Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Studi longitudinali'

Introduzione: il Disturbo Depressivo Maggiore è la seconda causa che determina anni vissuti con disabilità nel mondo, con un elevato carico economico e sociale. Il presente studio si propone di valutare in dettaglio il burden socio-economico complessivo della della Depressione maggiore in età adulta in Italia. Metodi: è stato condotto uno studio osservazionale, multicentrico e longitudinale sul costo della malattia su pazienti di età compresa tra 18 e 65 anni con diagnosi di Depressione maggiore che iniziavano o apportavano modifiche alla propria terapia antidepressiva. I sintomi depressivi sono stati valutati con scale cliniche specifiche ed è stata rilevata anche la qualità della vita correlata alla salute. Sono stati raccolti i dati relativi al consumo di risorse sanitarie e la perdita di produttività per stimare i costi della Depressione maggiore. Risultati: La gravità della Depressione maggiore era maggiore durante le visite di arruolamento e diminuiva durante il periodo di osservazione, come riportato da tutte le scale cliniche. È stato anche osservato un miglioramento significativo dei punteggi sulla qualità di vita. Le spese mediche dirette aumentavano nei primi 3 mesi e diminuivano nel tempo (0-3° mese: € 155,9 per paziente-mese, 3°-6° mese: € 144,7 e 6°-12° mese: € 108,9). Anche i costi indiretti hanno mostrato un andamento simile con € 386,3 per paziente-mese per i primi 3 mesi dopo l'arruolamento e € 179,9 negli ultimi 6 mesi di osservazione. Limitazioni: la dimensione del campione era piccola e nello studio non era presente alcun gruppo di controllo; non da escludere la possibilità della presenza di bias di selezione. Conclusione: i risultati suggeriscono che la Depressione maggiore è un problema di salute mentale associato a un maggiore carico socio-economico che varia al variare della gravità dei sintomi. Questi risultati forniscono informazioni sulla complessità e sul burden della Depressione maggiore, e permettono di porre attenzione sull'importanza di includere i disturbi depressivi come priorità di salute pubblica.
Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the second main cause of years lived with disabilities in the world, with high economic and social burden. This study aims to assess in detail the overall socio-economic burden of adult MDD in Italy. Methods: An observational, multicenter, longitudinal cost of illness study was conducted on patients aged 18-65 years with a diagnosis of MDD starting antidepressant therapy. Depressive symptoms were assessed with specific clinical scales and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) was also detected. The healthcare resources consumption and productivity loss were also collected to estimate the costs of MDD. Results: The MDD severity was higher during the enrolment visits and decrease during the observational period, as reported by all clinical scales. A significant improvement in HRQoL scores was also observed. Direct medical costs were higher in the first 3 months and decrease over time (0-3rd months: € 155.9 per patient-month, 3 rd -6 th months: € 144.7, and 6 th -12 th months: € 108.9). Indirect costs also showed a similar trend with € 386.3 per patient-month for the first 3 months after enrollment and € 179.9 in the last 6 months of observation. Limitations: The sample size was small and no control group was present in the study; furthermore there may be a selection bias. Conclusion: Results suggest that MDD is a mental health problem associated with higher socio- economic burden that varies with severity of symptoms. These results provide information on complexity and burden of MDD, emphasizing the importance of including Depressive disorders as a public-health priority.

A l'adolescence, la maturation cérébrale implique des changements anatomiques globaux et régionaux subtils, et estimer la morphologie exacte de certaines structures au cours du développement post-pubertaire est par conséquent difficile. L'effet du dimorphisme sexuel sur la maturation cérébrale n'a été que très peu exploré de façon prospective par l'imagerie par résonance magnétique. Dans ce contexte, ce travail de thèse est consacré à l'étude longitudinale des effets du sexe sur la maturation cérébrale à l'aide de deux méthodes pour contrôler et analyser les variations de positionnement spatial des images acquises à différents intervalles de temps. Dans une première étude utilisant une approche multimodale, notre objectif était d'examiner si le dimorphisme sexuel dans la maturation cérébrale du système limbique pouvait expliquer les différences émotionnelles entre les filles et les garçons pendant l'adolescence. Nous avons adapté pour cela une méthode de traitement longitudinal sur des images anatomiques et de diffusion de 335 adolescents sains entre 14 et 16 ans. Nous avons mis en évidence des différences sexuelles dans la maturation cérébrale du système limbique avec une maturation plus tardive des garçons par rapport aux filles. Ces changements avaient un rôle médiateur sur les différences sexuelles dans la régulation émotionnelle, illustrée par une augmentation des traits de personnalité positifs chez les garçons et une diminution chez les filles. Dans une deuxième étude utilisant une approche originale de recalage, notre objectif était d'estimer et extrapoler des trajectoires de maturation en fonction du dimorphisme sexuel. Nous avons mis en évidence des trajectoires divergentes entre les filles et les garçons entre 14 et 16 ans, illustrant une différenciation des vitesses de maturation croissante à cette période, spécifiquement dans le cortex préfrontal. Ces trajectoires différentielles ont permis d'estimer une avance de maturation de 5 mois chez les filles dans le cortex préfrontal. L'ensemble de ces résultats apporte des informations utiles à une meilleure compréhension des différences de maturation cérébrale entre les filles et les garçons, et de leurs liens avec la dérégulation du système émotionnel et donc la vulnérabilité à la dépression à l'adolescence
In adolescence, brain maturation involves subtle global and regional anatomical changes, and estimating the exact morphology of some structures during post-pubertal development is therefore difficult. Effect of sexual dimorphism on brain maturation has been under-explored prospectively by magnetic resonance imaging. In this context, this work is focused on the longitudinal study of the effects of sex on brain maturation using two methods to control and analyze the spatial positioning variations of images acquired at different time points. In a first study using a multimodal approach, our goal was to examine sexual dimorphism in brain maturation of the limbic system to explain the emotional differences between girls and boys during adolescence. We adapted a method of longitudinal processing on anatomical and diffusion images of 335 healthy adolescents between 14 and 16 years. We highlighted sexual differences in brain maturation of the limbic system with a later maturation of boys compared to girls. These changes mediated sexual differences in emotional regulation, illustrated by an increase in positive personality traits in boys and a decrease in girls. In a second study using an original registration approach, our objective was to estimate and extrapolate maturation trajectories based on sexual dimorphism. We highlighted divergent trajectories between girls and boys between 14 and 16, illustrating a differentiation in maturation rates that increased during this period, specifically in the prefrontal cortex. These differential trajectories made it possible to estimate a maturational advance of 5 months in girls in the prefrontal cortex. All these results provide useful information for a better understanding of the differences in brain maturation between girls and boys, and their links with the emotional system dysregulation and therefore the vulnerability to depression in adolescence

The aim of the present thesis was to examine the cognitive and language profile in children with poor reading comprehension using a longitudinal perspective. Even though comprehension skills are closely connected to educational success, comprehension deficits in children have been neglected in reading research. Understanding factors underlying reading is important as it improves possibilities of early identification of children at risk of developing reading problems. In addition, targeted interventions may prevent or reduce future problems. Descriptions of the cognitive and language profile in children with different types of reading problems from an early age and over time is an important first step. The three studies included in this thesis have been conducted using data from the International Longitudinal Twin Study (ILTS). In the ILTS, parallel data have been collected in the US, Australia, Sweden and Norway. Altogether, more than 1000 twin pairs have been examined between the ages 5 and 15 years using well known predictors of reading, along with decoding, spelling, reading comprehension and oral language measures. In the three studies, the Simple View of Reading has been used as a theoretical framework and children who exhibited different kinds of comprehension related difficulties have been identified at different ages. The studies include both retrospective and prospective analyses. The results across studies indicated a robust oral language deficit in all subtypes displaying comprehension problems. The oral language deficit was widespread and included vocabulary, grammar and verbal memory. In addition, the oral language deficit was manifested as compromised phonological awareness and print knowledge prior to reading instruction. Reading comprehension deficits were late emerging across studies in children with comprehension difficulties.
Syftet med avhandlingen har varit att undersöka den kognitiva och språkliga profilen hos barn med läsförståelseproblem i ett longitudinellt perspektiv. Förståelserelaterade problem är eftersatt del av läsforskningen, trots att denna typ av svårigheter har visat sig få stora konsekvenser för fortsatt framgång i skolan. Att förstå underliggande faktorer när det gäller läsning är viktigt för att kunna identifiera barn tidigt i utvecklingen och anpassa undervisningen efter deras behov. Att beskriva barnens kognitiva och språkliga profil från tidig ålder och över tid är ett viktigt första steg i detta arbete. De tre studierna som ingår i avhandlingen har baserats på data från the International Longitudinal Twin Study (ILTS). I projektet har data samlats in i USA, Australien, Sverige och Norge. Sammanlagt har mer än 1000 tvillingpar testas vid upprepade tillfällen i åldersspannet 5 till 15 år. Testmaterialet innefattar ett stort batteri av språkliga och kognitiva tester, samt tester i läsning och stavning. Med utgångspunk i the Simple View of Reading har grupper av barn med olika typer av förståelseproblem identifierats vid olika tidpunkter i utvecklingen. Studierna innehåller både retrospektiva och prospektiva analyser. Resultaten visar en tydligt bred språklig nedsättning hos barnen med förståelserelaterade problem som visar sig tydligt i mätningar av ordförråd, grammatik och verbalt minne. Problemen är stabila över tid och visar sig tidigt i utvecklingen även som fonologiska svårigheter. Svag språklig profil påverkar inte läsförståelse förrän barnen gått i skolan ett antal år.

Att identifiera problemet är avgörande i behandlingen av ungdomar med normbrytande beteende, men för många av de bedömningsinstrument som används saknas utvärdering. När det gäller beteendeobservationer under en längre behandlingsperiod, tycks det vara särskilt ont om kvalitetssäkrade instrument. Det övergripande syftet för denna uppsats är att undersöka beteendeobservationer som utvecklats inom en longitudinell studie (Behandlings- och resultatuppföljning, BRU) vid SiS’ ungdomshem Stigby, och om dessa lämpar sig för att bedöma de inskrivna elevernas relevanta risk- och skyddsfaktorer och hur dessa förändras under vårdtiden. Undersökningen inkluderar 40 pojkar på Stigby i åldrarna 16-20 år. Resultatet består av två delstudier, där del ett undersöker instrumentets psykometriska egenskaper. De första analyserna av beteendeobservationerna visar att 21 av de 24 områdena är lämpliga för att mäta förändring över tid. Del två i resultatet undersöker förändring över tid under behandlingen på Stigby. På samtliga områden noteras att bedömningarna av problemets allvarlighetsgrad har minskat. Den föreliggande studien visar att beteendeobservationerna bör kunna ligga till grund för de utfallsmätningar som planeras i den longitudinella studien två och fem år efter avslutad behandling.
Identifying the problem is crucial in the treatment of adolescents with rule-breaking behavior, but many of the instruments used has not been evaluated. In the case of behavioral observations over an extended treatmentperiod, there seem to be especially short on quality assured instruments. The overall aim of this paper is to investigate the behavioral observations that have been developed in a longitudinal study (Treatment and monitoring performance, BRU) at SiS’ institution Stigby, and if these are suitable for measuring the clients relevant risk and protective factors and how they change during the treatmentperiod. The survey includes 40 boys in Stigby aged 16-20 years. The result consists of two sub-studies, where part one examines the instrument's psychometric properties. The first analysis of behavioral observations show that 21 of 24 areas are suitable for measuring change over time. Part two of the results examines changes over time during treatment at Stigby. In all these areas it is noted that the assessments of problem severity has decreased. This study shows that behavioral observations should form the basis of the outcome measures that is a part of the longitudinal study two and five years after treatment.

En France les chercheurs se sont encore peu intéressés à l’évolution des auteurs d’infractions sexuelles en psychothérapie de groupe alors que les thérapeutes proposent fréquemment cette modalité thérapeutique à ces patients. Notre objectif est d’approfondir les connaissances sur cette population hétérogène et sur son évolution clinique suite à deux ans de thérapie groupale. Nous avons également cherché à mieux comprendre les changements observés. Vingt-huit auteurs d’infractions sexuelles ont participé à la première phase de notre étude et deux ans plus tard dix-sept ont effectué le retest. Nous avons fait le choix de recueillir des données issues des patients, des thérapeutes et du chercheur et de nous baser sur une approche quantitative et qualitative. Nos résultats révèlent des profils et des évolutions cliniques diverses. Des changements cliniques ont été repérés : une amélioration de la centration sur soi, de la perception de la réalité et des relations interpersonnelles ; une évolution des profils d’attachement narratifs vers davantage de cohérence, de réflexivité et d’authenticité ; un développement des capacités de mentalisation. Par contre, d’autres dimensions n’évoluent pas significativement notamment le fonctionnement défensif global ainsi que les troubles de la personnalité et certains patients restent stables entre T1 et T2. Notre recherche montre donc que les auteurs d’infractions sexuelles présentent des changements cliniques mais souligne la complexité de cette évolution. Cette étude permet de mieux comprendre les processus de changement et permet ainsi d’améliorer les prises en charge proposées
In France, researchers have barely investigated the evolution of sexual offenders receiving group therapy whereas therapists regularly recommend this therapeutic modality to these patients. Our aim is to get better knowledge of this mixed population and their clinical evolution after two years of group therapy. We also focused on understanding better the observed changes. 28 sexual offenders took the first phase of our study and 17 of them took a re-test two years later. We decided to collect data from patients, therapists and the researcher, on a quantity and quality based approach. Our results show different profiles and clinical evolutions. Clinical changes appearing are: improvement in self-esteem, in perception of reality and in interpersonal relationships ; evolution of narrative attachment methods towards more coherence, reflexivity and authenticity ; development of mentalisation abilities. However, other dimensions don’t show substantial improvement, particularly global defense functioning and personality disorders and some of the patients remain stable between T1 and T2. Therefore, our study shows that sexual offenders go through clinical changes but emphasizes the complexity of this evolution. This study helps provide a better understanding of the process of change and therefore helps improve exisiting therapeutic modalities

In 1998, 12 students, aged 11-12 years, were identified by primary schools in a socially disadvantaged area of New Zealand as being at risk of negative life outcomes, as a consequence of known adversities in their lives. The students were interviewed, as were their parents and teachers, and they also completed learning assessments and measures of personal and social concerns. The purpose of these evaluations was to identify risk and protective factors in the young people’s lives, and to make estimations of personal resilience. In 2008, nine of the original study participants, who were now aged 21-22 years and in emerging adulthood, were located and were interviewed again. The assessments addressed the participant’s current circumstances, and what had happened for them over the last ten years. The interviews also asked the participants to reflect about 12 resilience dimensions that have been identified in the literature (Masten & Coatsworth, 1998) and whether they considered that they were personally resilient. The recent interview data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2008). The individual analyses show a rich diversity of life paths and, as well, three sets of themes were identified across the case studies; and they are personal relationships, contexts of development (schooling and education, culture, religion, and jobs and careers), and personhood and identity. A resilience model was derived from the integration of the data from the first and second assessments with contemporary resilience studies and theorising. The central idea of the model is that resilient functioning is determined by the nature and quality of relationships within, and across, developmental settings. As a corollary, it is hypothesised that interpersonal relationships influence individual executive functioning, and emotional regulation in particular; and that these cognitive and affective capacities can translate into goal seeking and other constructive actions. The explanation of the resilience model leads onto recommendations for further research on relationships that enhance personal functioning. There are also suggestions for social policy that follow from the exposition, and some guidelines for professional practice with children and families.

Seven Vermont school districts participated in a five year professional development program sponsored jointly by the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education from 2002-2007. Using a robust mixed methods evaluation, teachers and students demonstrate pronounced organizational and academic growth. Analysis of data from focus groups held with teachers over the course of the period from fall 2004-spring 2006 provides strong supporting evidence for the growth. The purpose of this dissertation is to reanalyze the focus group data to document institutional and longitudinal change at the first person level. With focus groups as the unit of analysis, themes rising from the anonymous participants‟ I statements form the substance for this review. By revisiting an extensive pre-existing data set with a different method of analysis, this work expands on what is known about how teachers process change on the ground level. The findings reveal how complex individual feelings about one‟s experiences serve to describe degrees of institutional as well as personal change. New thematic coding confirms the original findings of the program evaluation. More importantly, the findings provide new details and understandings about organizational change and growth previously unobserved in the aggregate reports. By way of a methodological contribution, the research findings suggest and demonstrate an alternative approach to the analysis of focus group data in the aggregate.

Malgré l’engouement des organisations pour les fusions-acquisitions (F/A), leur taux d’échec élevé invite à continuer la recherche en proposant de nouvelles clés de lecture. De nombreux travaux soutiennent que les F/A nécessitent de nouvelles approches pour appréhender la complexité et le dynamisme de ces opérations, et plus spécifiquement de l’intégration post-fusion. Notre recherche propose une analyse des dynamiques inhérentes au cours du processus et plus particulièrement lors de l’intégration. Cette étude se place dans une logique intégrative, appréhendant la multiplicité des dynamiques à l’œuvre dans le but de comprendre comment ces dynamiques engendrent ou entravent la réussite de l’intégration. Nous utilisons ces dynamiques comme un moyen pour parvenir à capter la complexité inhérente au processus de fusion, et comme une opportunité pour capter le dynamisme de l’intégration. Une manière de rendre intelligibles ces dynamiques inter-reliées dans un espace-temps défini est de recourir au concept de paradoxe. Les paradoxes offrent en effet un cadre pour décrypter les dynamiques inhérentes aux organisations. Ainsi, la lecture paradoxale permet une analyse globale des dynamiques à l’œuvre. La question de recherche suivante est posée : « Comment la gestion des paradoxes favorise-t-elle l’intégration post-fusion ? ». La thèse s'appuie sur une méthodologie qualitative d’une étude de cas longitudinale en temps réel d'une fusion sur 24 mois. Il ressort de la thèse que la nature évolutive des paradoxes au cours d’une intégration, ainsi que leur multiplicité, permet de comprendre en quoi ces dynamiques interfèrent dans la réussite du processus d’intégration post-fusion
Despite the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), their high failure rate calls to continue research by proposing new reading keys. Many studies argue that M&As require new approaches to understand the organizational complexity and dynamism of these operations, and more specifically concerning post-merger integration (PMI) process. This phase is defined as a crucial one because it determines the success or failure of the merger. Our research provides an analysis of the dynamics inherent in the process, and especially during the PMI. This study is based on an integrative logic, considering the multiplicity of dynamics at work to understand how they engender or hinder the success of PMI. We use these dynamics as a means to capture the complexity inherent in the merger process, and as an opportunity to capture the dynamics of PMI. The concept of paradox allows us to make intelligible these inter-related dynamics within a defined temporal framework. Paradoxes provides a framework to decipher the dynamics inherent in organizations. The paradoxical reading allows a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics at work in the merger process. This leads us to ask the following research question: "How does the management of paradoxes benefits post-merger integration? ". The thesis is based on a qualitative methodology of a longitudinal and real-time case study of a 24-month merger, once the operation has been signed. It emerges from the thesis that the evolutionary nature of paradoxes during the post-merger integration, as well as their multiplicity (categories, actors, levels), allows us to understand how these dynamics interfere in the success of the PMI process

L’objectif de ce travail de thèse était (i) de quantifier la charge de travail (CT) et son évolution au cours de la saison, et (ii) d’étudier ses effets sur la performance, les qualités physiques, le risque de blessures, les caractéristiques psychologiques et biochimiques de rugbymen à XV professionnels. En premier lieu, nous nous sommes intéressés à la quantification de la demande métabolique lors de matchs officiels de haut niveaux (étude 1). Les principaux résultats de cette étude montrent que l’approche de la puissance métabolique constitue une alternative à l’approche traditionnelle pour quantifier les efforts de course de haute intensité. En second lieu, une étude préliminaire (étude 2) a permis d’étudier les évolutions de CT (GPS & RPE), des qualités physiques et des caractéristiques biochimiques, tout au long d’une saison chez des arrières. Un deuxième protocole expérimental (études 3 & 4) a permis de compléter les résultats de l’étude 2, en analysant notamment l’influence de CT sur l’évolution des caractéristiques psychologiques, du taux de blessures et de la performance en match. Les études 2, 3 et 4 montrent que CT est significativement (p < 0.05) plus élevée pendant la première partie de la saison (présaison et début du championnat). Ces études montrent également que la CT compétitive et le nombre d’impacts sévères (>8G) sont les principaux paramètres de CT influençant les réponses physiologiques des joueurs. Ces paramètres influencent les caractéristiques psychologiques, les marqueurs des dommages musculaires (CK) et le nombre de duels gagnés en compétition. Ces études montrent aussi qu’un volume d’entraînement élevé associé à une faible intensité d’entraînement influencent négativement les performances neuromusculaires (Tests DJ et CMJ). Enfin, l’addition d’entraînements avec contacts et l’accumulation de CT compétitive peut favoriser l’apparition d’un état de fatigue avancée (surcharge non-fonctionnelle), illustrée par une diminution significative (p < 0.05) des ratios T/C et IGF-1/C
The aim of this thesis was to quantify the workload (WL) and its evolution over the course of a competitive season, as its influence on performance, physical abilities, injury risk, biochemical and psychological characteristics of professional Rugby union (RU) players. Firstly, we were interested in the quantification of metabolic demands during elite RU games. The main results showed that metabolic power approach represents an interesting alternative to traditional approach to quantify the high-intensity running efforts during RU games. Secondly, preliminary study (study 2) allow to quantify changes in WL (GPS & RPE), physical abilities and biochemical characteristics, throughout a season in back players. Another experimental (studies 3 & 4) protocol allow to complete the results of the 2nd study by integrating the analysis of the changes in psychological characteristics, in injury rates and in game performance. The studies 2, 3 and 4 showed that WL was significantly (p < 0.05) higher during the first part of the season. These studies also demonstrated that competitive WL and the number of severe impacts (>8G) are the main WL parameters that most influence the physiological adaptations in elite RU players. These parameters affect the psychological characteristics, markers of muscle damages (CK) et the number of offensive duels won during the games. These studies also showed that a high volume combined to low-intensity of training contribute to decrease neuromuscular performance (CMJ, DJ tests). Finally, the combination of training including contacts and accumulation of competitive WL may contribute to the appearance of overreaching states (or non-functional overreaching), illustrating by significant decrease in T/C and IGF-1/C ratios

Workplace interventions to reduce discomfort and sedentary time have been studied in a variety of settings. Adjustable workstations are one type of ergonomic intervention that is used to potentially reduce occupational sitting time, negative health impacts, and to increase productivity. This investigation compared two types of ergonomic interventions, as well as contrasting behavioral interventions among workers with and without adjustable workstations. Seventy-two sedentary office workers were selected to participate in a longitudinal study to evaluate interventions for a reduction in occupational sitting time, to understand the effect on productivity and to evaluate musculoskeletal pain and behaviors. Workers were randomly placed into four different intervention groups and observed over 14 weeks. Group assignments were: control group, employees trained on behavioral interventions, employees given adjustable workstations and the final group had both ergonomic and behavioral interventions. During the study, there was a decrease in discomfort scores and fatigue for the adjustable workstation users. Standing time was increased in groups that had the adjustable workstations and frequency of workstation use remained constant throughout the 14 weeks. There was sufficient evidence to suggest that adjustable workstations will decrease sitting time and decease all over body discomfort in occupations that typically involve long hours of sitting. More research is needed to determine the health benefits of less occupational sitting.

L’engagement dans la création d’entreprise est un évènement rare et tardif chez les ingénieurs français. Pour changer cette situation et former davantage des ingénieurs-entrepreneurs, nous étudions l’impact de la formation dans une grande école d’ingénieurs en France. La problématique s’inscrit dans le cadre théorique du comportement planifié complété par la théorie de la carrière entrepreneuriale et la notion d’esprit d’entreprendre. Nous avons suivi une approche longitudinale afin d’étudier l’évolution des intentions et de la construction des identités professionnelles ainsi que les comportements observables associés au cours de leur formation. La thèse s’appuie sur un questionnaire posé chaque année au cours du curriculum et des entretiens semi-directifs en fin de cursus auprès des élèves ingénieurs. Elle aboutit à l’identification de plusieurs identités professionnelles d’ingénieurs (ingénieur technique, manager, entrepreneur) et la caractérisation de la trajectoire de l’intention qui mène au choix de carrière entrepreneuriale. L’impact des facteurs socioculturels, scolaires et extrascolaires sur la trajectoire de l’intention a été modélisé. Il permet d’expliquer la construction de chaque identité professionnelle
Although many researchers point out the emergence of new generations of engineers, the traditional model of the French engineer remains reluctant to entrepreneurship, few engineers are moving towards entrepreneurial careers and they do it rather late in their career. To reverse this trend and train more entrepreneurial engineers, we study educational impact of an engineering Grande Ecole in France. Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour completed by the theory of entrepreneurial career and the notion of entrepreneurial spirit, we use a longitudinal approach to measure the evolution of intention, together with the construction of professional identities and observable behaviours of students during their school years. This study is based on a longitudinal survey completed each year by engineering students and semi-structured interviews with them at the end of the curriculum. The findings include the identification of three engineering professional identities (technical engineer, manager, and entrepreneur) and the definition of the entrepreneurial intention trajectory Leading to entrepreneurial career choice. The impacts of socio-cultural, pedagogical and extra curriculum factors on the trajectory of intention have been modelled. They can explain the building up process of each engineering professional identity

La singularité nosologique du burnout vis-à-vis de la dépression n’est pas établie à ce jour. L’objectif de cette thèse de doctorat était d’examiner si burnout et dépression font référence à une même réalité pathologique ou constituent des phénomènes distincts. Nos travaux ont articulé approches dimensionnelles et catégorielles, et études transversales et longitudinales. Empiriquement, ces travaux ont révélé que burnout et dépression sont associés à des symptômes similaires, fluctuent à travers le temps de manière concomitante, et prédisent les mêmes altérations du traitement attentionnel de l’information émotionnelle – tel qu’indexé par l’enregistrement des mouvements oculaires des participants. En parallèle, notre analyse des fondements théoriques de la distinction burnout-dépression a montré que cette dernière est fragile et requiert une clarification. En effet, l’idée selon laquelle le burnout serait « spécifique du contexte de travail » tandis que la dépression serait « indépendante du contexte » n’est pas nosologiquement discriminante en soi. Saisis dans leur ensemble, ces résultats suggèrent que burnout et dépression pourraient couvrir une même réalité pathologique et renvoyer à une même catégorie nosologique, questionnant ainsi la vision actuellement dominante du chevauchement burnout-dépression
To date, the nosological singularity of burnout with respect to depression remains controversial. The aim of this doctoral dissertation was to examine whether burnout and depression refer to a single pathological realm or constitute distinct phenomena. Both dimensional and categorical approaches were adopted, and both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were used. At an empirical level, our work revealed that burnout and depression are associated with similar symptoms, fluctuate concomitantly over time, and predict the same alterations in the attentional processing of emotional information—as indexed by eye movement recording of participants’ gaze. At a theoretical level, our analyses showed that the grounds of the burnout-depression distinction are fragile and require clarification. Indeed, the idea that burnout is “work-specific” whereas depression is “context-free” is not nosologically discriminating per se. Overall, these results suggest that burnout and depression may cover a single pathological realm and belong to a single nosological category, thus questioning the currently-dominant view of the burnout-depression overlap

Croisant théorie néo-institutionnaliste et théorie des mouvements sociaux, cette thèse en stratégie explore la dialectique entre travail institutionnel disruptif et travail institutionnel défensif mettant ainsi en évidence les stratégies et contre stratégies qui peuvent être déployées au sein d'un champ organisationnel. Grâce à une étude de cas longitudinale, nous étudions l'histoire de l'amiante en France, entre 1970 et 1997. Entre contestation et collaboration, le cas est marqué par des luttes institutionnelles longues et complexes. Notre analyse s'appuie sur des données d'archives variées dont des archives audiovisuelles. Notre étude souligne l'évolution des répertoires tactiques mobilisés contre l'institution. Les tactiques persuasives conduiront à un changement de la pratique institutionnalisée pourtant maintenue par un travail de défense marqué par la mise en place d'une organisation frontière, le Comité Permanent Amiante, appelé aujourd'hui le " lobby de l'or blanc ". Seules des tactiques destructrices, portant sur les dimensions les plus ouvertes de l'institution, conduiront à sa délégitimation. Nous soulignons alors le rôle du pilier régulatif dans cette stratégie

This research, aimed at advancing the theory of environmental hazard adjustment processes by contrasting households from three cities in a high seismic hazard area with households from three other cities in a moderate seismic hazard area. It identified seven types of stakeholders namely, the risk area residents and their families (primary group), the news media, employers, and friends (secondary group), and federal, state, and local governments (tertiary group), and explained why they are relevant to the adoption of seismic hazard adjustments. It also addressed three key attributes— knowledge, trustworthiness, and responsibility for protection—ascribed to these multiple stakeholders and the relationships of these stakeholder attributes with risk perception, hazard intrusiveness, hazard experience, gender, resource adequacy, fatalism and hazard adjustment adoption. It was specifically concerned with the effects of nested interactions due to trust and power differentials among the seven stakeholders, with the self reported adoption of 16 earthquake protective measures at two points in time (1997 and 1999). Some of the key findings indicate that risk perception, gender, fatalism, city activity in earthquake management and demographic characteristics did not significantly predict hazard adjustment adoption. However, all stakeholder characteristics had significant positive correlations with risk perception and hazard adjustment, implying a peripheral route for social influence. Hazard intrusiveness, hazard experience, and stakeholder knowledge, trustworthiness, and responsibility affected the increased adoption of hazard adjustments by households. Particularly important are the peer groups’ (employers, friends and family) knowledge, trustworthiness and responsibility. These findings suggest, hazard managers cannot count only on the federal, state, and local government advisories put out through the news media to affect community decisions and thereby households’ decisions to take protective actions. Instead, hazard managers need to shift focus and work through peer group networks such as service organizations, industry groups, trade unions, neighborhood organizations, community emergency response teams, faith-based organizations, and educational institutions to increase the knowledge, trustworthiness and responsibility of all in the peer group. This will assure higher household hazard adjustment adoption levels, thus facilitating a reduction in post disaster losses and recovery time.

Longitudinal studies rely on data collected at several occasions from a set of selected individuals. The purpose of these studies is to use a regression-type model to express a response variable as a function of explanatory variables, or covariates. In this thesis, we use marginal models for the analysis of such data, which, coupled with the method of estimating equations, provide estimators of the main regression parameter. When some of the responses are missing or there is error in the recorded covariates, the original estimating equation may be biased. We use techniques available in the literature to modify it and regain the unbiasedness property. We prove the asymptotic normality of the regression estimator obtained under these more realistic circumstances, and provide theoretical and numerical examples to illustrate this approach.

Il presente progetto di ricerca nasce dalla collaborazione tra il mondo accademico e il mondo dei servizi che si occupano di adozione e ha l’obiettivo di progettare e applicare un protocollo di accompagnamento delle famiglie nel primo anno post-adozione. Il primo contributo della tesi è dedicato alla presentazione dettagliata del protocollo, in termini di finalità, obiettivi, metodo e, grazie a uno studio di caso singolo, si mettono in evidenza le ricadute operative dell’applicazione del protocollo stesso nell’intervento con le famiglie. Il secondo contributo offre, invece, una panoramica della situazione all’arrivo dei bambini in famiglia: lo studio si pone l’obiettivo di valutare il benessere dei bambini, considerando il peso delle esperienze vissute prima dell’adozione, e il benessere di madri e padri, con un approfondimento specifico sulla dimensione dello stress genitoriale. Il disegno di ricerca longitudinale ha, poi, consentito di tracciare i percorsi di cambiamento cui le famiglie vanno incontro e a cui sono dedicati i successivi contributi. Si sono valutati sia il recupero dei bambini, con un’attenzione specifica all’area dello sviluppo cognitivo e agli aspetti socio-emotivi legati alle performance intellettive, nonché l’andamento del benessere genitoriale. In particolare, lo studio che chiude l’elaborato di tesi discute la specifica modalità con cui le madri e i padri adottivi sembrano affrontare la transizione genitoriale, in analogia o meno a quanto accade nelle famiglie biologiche: è stata rivolta specifica attenzione alla dimensione della qualità della relazione coniugale e del supporto sociale, ancora largamente inesplorate nel panorama della ricerca nazionale e internazionale.
The research project was promoted by the Athenaeum Center for Family Studies and Research with the cooperation of the public adoption agency “Il Cerchio” Centro Adozioni ASL Milano 1, and it was aimed at developing and applying a research protocol for the agency’s first year post-adoption practice. In the first study of the thesis the research protocol was presented, in terms of finalities, aims, method, and practical implications for the intervention with adoptive families through a single-case study. The second study documented the situation at children’s arrival into the new family and it was aimed at investigating children’s wellbeing, taking into account their pre-adoptive experiences, and parents’ wellbeing, especially focusing the attention on parental stress. The next two studies presented the longitudinal data about families’ changes during the first year post-adoption. Children’s recovery in the area of social, emotional, and cognitive development, and parents’ wellbeing were evaluated. In particular the last study discussed the specific way adoptive mothers and fathers cope with the transition to parenthood, comparing with biological families’ experiences, especially on marital relationship and social support, two dimensions still not largely explored in the field of national and international research.

L’esquizotímia es configura com un contínuum de símptomes subclínics i clínics, i del funcionament que en el seu extrem es manifesta com a trastorns de l’espectre de l’esquizofrènia. L’esquizotípia i l’esquizofrènia comparteixen una estructura multidimensional comparable, sent les dimensions positives i negatives els factors més recolzats. Estudis transversals previs que van utilitzar l’estratègia psicomètrica d’alt risc van indicar que l’esquizotípia és un mètode útil per identificar els factors de risc i protecció per al desenvolupament de la psicopatologia de l’espectre esquizofrènic. Tot i així, les investigacions longitudinals segueixen sent escasses. El cos de la tesi inclou tres capítols que investiguen la validesa predictiva de les dimensions positives i negatives de l’esquizotípia, l’estabilitat temporal dels símptomes i els trets de l’espectre de l’esquizofrènia en individus amb alta esquizotípia, i el paper de l’esquizotípia positiva i negativa com a possibles marcadors de risc distal que moderen les associacions dels estressors amb símptomes quasi-psicòtics, paranoides i negatius experimentats en la vida diària en una mostra no-clínica. El capítol 1 presenta un estudi destinat a ampliar les troballes transversals prèvies examinant si l’esquizotípia negativa i positiva basals, valorades psicomètricament, prediuen diferencialment els símptomes prodròmics, els trastorns de personalitat de l’espectre de l’esquizofrènia i el funcionament 3 anys després. A més, examina l’estabilitat temporal d’aquests constructes durant un període de 1,4 anys. Les dues dimensions esquizotípiques van predir símptomes de la personalitat esquizotípica, paranoide, i evitativa a més d’un deteriorament en el funcionament. L’ esquizotípia positiva va predir símptomes quasi-psicòtics, depressió, baixa autoestima i psicopatologia general. L’esquizotípia negativa va predir trastorns emocionals i personalitat esquizoide, i haver rebut un tractament de salut mental durant l’últim any. Les personalitats, els símptomes prodròmics i el funcionament van predir els mateixos constructes 1,4 anys després. El Capítol 2 descriu un estudi destinat a ampliar les nostres troballes anteriors a l’examinar longitudinalment si l’esquizotípia positiva i negativa prediu símptomes i deteriorament en el funcionament 4.4 anys després. Aquest estudi investiga la validesa dels símptomes negatius mesurats per dos instruments d’entrevista. L’ esquizotípia negativa va predir de manera única els trets esquizoides, els símptomes negatius, el deteriorament en el funcionament i esquemes cognitius positius dels altres. L’ esquizotípia positiva va predir de manera única els trets de la personalitat evitativa i esquemes cognitius negatius dels altres. Les dues dimensions van predir trets de les personalitats esquizotípica i paranoide, sospita, depressió i esquemes negatius del jo. Les dues dimensions van predir símptomes positius i una disminució dels esquemes positius dels altres. Els resultats indiquen que la sub-escala negativa de la CAARMS està saturada per desregulació afectiva, mentre que el NSM sembla ser un instrument vàlid per avaluar símptomes negatius. El capítol 3 presenta un estudi que investiga l’expressió de l’esquizotípia positiva i negativa en la vida real utilitzant la tècnica Experience Sampling Methodology. L’estudi examina les associacions longitudinals de l’esquizotípia positiva i negativa, així com la seva associació transversal amb les experiències esquizotípiques en la vida diària. Busca ampliar els estudis previs al investigar com l’estrès prediu l’expressió dels símptomes psicòtics, paranoics i negatius en individus amb esquizotípia alta en la vida diària. L’ esquizotípia positiva va predir símptomes quasi-psicòtics i paranoides, la negativa va predir un subconjunt d’aquests símptomes i va mostrar una tendència cap a la significació en la predicció de símptomes negatius.
La esquizotipia se configura como un continuum de síntomas subclínicos y clínicos, y del funcionamiento que en su extremo se manifiesta como trastornos del espectro de la esquizofrenia. La esquizotipia y la esquizofrenia comparten una estructura multidimensional comparable, siendo las dimensiones positivas y negativas los factores más respaldados. Estudios transversales previos que emplearon la estrategia psicométrica de alto riesgo indicaron que la esquizotipia es un método útil para identificar los factores de riesgo y los de protección para el desarrollo de la psicopatología del espectro esquizofrénico. Sin embargo, las investigaciones longitudinales siguen siendo escasas. El cuerpo de la tesis incluye tres capítulos que investigan la validez predictiva de las dimensiones positivas y negativas de la esquizotipia, la estabilidad temporal de los síntomas y rasgos del espectro de esquizofrenia en individuos con alta esquizotipia, y el papel de la esquizotipia positiva y negativa como posibles marcadores de riesgo distal que moderan las asociaciones de los estresores con síntomas casi-psicóticos, paranoides y negativos experimentados en la vida diaria en una muestra no-clínica. El Capítulo 1 presenta un estudio destinado a ampliar los hallazgos transversales previos examinando si la esquizotipia negativa y positiva basales, valoradas psicométricamente, predicen diferencialmente los síntomas prodrómicos, los trastornos de personalidad del espectro de la esquizofrenia y el funcionamiento 3 años después. Además, examina la estabilidad temporal de estos constructos durante un período de 1,4 años. Ambas dimensiones esquizotípicas basales predijeron síntomas de la personalidad esquizotípica, paranoide, y evitativa además de deterioro en el funcionamiento. La esquizotipia positiva predijo síntomas casi-psicóticos, depresión, baja autoestima y psicopatología general. La esquizotipia negativa predijo trastornos emocionales y personalidad esquizoide, y haber recibido tratamiento de salud mental durante el último año. Las personalidades, los síntomas prodrómicos y el funcionamiento predijeron los mismos constructos 1,4 años después. El Capítulo 2 describe un estudio destinado a extender nuestros hallazgos anteriores al examinar longitudinalmente si la esquizotipia positiva y negativa predice síntomas y deterioro en el funcionamiento 4.4 años después. Este estudio investiga la validez de los síntomas negativos medidos por dos instrumentos de entrevista. La esquizotipia negativa predijo de manera única los rasgos esquizoides, los síntomas negativos, el deterioro en el funcionamiento y esquemas cognitivos positivos de los otros. La esquizotipia positiva predijo de manera única los rasgos de la personalidad evitativa y esquemas cognitivos negativos de los otros. Ambas dimensiones predijeron rasgos de las personalidades esquizotípica y paranoide, sospecha, depresión y esquemas negativos del yo. Las dos dimensiones predijeron síntomas positivos y una disminución de los esquemas positivos de los otros. Los resultados indican que la sub-escala negativa de la CAARMS está saturada por desregulación afectiva, mientras que el NSM parece ser un instrumento válido para evaluar síntomas negativos. El Capítulo 3 presenta un estudio que investiga la expresión de la esquizotipia positiva y negativa en la vida real usando la técnica Experience Sampling Methodology. El estudio examina las asociaciones longitudinales de la esquizotipia positiva y negativa, así como su asociación transversal con las experiencias esquizotípicas en la vida diaria. Busca extender los estudios previos al investigar cómo el estrés predice la expresión en el entorno real de los síntomas psicóticos, paranoicos y negativos en individuos con esquizotipia alta. La esquizotipia positiva predijo síntomas casi-psicóticos y paranoides, la negativa predijo un subconjunto de estos síntomas y mostró una tendencia hacia la significación en la predicción de síntomas negativos.
Schizotypy is operationalized as a continuum of personality traits, subclinical and clinical symptoms as well as impairment that, in its extreme form, is manifested as schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Schizotypy and schizophrenia share a comparable multidimensional structure with positive and negative dimensions being the most strongly supported factors. Previous cross-sectional studies employing the psychometric high-risk strategy indicated that schizotypy is a useful method for identifying risk and resilience factors for the development of schizophrenia-spectrum psychopathology. However, longitudinal investigations remain scarce. This thesis includes three chapters investigating the predictive validity of positive and negative schizotypy dimensions, the temporal stability of schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms and traits in high schizotypy individuals, and the role of positive and negative schizotypy as potential distal risk markers moderating the association of stress with psychotic-like, paranoid, and negative symptoms experienced in the real life environment. Chapter 1 presents a study aimed at extending previous cross-sectional findings by investigating whether baseline psychometrically assessed negative and positive schizotypy differentially predict clinical risk symptoms, schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders (PDs), and functioning in a nonclinical sample 3 years later. Additionally, this study examines the temporal stability of these constructs over a 1.4-year period. Both Time 1 (T1) schizotypy dimensions predicted schizotypal, paranoid, avoidant PDs, and functioning at Time 3 (T3). Positive schizotypy specifically predicted psychotic-like symptoms, depression, low self-esteem, and general psychopathology at T3. Negative schizotypy predicted emotional disturbances and schizoid PD at T3, as well as receiving mental health treatment over the past year. PDs, prodromal symptoms, and functioning assessed at Time 2 (T2) predicted the same constructs at T3. Chapter 2 describes a study aimed to extend our previous findings by examining whether longitudinal assessment of baseline positive and negative schizotypy at baseline predicted interview-based ratings of symptoms and impairment 4.4 years later. Furthermore, since the relationship between negative schizotypy traits and symptoms with depressive symptoms remains an unresolved issue, this study investigated the validity of negative symptoms as measured by two interview instruments. Baseline negative schizotypy uniquely predicted schizoid PD traits, negative symptoms, impaired functioning, and diminished positive self-schemas at the 4-year follow-up. Baseline positive schizotypy uniquely predicted avoidant PD traits and negative other-schemas. Both dimensions predicted schizotypal and paranoid PD traits, suspiciousness, depression, and negative self-schemas 4.4 years later. In addition, the two dimensions predicted positive symptoms (the effect size was larger for positive schizotypy) and diminished positive other-schemas (the effect size was larger for negative schizotypy). Baseline negative, but not positive, schizotypy predicted negative symptoms as assessed by CAARMS and NSM. However, only the prediction of NSM negative symptoms by negative schizotypy remained significant after controlling for affective dysregulation (i.e., dimensional scores of avoidant personality, anxiety and depression). Chapter 3 presents a study investigating the real-life expression of positive and negative schizotypy using the Experience Sampling Method. This study examined the prospective association of baseline positive and negative schizotypy as well as their cross-sectional association with schizotypic symptoms and experiences in daily life. Moreover, this report sought to extend previous research by investigating how daily life stress and social contact differentially predicted the real life expression of psychotic-like, paranoid, and negative symptoms in high schizotypy individuals.

The aim of the present thesis was twofold, first to map the semantic memory decline in Alzheimer patients over time, second to take the patient’s perspective and create a multifaceted picture of the individual with Alzheimer’s disease through the study of memory, awareness, central coherence and emotions. Further issues concerned how Alzheimer individuals handled their cognitive erosion in everyday life and if they were well calibrated with their spouse in disease related matters. Two studies were performed, the first involved a longitudinal study of sematic deterioration, the second had a mixed methods design involving both quantitative and qualitative measures as in neuropsychological assessment and interviews. Through the longitudinal study it could be concluded that the nature of semantic deterioration is best described as loss of memory information rather than problems in accessing the information. It was further concluded that semantic concepts gradually lose their specific features during course of illness. The results from the second study revealed that the Alzheimer individuals were aware of their disease although they could not foresee the implications of their cognitive shortcomings in their everyday life. They evidenced weak central coherence, in that they were unable to infer details into a meaningful whole. This implies that they perceive their surrounding world in a fragmented way as consisting of separate objects rather than a comprehensible context. Concerning emotions it was found that they responded to negatively valenced words in the same way as normal ageing individuals, although being impaired in their response to positively and neutral words. Finally, the Alzheimer individuals and their spouses were not well calibrated regarding disease related issues. The findings of the present thesis have important clinical implications and gives valuable input to the understanding of the individual with Alzheimer’s disease.
Föreliggande avhandling hade två huvudsyften; dels att kartlägga försämringen av semantiskt minne hos Alzheimerpatienter över tid; dels att ta patientens perspektiv och skapa en mångfacetterad bild av individen med Alzheimers sjukdom. Fyra begrepp studerades i relation till detta, nämligen minne, medvetande, central koherens och emotioner. Ytterligare aspekter som studerades var hur Alzheimerindivider hanterar sina kognitiva tillkortakommanden i sin vardag samt hur väl kalibrerade de är med sin make/maka angående sjukdomsrelaterade frågor. Två studier genomfördes varav den första var en longitudinell studie av semantisk minnesförsämring och den andra hade en ’mixed methods’ design, inkluderande både kvantitativa (neuropsykologiska tester) och kvalitativa (intervjuer) metoder. Resultaten från den longitudinella studien avslöjade att semantiska begrepp som inte längre är välrepresenterade hos individen har gått förlorade snarare än att det skulle vara från om att individerna inte kan plocka fram informationen. Vidare kunde konstateras att semantiska begrepp gradvis tappar sina nyanser i takt med att sjukdomen fortskrider. Den andra studien visade att Alzheimerindividerna var medvetna om sin sjukdom och sina minnesproblem men att de inte kunde förutsäga vilka problem deras kognitiva tillkortakommanden skapade i deras vardag. De konstaterades ha svag central koherens vilket innebär att de ser sin omgivning på ett fragmentariskt sätt utan att kunna få ihop de olika objekten runt omkring sig till en meningsfull kontext. Vad gäller emotioner så kunde konstateras att Alzheimerindivider reagerar likadant som normalt åldrande individer på negativt laddade ord men att de är signifikant försämrade i förmågan att känna igen positiva och neutrala ord. Alzheimerindividerna och deras make/maka var inte väl kalibrerade vad gäller sjukdomsrelaterade frågor. Avhandlingens resultat har viktiga kliniska implikationer och ger ett värdefullt bidrag till förståelsen av en individ med Alzheimers sjukdom.

Background: Postnatal depression (PND) follows 10-15% of deliveries. Postnatal blues occur in the first postpartum week and are thought to have little significance. Studies report links between them, PND and premenstrual symptomatology but are methodologically flawed. Hypotheses: Women with severe blues are more likely to become depressed in the 6 months after delivery and more likely to experience premenstrual symptomatology when menstruation resumes. Subjects: First-time mothers who were literate, English speaking, had a singleton pregnancy, no current severe mental illness and whose fetus was healthy. Method: Written informed consent was obtained in late pregnancy. Baseline data include the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), sociodemographic and obstetric details. The Blues Questionnaire was completed on postpartum days 3 & 5. Obstetric data were recorded. Subjects (scores >/75^th centile on the Blues Questionnaire) and controls (\<25^th centile) were matched for age, marital status and social class. All participants completed monthly postal EPDS. When menstruation returned, daily Menstrual Distress Questionnaires and visual analogue scales for premenstrual symptoms were completed for 2 cycles. At 6 months all women with EPDS scores >/9 at any time postpartum were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia (Lifetime version). Research Diagnostic Criteria diagnoses were made for current or past psychiatric disorder. 1 in 5 women with EPDS scores <9 were interviewed to exclude false negatives. Results: Women with severe blues were 3.8 times more likely to become depressed and to have a major rather than minor illness. Their depressions began sooner after delivery and lasted longer than those with no blues. They were more likely to experience premenstrual symptoms. Discussion: Results support the idea that these conditions are variants of affective disorder, severe blues acting as a marker of affective vulnerability. Clinical applications of the results and areas for further research are explored.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the applicability of a model of bereavement to the long-term adjustment to loss. Based on Allen's (1990) model, it was predicted that the variables experienced competence, perceived resources, and the impact of the loss would contribute strongly to overall long-term bereavement adjustment. It was also predicted that time and multiple losses would impact adjustment to loss.

Être capable d’ajuster les quantités consommées selon la densité énergétique des aliments contribue au maintien de l’équilibre de la balance énergétique. Dans un contexte de prévalence du surpoids chez l’enfant, il est crucial d’identifier les facteurs précoces susceptibles d’affecter les capacités d’ajustement énergétique. Durant toute la diversification alimentaire, les quantités ingérées, et donc les capacités d’ajustement énergétique, dépendent en partie de la qualité de l’interaction parent-enfant. Une étude épidémiologique suggère que les capacités d’ajustement énergétique se détérioreraient vers l’âge de un an. C’est aussi à cette période que survient le passage d’une alimentation spécifique bébé à une alimentation de type adulte.Aussi, dans ce travail, nous avons mis en place un suivi longitudinal afin de décrire, à l’aide d’une mesure expérimentale de compensation calorique, les changements développementaux des capacités d’ajustement énergétique entre 11 et 15 mois. Nous avons aussi exploré si certains facteurs relatifs aux caractéristiques individuelles des nourrissons, aux aliments qu’ils avaient consommés ou à l’interaction mère-nourrisson au cours du repas étaient liés aux capacités d’ajustement énergétique.Nous avons mis en évidence qu’à 11 et 15 mois les nourrissons sous-compensent leur prise énergétique à la suite de la consommation d’un premier aliment plus ou moins calorique, avec cependant de grandes différences interindividuelles. L’ajustement énergétique n’est pas meilleur si l’on considère l’ensemble des prises alimentaires au cours des 24h suivant la consommation de ce premier aliment. À 11 mois, les nourrissons ont de meilleures capacités d’ajustement énergétique lorsque, au cours du repas, la mère adapte le rythme des cuillerées à la taille des cuillerées ce qui pourrait refléter un nourrissage réceptif. À 15 mois, les nourrissons ajustent leur prise alimentaire sur des critères volumétriques plutôt que caloriques. Quel que soit l’âge, aucun lien n’a été mis en évidence entre l’expérience alimentaire des nourrissons (lactée et diversifiée) et leurs capacités d’ajustement énergétique. Concernant les changements développementaux, nous avons montré que les capacités d’ajustement énergétique se détériorent de 11 à 15 mois. Les nourrissons pour lesquels cette détérioration est plus importante sont perçus par leur mère comme étant plus ‘attirés’ par la nourriture. De plus, la détérioration des capacités d’ajustement énergétique est associée à une augmentation du z-IMC entre 11 et 15 mois et à un z-IMC plus élevé à 24 mois. Par ailleurs, plus les nourrissons sont exposés à des recettes de légumes de densité énergétique variable entre 8 et 11 mois, moins leur z-IMC est élevé à 8 mois et 11 mois. Ce travail souligne que les capacités d’ajustement énergétique sont associées à différents facteurs précoces relatifs au fonctionnement de la dyade mère-nourrisson et au statut pondéral des nourrissons. Ces résultats ouvrent un nouveau champ de recherche visant à comprendre la causalité de ces liens. In fine, cela permettrait de mieux accompagner les parents pour qu’ils adoptent des pratiques permettant le développement optimal des capacités d’ajustement énergétique de leur enfant au cours de la période clé des 1000 premiers jours
Being able to adjust food intake according to the energy density of food is one way to self-regulate energy intake and maintain a healthy energy balance. In the context of the prevalence of overweight in children, it appears crucial to identify early factors that may affect caloric adjustment abilities. During the complementary feeding process, the amount consumed, and in turn, the caloric adjustment abilities depend in part on the quality of the caregiver-infant interaction. An epidemiological study suggests that caloric adjustment abilities might deteriorate around one year old; a time when the transition from baby-foods towards adult like foods occurs in the infant diet.In this work, we performed a laboratory-based assessment of the infants’ caloric adjustment ability by adapting the preload paradigm. By using a longitudinal approach, we first described the developmental changes in infants’ caloric adjustment ability between 11 and 15 mo. Then, we explored whether some factors related to the infants’ characteristics, the type of foods consumed or the mother-infant interaction during the meal were linked to the caloric adjustment ability.We showed that, at 11 and 15 mo, the infants under-compensated their energy intake after consuming a food preload more or less caloric. However, we observed large inter-individual variation in this ability. The level of caloric adjustment was not better when considering the total food intake during the 24 h following the food preload consumption. At 11 mo, infants had better caloric adjustment ability when the mother adapted the spoonful pace to the spoonful weight content; this dynamic during the meal could reflect a responsive feeding. At 15 mo, the infants exhibited a volumetric adjustment rather than a caloric adjustment. Regardless of the studied age, no significant links were found between the infants’ feeding experience (milk and complementary foods) and their caloric adjustment ability. Regarding the developmental changes, we observed that the infants’ caloric adjustment ability deteriorated from 11 to 15 mo. The more this deterioration, the more the infants were perceived as ‘attracted by food’ by their mothers. Moreover, the more this deterioration, the more the z-BMI increased between 11 and 15 mo, and the higher the z-BMI was at 24 mo. In addition, the more the infants were exposed to a wide range of energy density for the vegetable-based recipes between 8 and 11 mo, the lower their z-BMI was at 8 and at 11 mo. This work highlights that caloric adjustment ability is associated with various early factors related to the mother-infant dyadic functioning and the infants’ weight status. These results open up a new research field to understand the causality underpinning these links. In fine, this would allow to assist parents to support an optimal development of their infant’s caloric adjustment abilities during the key period of the first 1000 days

Introduction The present study explored the nature of the semantic deterioration normally displayed in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim was to disentangle the extent to which semantic memory problems in patients with AD are best characterized as loss of semantic knowledge rather than difficulties in accessing semantic knowledge. Method A longitudinal approach was applied. The same semantic tests as well as same items were used across three test occasions a year apart. Twelve Alzheimer patients and 20 matched control subjects, out of a total of 25 cases in each group, remained at the final test occasion. Results and Conclusions Alzheimer patients were impaired in all the semantic tasks as compared to the matched comparison group. A progressing deterioration was evident during the study period. Our findings suggest that semantic impairment is mainly due to loss of information rather than problems in accessing semantic information.

Dogslife is the first large-scale, longitudinal cohort study of canine lifestyle, morphology and health. The project involves recruiting the owners of UK-based, Kennel Club registered Labrador Retrievers and asking them to submit data about their dogs via an online questionnaire repeatedly as the dogs age. In this thesis, I have analysed Dogslife data regarding the lifestyle, morphology and health of Labrador Retrievers up to four years of age. A validation study was initially undertaken in order to understand the quality of the Dogslife data because this would underlie all future investigations. Owners were visited and veterinary records scrutinised. It was determined that Dogslife illness reports were subject to recall decay and that minor changes would improve the usability of the questionnaire. Accelerometers were subsequently sent to a subset of the cohort and aspects of the Dogslife exercise questionnaire were found to be correlated to accelerometer readings indicative of sedentary, light and moderate to vigorous exercise. Overall, Dogslife dogs were exercised for over two hours each day with the time spent being dominated by time off lead and on other activities. Dogs in England spent less time exercising than those in Scotland and Wales and dogs in family households spent less time exercising than those in single adult households or households comprising more than one adult. Despite being pedigree animals, the males in the cohort were 2-3cm taller than the breed standard. On average, the females met the breed standard but there was wide variation for both sexes. Working dogs in the cohort were over 2kg lighter than household pets and chocolate coloured dogs were 1.4kg heavier than their black and yellow counterparts. Dogs in multi-dog households were 0.5kg lighter than those in households with no other dog. Heavier dogs spent less time fetching, chasing and retrieving and on other exercise. Over 6,000 signs of illness were reported to Dogslife in the first three and half years and approximately half of them did not involve a veterinary visit. Reported signs were dominated by vomiting and diarrhoea, both of which peaked when the dogs were between 3-6 months of age. For the first time, rates of diarrhoea were shown to be positively associated with human population density in the UK. Limber tail was found to be associated with swimming in the cohort and working dogs were more likely to develop the condition than pets. Genetic analyses identified regions of interest that might predispose the dogs to limber tail on chromosomes 6 and 30. Data from the Dogslife project provide a unique resource for investigating the epidemiology of Labrador Retrievers. This thesis creates a platform for all such future investigations.

Rapporteringen av terroristattentat har fördubblats globalt sedan år 2011. För att motverka terrorismen i världen sägs det krävas en fördjupad kunskap om terroristnätverkens struktur och organisation, vilket kan uppnås genom en social nätverksanalys. Idag återfinns det ett internationellt behov av att jämföra olika typer av terroristnätverk genom social nätverksanalys. En sådan jämförelse kan skapa verktyg för myndigheters brottspreventiva arbete mot terrorismen samt bidra med ny och efterfrågad kunskap om att jämföra olika terroristorganisationer.Studiens syfte har varit att visualisera och undersöka nätverksförändringar över tid rörande nätverksstruktur för både islamistiska och vänsterextremistiska terroristnätverk vid genomförda terroristattentat. I denna sociala nätverksanalys har sex stycken terroristattentat utförda av den vänsterextremistiska terroristgruppen November 17 och den islamistiska terroristgruppen al-Qaida undersökts. Resultaten visade att både visualisering och nätverksstruktur för de enskilda terroristgrupperna har förändrats över tid. Studien har funnit ett flertal likheter mellan November 17 och al-Qaida rörande nätverksstruktur och sammansättning. Skillnaderna mellan terroristgrupperna är att al-Qaida består av fler antal noder och har en lägre densitet än November 17. Visualiseringen av nätverken visade även att November 17 efterliknar en clique.
The reporting of terrorist attacks has doubled globally since 2011. To counter and understand terrorism in the world, there is a need for an in-depth knowledge of the structure of terrorist networks and organizations, which can be achieved through social network analysis. Today there is an international necessity to compare different types of terrorist networks through social network analysis. Such a comparison can create tools for the authorities' crime prevention against terrorism and contribute with new and requested knowledge about comparing different terrorist organizations.The aim of the study has been to visualize and investigate network changes over time regarding network structure for both Islamic and left-wing terrorist networks during terrorist attacks. In this social network analysis, six terrorist attacks by a left-wing extremist terrorist group, November 17 and an Islamic terrorist group, al-Qaeda have been studied. The results showed that both visualization and network structure for the individual terrorist groups have changed over time. The study has found numerous similarities between November 17 and al-Qaeda regarding network structure and composition. The differences between the terrorist groups is that al-Qaeda consists of more numbers of nodes and has a lower density than November 17. The visualization of the networks also showed that November 17 mimics a clique.

Widespread critical shortages of high-quality teachers in the United States (Sutcher, Darling-Hammond, Carver-Thomas, 2016) has prompted considerable research on staffing trends within the teaching profession. Research suggests both an increase in the demand for teachers and a "chronic and relatively high annual turnover compared with many other occupations" (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003, p. 31). Recent studies have highlighted the negative effects that high teacher turnover has on financial costs, school climate, and student performance. Since attrition rates appear to be higher for beginning teachers (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003; Ingersoll, 2012), it is important to understand why beginning teacher attrition occurs and what factors influence beginning teachers to stay in the profession, move to another school, or return to the profession. While several studies suggest multiple factors influence teacher attrition, having a better understanding of how these factors correlate with each other and how the impact of these factors changes over time will provide additional information into how time influences teacher attrition. Exploring where teaching go after they leave teaching and why some teachers decide to return to the profession will provide additional insight into the complex nature of teacher attrition patterns in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine attrition patterns among K-12 teachers who began teaching in a public school in the United States during the 2007-2008 academic year and factors that influenced teachers decisions to move from their initial school to another school, discontinue teaching, or return to the position of a K-12 teacher. This study used data collected as part of the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Study (BTLS) and explores the effect that various predictor variables have on the probability that BTLS teachers will either leave teaching or move to another school. Using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to discrete-time survival analysis made it possible to simultaneously model systems of equations that included both latent and observed variables, allow for the effect of mediators, and analyze how the effect of each predictor variable changed over time. Results suggest the higher the teachers' base salary during their first three years of teaching, the less likely they were to leave the profession during their second through fourth years of teaching. Teachers who supplement their base salaries by working extra jobs are more likely to leave the profession after their fourth year of teaching. Teachers who participated in an induction program during their first year of teaching were less likely to leave the profession in Wave 2 of the study and teachers who had taken more courses on teaching methods and strategies before they started teaching were less likely to leave teaching in all waves of the study than teachers who had taken fewer courses on teaching methods or strategies. Teachers who reported higher levels of positive school climate during their first year of teaching were less likely to leave the profession in Wave 2 and 4. Teachers who indicated higher levels of satisfaction with being a teacher in their school were less likely to move schools than teachers with lower levels of satisfaction and teachers who taught in schools with higher percentages of students who were approved for free or reduced prices lunches were more likely to move schools than teachers with lower percentages of students who were approved for free or reduced price lunches. However, due to convergence issues, these results should be interpreted with caution. Weighted item response descriptive analyses suggest teachers' most important reason for moving schools was to work in a school more convenient to their home. Teachers who leave teaching are more likely to enter professions or occupations in education-related fields than occupations outside the field of education. Results also suggest teachers who leave the profession of teaching are more likely to be working in a job, either full-time or part-time, than not working in job. Finally, the majority of teachers who return to the profession of teaching do so because they missed being a K-12 teacher or they want to make a difference in the lives of others. This study contributes to the existing literature on teacher attrition by testing whether multiple relationships exist between various predictor variables and beginning teacher attrition and examines how the influence of each of these predictor variables changes over time. The study also investigates topics that have been relatively unexplored in the literature, including where teachers go when they leave the profession and factors that influence teachers' decisions to return to the profession. The results of this study may benefit researchers, teachers, educators, administrators, and policy makers interested in and/or studying teacher attrition in the United States.

Social media offers a myriad of opportunities for entrepreneurial marketing strategies that leverage the power of communities, especially when they are combined with traditional approaches such as celebrity endorsement. The reach, frequency, and speed of communication on social media offer the ideal leverage for the drivers of entrepreneurial marketing. However, the rapid rate of change may threaten the effects of investments in entrepreneurial marketing on social media and they might become only short-lived. Employing structural equation modeling, we test the long-term effect of Facebook-based celebrity endorsement on purchase intention among 234 members of a Facebook fan community in a two-wave longitudinal design. We argue that this relationship is mediated by a sponsor's brand image and moderated by brand differentiation. This study is the first to investigate the long-term effects of entrepreneurial marketing on social media. We present the contributions and implications of our findings as they affect research and practice.

Background: Nowadays HIV-1 RNA levels and CD4+ T lymphocyte counts are the standard markers used in clinical practice for the management of HIV infection. However the evolution of HIV infection can be monitored also by measuring HIV-DNA and this measurement can be determined in PBMCs, even during powerful and prolonged antiretroviral therapy. In successfull treated HIV-1 patients, viral load is undetectable and the strategies for managing long-term side effects may involve a new class of antiretroviral-like CCR5 antagonists. Moreover the dynamics and the influence of viral tropism on the course of HIV-1 infection in subjects exposed to antiretroviral therapy are not fully understood. Then the evolution and determination of HIV-1 tropism based on cellular DNA sequence could be useful for patients with a successfully suppressed plasma viral load. Aims: In this study we aimed to determine whether the HIV-1 tropism for CXCR4 or CCR5 correlates with residual viraemia, cellular HIV-1 DNA load and CD4+ count; moreover, we evaluated if exist a correlation between baseline and follow-up HIV-1 DNA levels with residual viraemia, baseline plasma HIV-1 RNA, and the condition of primary or chronic HIV infection at the start of antiretroviral therapy. Methods: In the CAVeAT, that is a prospective cohort of HIV-infected patients enrolled starting from 2004 in five infectious diseases units in Northeastern Italy (Veneto region), we retrospectively selected two subgroup of patients (cohort I and cohort II); they were a subset of subjects achieving virological suppression within 6 months after initiation of first-line therapy and maintaining plasma HIV RNA levels < 50 copies/ml, without virological failures, until evaluation at the follow-up time points. In order to be included in the our study, the patients needed to be naïve and treated with effective antiretroviral therapy. None of the patients were treated with CCR5 antagonists. The cohort I consisted on 219 patients with median follow-up time of 3 years (T0, T1, T2) while the cohort II was represented of 181 patients with median follow-up times of 4 years (T0, T1, T2, T3). Genotypic analysis of viral tropism was performed on PBMCs throught the sequencing of V3 loop of gp120; the generated sequences were interpreted using the bioinformatic tool Geno2pheno coreceptor while proviral DNA was quantified by Real-Time PCR using TaqMan probes. Results: In the cohort I, HIV-1 DNA, CD4+ count and plasma viraemia were available from all 219 patients at T0 and T1, and in 86 subjects at T2, while tropism determinations were available from 109 subjects at T0, 219 at T1, and from 86 subjects at T2. The results showed that achieving a residual viraemia < 2.5 cp/ml at T1 correlated with having the same condition at T2 and that there was a positive correlation between To and T1 -T2 tropism. X4 tropism at T1 negatively correlated with the possibility of achieving viraemia < 2.5 cp/ml at T2 while a positive correlation between viremic suppression and R5 coreceptor affinity was found. In 181 patients of the cohort II, viroimmunological data were collected at baseline (T0) and at two follow-up time points (T1, T2); in a subgroup of 70 subjects, we evaluated also a third follow-up time point (T3). We observed that high baseline plasma HIV-1 RNA values positive correlated with high levels of HIV-1 DNA at T0, T1, T2, T3 and negative correlated with residual viraemia at T1, T2, T3; having high levels of HIV-1 DNA at T0 positive correlated with high values at T1, T2, T3 and negatively correlated with achieving residual viraemia. Primary infection was associated with lower probability of having high HIV-1 DNA levels at T1, T2, T3 and with a higher probability of achieving residual viraemia at T1 and T3, with respect to chronic infection. Conclusions: The tropism of archived virus was stable during an effective treatment, although a low percentage of patients switched over time. R5 tropism and its stability were related to achieving and maintaining viraemia < 2.5 copies/ml, in treatment responder patients, suggesting a relation among viral tropism and response to treatment in the long term. Moreover, we demonstrated a strong and long-lasting correlation between viral load and cellular HIV-1 DNA before and after the start of HAART and that cellular HIV-1 DNA is closely related to residual viraemia over long-term follow-up of ART responders, particularly when treated during primary infection.
Background: Fino ad oggi nella pratica clinica la gestione dell'infezione da HIV-1 ha utilizzato come marcatori prognostici i livelli di RNA plasmatico e il numero dei linfociti CD4+. Tuttavia nei pazienti trattati, l'evoluzione dell'infezione da HIV può essere valutata anche misurando l'HIV-1 DNA nei reservoirs. In pazienti HIV-1 trattati con terapia di successo, la carica virale è non rilevabile e le strategie per la gestione degli effetti collaterali a lungo termine potrebbero considerare l'utilizzo di una nuova classe di antiretrovirali antagonisti del CCR5. Inoltre non è ancora stato del tutto chiarito come il tropismo virale e la sua evoluzione influenzino il decorso dell'infezione da HIV-1 in soggetti in terapia antiretrovirale. Quindi per valutare come gestire i pazienti trattati con successo nei quali la carica virale è soppressa, potrebbe essere utile determinare l'evoluzione del tropismo di HIV-1 sul DNA cellulare. Scopo: In questo studio di coorte costituita da pazienti naive trattati con successo abbiamo valutato se il tropismo per CXCR4 o CCR5 di HIV-1 correla con la viremia residua; inoltre abbiamo determinato se esiste una correlazione tra i livelli di HIV-1 DNA cellulare (al baseline e ai follow-up) con la viremia residua, l'HIV-1 RNA al baseline, e con il fatto di avere un'infezione acuta all'inizio della terapia antiretrovirale. Materiali e metodi: All'interno della coorte CAVeAT, che è una coorte prospettica di pazienti HIV positivi arruolati a partire dal 2004 da cinque Unità di Malattie Infettive della regione Veneto, sono stati retrospettivamente selezionati due sottogruppi di pazienti (coorte I e coorte II); sono tutti pazienti che hanno raggiunto una soppressione virologica entro i 6 mesi dopo il primo trattamento e hanno mantenuto livelli di HIV-1 RNA al di sotto di 50 copie/ml senza fallimento virologico per tutti i tempi di follow-up. Per essere eleggibili, i pazienti dovevano essere naive e poi essere trattati con una terapia antiretrovirale di successo. Nessuno dei pazienti doveva essere in trattamento con gli antagonisti del CCR5. La coorte I era costituita da 219 pazienti con una mediana di follow-up di 3 anni (T0, T1, T2) mentre la coorte II era rappresentata da 181 pazienti con una media di follow up di 4 anni (T0, T1, T2, T3). Le analisi genotipiche per il tropismo virale sono state eseguite su PBMCs mediante sequenziamento del loop V3 di gp120; le sequenze ottenute sono state interpretate utilizzando l'algoritmo bioinformatico Geno2pheno coreceptor mentre il DNA provirale è stato quantificato mediante Real-Time PCR utilizzando sonde TaqMan. Risultati: Nella coorte I, la valutazione dell'HIV-1 DNA, della conta dei CD4+ e della viremia è stata effettuata su tutti i 219 pazienti al T0 e T1, e su 86 soggetti al T2; il tropismo è stato determinato solo in 109 soggetti al T0, su tutti i 219 al T1, e in 86 pazienti al T2. I risultati hanno mostrato che il raggiungere una viremia residua al di sotto di 2.5 cp/ml al T1 correlava con il suo mantenimento al T2 e che c'era una correlazione positiva tra il tropismo al To e quello ai follow-up ( T1-T2 ). Avere un tropismo X4 al T1 correla negativamente con la possibilità di raggiungere una viremia residua al di sotto di 2.5 cp/ml al T2 mentre è stata trovata una correlazione positiva tra soppressione virologica e tropismo R5. Nei 181 pazienti della coorte II, i dati viro-immunologici sono stati eseguiti per tutti i soggetti al baseline (T0) e ai due tempi di follow-up (T1, T2); in un sottogruppo di 70 pazienti, abbiamo preso in considerazione anche un terzo tempo di follow-up (T3). Quindi abbiamo osservato che alti livelli di HIV-1 RNA al baseline correlavano positivamente con alti livelli di HIV-1 DNA al T0, T1, T2, T3 e negativamente con la viremia residua al T1, T2, T3; avere alti livelli di HIV-1 DNA al T0 correlava positivamente con alti livelli anche al T1, T2, T3 e negativamente con il raggiungimento della viremia residua al di sotto delle 2.5 copie/ml. Avere un'infezione acuta, piuttosto che cronica, all'inizio della terapia era associato con una più bassa probabilità di avere alti livelli di HIV-1 DNA al T1, T2, T3 e con una più alta probabilità di raggiungere una viremia residua al T1 e T3. Conclusioni: Il tropismo del virus archiviato è rimasto stabile durante tutto il periodo della terapia, sebbene in una bassa percentuale di pazienti sia cambiato nel tempo. In pazienti trattati con una terapia di successo, il tropismo R5 e la sua stabilità sono stati confrontati con il fatto di raggiungere e mantenere una viremia residua al di sotto di 2.5 copie/ml, suggerendo una relazione tra il tropismo virale e la risposta ad una terapia a lungo termine. Inoltre, è stata dimostrata una forte correlazione tra la carica virale e l'HIV-1 DNA prima e dopo l'inizio della terapia antiretrovirale (ART) e che l'HIV-1 DNA cellulare è strettamente connesso alla viremia residua nel follow-up a lungo termine nei soggetti rispondenti alla terapia, in modo particolare se trattati durante l'infezione acuta, ovvero il prima possibile.

Introdução: Mudanças na composição corporal de indivíduos podem fornecer indícios importantes sobre a saúde individual e coletiva. Objetivo: Identificar mudanças na estatura e gordura corporal em crianças de 7 a 10 anos. Métodos: Foram utilizados dados de três coortes de nascimento de escolares da Escola de Aplicação da USP, mensurados duas vezes ao ano, no período de 2005 a 2008. Foram avaliados a estatura, o peso e pregas cutâneas (tricipital, bicipital, suprailíaca e subescapular). Resultados: O estudo teve início com 161 escolares com 7, 8 e 9 anos e terminou com 37 escolares com 10 anos. Neste estudo, não foi verificada existência de efeito de coorte. Agregando-se os participantes nas idades de 7, 8, 9 e 10 anos, tem-se que foram acompanhados no período de 4 anos, 457 escolares. Observou-se aumento da estatura com a idade, seguindo um padrão linear, com taxas diferentes de crescimento médio para meninos e meninas (em média 5,4 cm e 6,4 cm ao ano, respectivamente); Observou-se ganho médio de peso igual a 4,4 kg ao ano e diferenças entre os sexos, com meninos apresentado 2,4 kg a mais que meninas para cada idade; Observou-se aumento do tecido adiposo tanto pela soma das pregas cutâneas como pela prega cutânea tricipital com aumento médio de 7,0 mm e 2,3 mm ao ano, respectivamente. Conclusão: Conclui-se que, crianças de coortes mais recentes alcançam estatura, peso e soma de pregas cutâneas de crianças de coortes anteriores, não indicando efeito de coorte. Crianças de 7 a 10 anos apresentam crescimento linear na faixa etária, com valores médios maiores para meninas. O ganho de peso vem acompanhado do acúmulo de tecido adiposo, indicando ganho de gordura corporal
Introduction: Changes in body composition of individuals may provide important clues about individual and collective health. Objective: To identify changes in height and body fat in 7-10 year-old children. Methods: Data from three cohorts of students from Escola de Aplicação, University of São Paulo. Height, weight and skinfolds (triceps, biceps, suprailiac and subscapular) were measured twice a year and assessed. Results: At baseline 161 students aged 7, 8 and 9 years were enrolled. At the end, there were 37 10-year-old students. In this study, there was no cohort effect. Altogether, 457 students were followed for 4 years (7, 8, 9 and 10-year-old participants), who contributed with more than one measurement of each variable. Height increased with age following a linear pattern, with different growth rates when boys and girls are compared (on average 5.4 cm and 6.4 cm per year, respectively). Mean weight gain was 4.4 kg per year, with significant differences between genders (boys were 2.4 kg heavier than girls at each age). Adipose tissue increased when assessed through sum of skinfolds and tricipital skinfold, with mean increases of 7.0mm and 2.3mm per year. Conclusion: Given the results, it seems that 7 to 10 yearold schoolchildren of both sexes exhibit linear physical growth as regards to height, weight and body fat accumulation

Este estudo teve como objetivo verificar como ocorre e se desenvolve a construção dos conceitos acerca da estrutura da matéria e quais as dificuldades envolvidas nesse processo de aprendizagem. Para esta finalidade foi realizado um estudo longitudinal com um grupo de alunos ao longo do ensino médio. O estudo apresenta a análise do desenvolvimento conceitual desses estudantes, ao manifestarem explicações sobre fenômenos do seu cotidiano, utilizando ideias sobre a estrutura da matéria. Foram empregadas três dimensões de análise: natureza corpuscular da matéria (1ª dimensão), natureza elétrica da matéria (2ª dimensão) e interações intra e interpartículas (3ª dimensão). O estudo foi dividido em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa, participaram 91 alunos de 1ª a 3ª séries de uma escola de Ensino Médio de São Paulo, cujo ensino esteve a cargo de uma mesma professora. A compreensão dos conceitos acerca da estrutura da matéria foi extraída de suas respostas a um questionário contendo questões abertas e fechadas. O conhecimento dos alunos foi avaliado considerando suas respostas em níveis de adequação e compreensão elaborados a partir de uma comparação com respostas de professores especialistas na área de química e de ensino ao mesmo questionário. Verificou-se que as respostas dos alunos se apresentaram entre os níveis de inadequação e parcial adequação com vaga à alguma compreensão na 1ª dimensão de análise para todas as séries. Na 2ª dimensão de análise as respostas foram inadequadas com insuficiente compreensão, entre os alunos da 1ª série, inadequadas com vaga compreensão entre os alunos da 2ª e 3ª séries. Na 3ª dimensão, as respostas foram inadequadas, com insuficiente compreensão entre os alunos das 1ª e 3ª séries, o que implica em avanços e retrocessos do conhecimento dos conceitos e, para a 2ª série, as respostas foram inadequadas com vaga compreensão. Na segunda etapa do estudo, foram acompanhados quatro alunos (A, B, C e D) durante os três anos do Ensino Médio. O conhecimento individual de cada aluno foi extraído de suas respostas a questionários, entrevistas e representações pictóricas. O desenvolvimento conceitual de cada aluno foi avaliado por meio da elaboração de mapas cognitivos a partir de suas manifestações verbais e escritas. Os resultados indicaram que dois dos estudantes desenvolveram uma compreensão gradual dos conceitos acerca da estrutura da matéria, um deles finalizou o ensino com vaga compreensão (A), outro com alguma compreensão (D) e dois deles alcançaram bom nível de compreensão (B e C), estes últimos parecem ter integrado de maneira mais coesa seus conhecimentos, o que indicou que reestruturaram e reorganizaram suas estruturas de conhecimento. O estudo sugere que é necessária uma retomada constante dos conceitos sobre estrutura da matéria, possibilitando ao aluno estabelecer inter-relações conceituais na explicação de fenômenos, de maneira a facilitar uma reestruturação das concepções dos estudantes, tornando a aprendizagem mais significativa.
This study aims to investigate how High School students understand and develop concepts related to structure of matter and how they apply these concepts to explain everyday phenomena related to Chemistry. For this purpose, we conducted a longitudinal study with 91 High School students from 2012 to 2014. The conceptual development of these students was investigated by analyzing their answers to a questionnaire applied in the beginning of the 1st and 2nd grades and in the end of the 3rd grade of High School. In addition, four students were chosen to answer to five interviews conducted over the three years of High School. The students had the same Chemistry teacher in these three years. Students\' answers were categorized in three dimensions of analysis elaborated by the researcher: particle model of matter (1st dimension), electrical nature of matter (2nd dimension) and intra- and inter-particle interactions (3rd dimension). The analyses were conducted in two steps. In the first step, the concepts expressed by the 91 students were analyzed according to the three dimensions. Adequacy and comprehension levels were created to categorize students\' responses. These levels were elaborated by comparing students\' answers to Chemistry experts\' answers. The second step consisted of analysis of each of four students (A, B, C, D) during learning process on 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades of High School. The concept development of each student was evaluated through cognitive maps elaborated by the researcher from student\'s verbal and written manifestations. On the first step, concerning to the 1st dimension of analysis, the students on the three grades showed answers classified in inadequacy and partial adequacy levels, and low comprehension level. For the 2nd dimension, 1st graders\' ideas were classified as inadequate with insufficient understanding, the students of 2nd and 3rd grades showed a low level of understanding. On the 3rd dimension, the answers given by students of the 1st and 3rd grades were classified as inadequate, with insufficient understanding. The responses of 2nd grade students were also inadequate but with a little better level of understanding. On the second step, results indicated that students A and D developed a gradual understanding of the concepts concerning the structure of matter. Although, student A has achieved a low level of comprehension, student D has achieved the level of some comprehension. Students B and C achieved good level of understanding and their concepts seem to be closely integrated, which indicates that they have restructured and reorganized their knowledge structures. In conclusion, this study suggests that concepts related to structure of matter should be frequently reviewed in order to enable the student to establish conceptual interrelationships to explain phenomena at sub-microscope level, promote students\' conceptions restructuration, and provide meaningful learning during the teaching-learning process.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva akademikers bana mot att bli professionella då de kommer ut i arbetslivet med en magisterexamen i psykologi eller statsvetenskap. The study has a longitudinal design where Political Science and Psychology graduates’ have been interviewed on three consecutive occasions; the last semester before graduation, the first year and then, in the third year of professional work. The theoretical frame of reference comprises a situated and social learning theory and a gender perspective. These theories were chosen since they elaborate on concepts such as identity, practice, participation and learning. The results indicate that becoming a professional is not an isolated phenomenon merely learned and nurtured in higher education and/or in working life. It is emphasised as a dynamic learning process between a reflective individual, the interaction with a professional practice as well as a relationship between other spheres of life, e.g. the personal and the private. The graduates’ professional trajectories can be characterised by a movement from appropriating new knowledge to a need to change direction, e.g. new work tasks or professional fields. This is also a process of professional identity formation. The graduates’ professional identity is emphasised as being both closely related to a gender identity and influenced by the individuals’ belonging to and participation in other practices. The results thus indicate that professional identity formation is an interplay between different spheres of life that changes over time. By using a longitudinal design, it can be claimed that becoming a professional requires balancing one’s whole life situation.
Syftet med avhandlingen är att beskriva akademikers bana mot att bli professionella då de kommer ut i arbetslivet med en magisterexamen i psykologi eller statsvetenskap. Avhandlingen baserar sig på en longitudinell studie där statsvetare och psykologer har blivit intervjuade vid tre olika tillfällen; sista terminen innan examen samt efter första och tredje året i arbetslivet. Den teoretiska referensramen utgörs av begrepp från situerat och social lärteori samt från ett genusperspektiv. Dessa teorier valdes då de fokuserar på begreppen identitet, praktik, deltagande och lärande.Resultaten visar att utvecklingen mot att bli professionell inte är ett isolerat fenomen förvärvat och underhållet i högre utbildning och/eller arbetslivet. Det uttrycks snarare som en dynamisk lärprocess mellan en reflekterande individ, interaktion med en professionell praktik samt med olika sfärer i livet, den professionella, den personliga och den privata. Akademikernas professionella bana kan karakteriseras som en rörelse mellan att utveckla ny kunskap och göra den till sin, till ett behov av förändring i form av nya arbetsuppgifter eller byte av professionellt fält. Att bli professionell innebär även en utveckling av en professionell identitet. Statsvetarnas och psykologernas professionella identitet skapas i relation till en genusidentitet och är influerad av individernas tillhörighet och medverkan i olika praktiker. Resultatet visar därför utveckling av professionell identitet som ett samspel mellan olika sfärer i livet som är föränderligt över tid. Utifrån den utförda longitudinella studien är det möjligt att hävda att utvecklingen mot att bli professionell är ett sätt att skapa ett samspel och balans i individens livssituation.

Research indicates that preschool experience significantly influences child development and this study examined the influence of preschool learning experiences on children’s school readiness, self-regulation and academic achievement. Participants were 190 children from an impoverished county in Southwest China and their teachers. Classroom observations were conducted and children were assessed in individual and group sessions. There were three different types of preschool programs (kindergartens, pre-primary classes; Grade 1) available in the county. A total of 18 teaching episodes provided in either the kindergarten or primary schools to 164 children were videotaped and analyzed. Results indicated marked variations in preschool quality and pedagogical practices to support children’s self-regulation across programs. Kindergartens had the best physical environments, the most resources and highly qualified teachers. The teachers provided children with meaningful learning opportunities, adequate instructions, clear structure and predictability, and diversified instructional formats. Pre-primary classes had limited resources and unqualified teachers who emphasized academic learning. Compared to kindergarten teachers, pre-primary class teachers prepared fewer activities and frequently required children to simply sit still and listen. Preschool age children who merely “sat in” Grade 1 classrooms were typically neglected by teachers and only received attention from the teacher when they were disruptive. Grade 1 children (89 girls) who had attended kindergarten (n = 60), separate pre-primary classes (n = 55), merely “sat in” Grade 1 classes before being formally enrolled in school (n = 54) or had no preschool experience (n = 21) were assessed at the beginning of Grade 1 (Wave 1), at the end of Grade 1 (Wave 2), and at the end of Grade 2 (Wave 3). Their school readiness was assessed in Wave 1. Their self-regulation skills were assessed using the modified Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task in Waves 1 and 2, and seven cognitive regulation tests in Wave 3. Their literacy and mathematics achievement was evaluated using curriculum-based tests across the three waves. Results indicated that children with some form of preschool experience outperformed those with none in almost all the three outcomes across the three waves. Children from the kindergarten had better school readiness than the other three groups and better self-regulation than those attending separate pre-primary classes at the start of school. Children attending separate pre-primary classes had significantly better literacy and mathematics than those from the kindergarten at the start of school and literacy at the end of Grade 2. Children “sitting in” Grade 1 classes achieved lower scores than those from the kindergarten and pre-primary classes on almost all child outcome measures. The growth of self-regulation within the first primary school year was significant and Wave 1 behavioral regulation predicted Wave 3 cognitive regulation. School readiness and self-regulation significantly predicted academic achievement in all three waves and school readiness mediated the close relationship between self-regulation and academic achievement. Findings highlight the importance of (i) preschool experience for children from economically disadvantaged families in rural China; and (ii) self-regulation in school preparedness and early academic attainment. They also have implications for scaling up and enhancing the quality of preschool programs.
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Education
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative motor disorder. However, non-motor complications frequently alter the course of the disease. A particularly disabling non-motor symptom is dementia. Methods/Design: The study is designed as a multicentre prospective, observational cohort study of about 700 PD patients aged 45–80 years with or without dementia and PD-mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The patients will be recruited in eight specialized movement disorder clinics and will be followed for 36 months. Information about the patients’ functional status will be assessed at baseline and 6-/12- month intervals. In addition, 120 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) will be included. Well-established standardized questionnaires/tests will be applied for detailed neuropsychological assessment. In addition, patients will be asked to participate in modules including volumetric MRI, genetic parameters, and neuropsychology to detect risk factors, early diagnostic biomarkers and predictors for dementia in PD. Results: The study included 604 PD patients by March 2011; 56.3% were classified as having PD alone, with 30.6% of patients suffering from PD-MCI and 13.1% from PD with dementia. The mean age of the cohort was 68.6 ± 7.9 years, with a mean disease duration of 6.8 ± 5.4 years. There was a preponderance of patients in the earlier Hoehn and Yahr stages. Conclusion: The main aim of the study is to characterize the natural progression of cognitive impairment in PD and to identify factors which contribute to the evolution and/or progression of the cognitive impairment. To accomplish this aim we established a large cohort of PD patients without cognitive dysfunction, PD patients with MCI, and PD patients with dementia, to characterize these patients in a standardized manner, using imaging (serial structural MRI), genetic and proteomic methods in order to improve our understanding of the course of the PD process and the development of cognitive dysfunction and dementia in this disease. The inclusion of the DLB patients will start in the second quarter of 2011 in the BMBF-funded follow-up project LANDSCAPE.

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative motor disorder. However, non-motor complications frequently alter the course of the disease. A particularly disabling non-motor symptom is dementia. Methods/Design: The study is designed as a multicentre prospective, observational cohort study of about 700 PD patients aged 45–80 years with or without dementia and PD-mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The patients will be recruited in eight specialized movement disorder clinics and will be followed for 36 months. Information about the patients’ functional status will be assessed at baseline and 6-/12- month intervals. In addition, 120 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) will be included. Well-established standardized questionnaires/tests will be applied for detailed neuropsychological assessment. In addition, patients will be asked to participate in modules including volumetric MRI, genetic parameters, and neuropsychology to detect risk factors, early diagnostic biomarkers and predictors for dementia in PD. Results: The study included 604 PD patients by March 2011; 56.3% were classified as having PD alone, with 30.6% of patients suffering from PD-MCI and 13.1% from PD with dementia. The mean age of the cohort was 68.6 ± 7.9 years, with a mean disease duration of 6.8 ± 5.4 years. There was a preponderance of patients in the earlier Hoehn and Yahr stages. Conclusion: The main aim of the study is to characterize the natural progression of cognitive impairment in PD and to identify factors which contribute to the evolution and/or progression of the cognitive impairment. To accomplish this aim we established a large cohort of PD patients without cognitive dysfunction, PD patients with MCI, and PD patients with dementia, to characterize these patients in a standardized manner, using imaging (serial structural MRI), genetic and proteomic methods in order to improve our understanding of the course of the PD process and the development of cognitive dysfunction and dementia in this disease. The inclusion of the DLB patients will start in the second quarter of 2011 in the BMBF-funded follow-up project LANDSCAPE.