adult (AB-ECFC) are less functional and lose their ability to form long lasting blood vessels in contrast to umbilical cord blood ECFC (CB-ECFC). A better understanding of mechanisms involved in this dysfunction is required to understand and prevent alteration of AB-ECFC during aging for autologous strategy. Similarly, the use of CB-ECFC in heterologous cell therapy is conditioned by further functional characterization of this source of angiogenic cells.This thesis has established a specific profile of ECFC yield from adult and cord blood. No correlation with donor age has been demonstrated. The CB-ECFC are particularly heterogeneous, generating from 0 to more than 100 colonies. Samples generating less than 10 colonies have a similar dysfunction than AB-ECFC, associated with loss of their immature features. The most clonogenic CB-ECFC are also the most angiogenic. The initial clonogenicity of ECFC therefore appears to be the earliest marker available during their culture to predict their future functionality. It could be a relevant criterion for classifying and selecting the most effective CB-ECFC cell therapy

Cette recherche qualitative porte sur l’expérience de douze participants âgés entre 19 et 29 ans ayant vécu la séparation parentale de leurs parents durant l’enfance. Les incidences à long terme sont ici examinées quant aux trajectoires de vie familiale et conjugale des répondants. Cette étude repose sur la perception de ceux-ci avant, pendant et après ce processus. Les réponses des participants permettent de dégager certains facteurs susceptibles d’influencer l’expérience de chacun, soit l’évolution des liens familiaux, les modalités de garde ainsi que la recomposition familiale. Ces éléments auront une incidence sur la perception actuelle de nos répondants quant à la vision de la famille, l’engagement et le développement personnel. Les résultats suggèrent que la séparation parentale a une influence à long terme chez les personnes qui l’ont vécue. Les participants affirment que dans leurs relations conjugales, ils tentent de ne pas reproduire certains éléments qu’ils considèrent comme ayant été néfastes durant leur enfance. Ils tendent alors à vouloir mieux faire que leurs parents. Chez certains, la séparation leur aura permis de développer une plus grande autonomie, une capacité d’adaptation, une force de caractère, une meilleure gestion des situations difficiles, de la débrouillardise et de l’indépendance. Chez d’autres, ils auront développé des problèmes de santé mentale, tels que de l’anxiété et un trouble alimentaire. Enfin, les données de cette recherche soulèvent l’importance de maintenir le développement des connaissances dans ce domaine afin de mieux comprendre les besoins des personnes qui le vivent.

Les troubles mentaux sont une problématique considérable depuis plusieurs années. Afin de mieux répondre aux besoins des personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux, le Code des professions a redéfini les champs d’exercices de certaines professions touchées par cette problématique, dont les conseillers et conseillères d'orientation. Pour l’évaluation des personnes atteintes de troubles mentaux, les instruments psychométriques s’avèrent des outils d’évaluation fort utiles aux c.o. Le questionnaire Adult Self -Report (ASR), nouvellement traduit en français pour le Canada, est l’instrument de l’ASEBA permettant l’évaluation de l’adulte selon sa propre autoévaluation. Des analyses bivariées et multivariées ont été effectuées et ont donné lieu à des résultats appuyant la validité critériée de l’ASR. Les résultats suggèrent que l’ASR a une bonne validité critériée pour l’identification des personnes atteintes de problèmes psychiatriques nécessitant une hospitalisation.

Le système postural est un complexe sensori-moteur qui assure deux grandes fonctions, la stabilisation et l’orientation du corps dans l’espace. Le contrôle postural est permis par l’intégration de trois entrées sensorielles - vestibulaire, somatosensorielle et visuelle-, par le système nerveux central qui réalise les transformations appropriées et coordonnées de ces informations pour générer les réponses musculaires adaptées. Durant de nombreuses années, la posture a été considérée comme un système régulé de façon automatique, mais de récentes études ont mis en évidence l’existence d’une régulation par des processus attentionnels. Le paradigme de double-tâche a été utilisé dans de nombreuses études chez l’adulte puis plus récemment chez l’enfant afin de comprendre les interférences entre une tâche cognitive et une tâche posturale. Les interactions dépendent de différents facteurs tels que la difficulté de la tâche cognitive, la difficulté de la tâche posturale, le contexte environnemental, les capacités attentionnelles et l’âge. Le choix de la tâche oculomotrice comme tâche associée à la tâche posturale permet d’observer les réponses comportementales des adultes et des enfants dans des tâches impliquant différents niveaux attentionnels et différentes régions cérébrales. Les tâches oculomotrices sont réalisées à partir de paradigmes expérimentaux permettant de stimuler différents types de saccades. L’objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre les interactions entre le système postural et le système oculomoteur chez l’enfant en utilisant le paradigme de double-tâche. Nous avons d’abord exploré ces interactions chez le jeune adulte puis nous avons comparé les performances posturales et oculomotrices des adultes à celles des enfants âgés de 7 à 12 ans. Nous avons enregistré les mouvements oculaires et les paramètres posturaux lors de la réalisation de trois tâches oculomotrices - fixation, saccades réactives et anti-saccades- réalisées simultanément au maintien de la posture dans deux tâches posturales, - Romberg et Romberg sensibilisé-. Les enfants de 7-8 ans réalisent sur le plan oculomoteur les saccades réactives comme les adultes, leurs paramètres posturaux sont cependant plus élevés. L’augmentation de la difficulté de la tâche oculomotrice comme dans la tâche d’anti-saccades entraine une forte dégradation des paramètres oculomoteurs et posturaux des enfants de 7-12 ans. De façon générale, les résultats montrent que la difficulté de la tâche oculomotrice entraine des modifications des paramètres posturaux et que la difficulté de la tâche posturale ne semble pas modifier les paramètres oculomoteurs. Ces interférences peuvent être associées à un nombre important de structures cérébrales communes activées pour ces deux tâches
The postural system is a sensory motor complex controlled which permit two high functions, the stabilization and the orientation of body. The postural control is permit by the integration of three sensorial inputs, vestibular, somatosensory and visuals by the central nervous system; it carries adaptative transformations and coordinates this information to generate the appropriate muscles responses. For a long time, the posture has been considered like as an automatic system, but recents studies showed the regulation by attentionals processes. Further studies used the dual-task paradigm in adults and more recently in children, to understand interferences between a cognitive task and a postural task. The interactions depend on various factors such as the difficulty of the cognitive task, the difficulty of the postural task, the environmental context, the attentional capacity and the age. Choose oculomotor task as task associated at postural task allows simple, varying the protocol used to observe the behavior of adults and children in tasks involving different attentionals levels and different brain regions. Several experimental oculomotors paradigms allow to stimulate different types of saccades. The objective of this thesis is to understand, by using the dual-task paradigm, the interactions between the oculomotor system and the postural system in children. Initially, we observed these interferences in young adults then we compared the adults postural and oculomotor performance to those of children aged 7 to 12 years. Three oculomotor tasks, fixation, reactive saccades and antisaccades, were recorded simultaneously to two postural tasks, standard Romberg and tandem Romberg. Children aged 7-8 years achieve on oculomotor performance the reactive saccade task like adults, by cons their postural parameters are higher than adults. When we increase the difficulty of the oculomotor task, in case in antisaccade task, leads very quickly at the decrease of the oculomotor and postural performances for children aged 7 to 12 years. Generally, results show that the oculomotor difficulty leads to modifications of postural parameters and the postural difficulty do not seem modify the oculomotor parameters. These interferences can be associated with a large number of common brain structures activated for both tasks

There are many negative consequences of childhood sexual abuse, (Browne Finkelhor, 1990). These effects do not vanish with adulthood and some adults stay scarred for life. However, it has been noted that some victims of childhood sexual abuse recover better than others regardless of the particular type of abuse. Could this adaptation be related to, or represent "hardiness" of the adult? The purpose of this report is to explore the hardiness of adult victims of child sexual abuse and the adaptation strategies practiced. To achieve this goal, The Health Related Hardiness Scale, created by Susan Pollock, PhD. was adopted. Data was collected from fifteen adult females who, by their own definition were sexually abused as children. They completed the HRHS questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire. Data analysis revealed a significant p-value of 0.0002 indicating that support is an important component to "buffer" the negative effects of stress. However this study revealed a high level of hardiness overall in the participating individuals

The current study investigated how three distinct types of childhood abuse—witnessing of parental domestic violence, experiencing physical abuse and total in-home violence, and experiencing sexual abuse—predicted partner reports of relational violence through the mediating factors self-perceptions of attachment and partner reports of relational aggression. The study used paired dyadic data from 1,658 couples who had completed the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). The Family Violence, the Brief Accessibility and Responsiveness, Couples Relational Aggression and Victimization, and the Conflict Tactics scales were the measures used. Data was analyzed by using structural equation modeling to estimate an actor-partner interdependence model exploring these relationships. Results showed only female childhood sexual abuse had direct associations with male relational violence; however, several mediating paths were identified.

This dissertation examines Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, which has developed into one of the most popular entertainment brands for adults. Expressing and shaping adult sensibilities of the time Adult Swim has been able to become the most popular cable network for (male) adults 18 to 34 years old. Launched in 2001, Adult Swim emerged at a moment in the U.S. when technological developments were changing the television landscape and the meaning of adulthood was fervently being discussed in the media as assumptions and realities of adult life continued to be in conflict. The goal of this dissertation is to understand the contemporary society and media culture as well as the defining characteristics and tensions of contemporary adulthood, adult taste, and adult culture by investigating Adult Swim's rise to a popular entertainment brand among young adults. Through a contextualized critical analysis of selected Adult Swim television texts, representation of Adult Swim in the mainstream press, and Adult Swim fans' online discussions in Adult Swim's official message boards this dissertation interrogates what branding/programming strategies it uses to appeal to its "adult" viewers, how it constructs and understands its "adult" viewers, and how it establishes its brand identity. With its low-budget, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) style of cartoon and live comedy series that are full of ironic, pop culture references and absurd, surreal humor, Adult Swim has established a unique sensibility that resonates with many young adults and built itself as a "different" and "creative" network brand. However, this dissertation demonstrates that Adult Swim's "unconventional," "edgy" brand identity relies on its male-centric programming strategies that either render women invisible or make use of blatantly sexist jokes for its "adult" appeal. In addition, this dissertation explains that despite featuring many queer characters Adult Swim appropriates queer identity and politics to advance itself as a "subversive," "non-mainstream" and "different" network (a brand identity that greatly appeals to young adults) rather than to subvert heteronormativity and promote LGBT rights. Furthermore, this dissertation interrogates how Adult Swim uses interactive media to invite its viewers to participate in shaping and maintaining its brand identity as a network that "listens to" its viewers and to form sensibility and feelings of conand to construct o form an affective relationship with the Adult Swim brand and to establish itself as a brand that "listens to" and understands the sensibility, affect, and feelings of contemporary young adults who comprise the Adult Swim audience.