D.Sc. (Computer Science) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

A problem facing over 41 million Americans today is food insecurity [15]. The root of this problem lies in the inequitable distribution of healthy and affordable food to low-income neighborhoods because of an industry that is profit-based and lacks a physical connection between the production and consumption of food. Even though 82 percent of consumers live in cities, food is produced in rural areas and transported several times before arriving in the consumer’s hands [03]. Grocery stores are profit-based and invest in locations with higher buying power, resulting in a lack of access to food in low-income areas. In order to create a new attitude around providing food for underserved neighborhoods, the design of a new, highly-visible, sector of food processing must be independent from the existing profit-based food industry. This consolidated and localized system should not only serve as an equitable distributor of food but also as the beacon of security and example of efficiency that the contemporary food system lacks. This thesis explores the utilization of urban resources, in the physical reconfiguration and consolidation of the elements of the contemporary food chain. The resulting solution aims to create an efficient, self-sustaining, and accessible source of nutrition in low-income neighborhoods. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

archives@tulane.edu / 1 / Keelia O'Malley

MSc (Med), Bioethics and Health Law, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / During my interaction with various healthcare professionals while pursuing my post graduate degree, it was evident that a number of them were uninformed about refugees‘ rights.1 There was a predominant misconception that refugees are a burden to South Africa‘s already-constrained health care resources. Some of the healthcare professionals that I spoke to pointed out that they would care for all patients regardless of whether they were refugees or not, because they felt that they had a moral obligation to do so and because professional ethics required them to do so. This was the motivation behind my research.2 As observed by Bilchitz (2005: 5), the term „right to health‟ is a shorthand expression for two elements; the right to health care and the right to a healthy environment. This research report focuses on the right to health which includes access to healthcare services as one of the components of the right to health. It is not oblivious of other related and interdependent rights and it is not in any way intended to undermine the importance of other rights to health. For the most part, I centre my research report in the context of South Africa. In line with the above, the research report recognises the fact that the obligation of the states under international law extends to non-state actors. However, this 1 A refugee is defined by the Department of Home Affairs South Africa (2009) as ―Anyone fleeing from individual persecution, human rights violations or armed conflict in the land of their origin‖. 2 In my further studies, I hope to compliment this research report with empirical research. 7 research is limited to the state‘s obligations within the public healthcare sector. The research report takes an entitlement approach because entitlement empowers refugees by: 1. It gives them a base on which to stand up for themselves and for all persons past and present who, in the face of persecution, have become refugees; and 2. It allows refugees to draw attention to and demand the satisfaction of their rights (Liebenberg 2006: 20; Williams 2005: 446);and 3. It uses the legal process in order to obtain the fulfilment of their needs (ibid: 33-34);and 4. It aids in the pursuit of social justice as Pieterse (2006: 447) puts it: ... by demanding the acceleration of structural reforms that would put an end to prevailing hardship and by creating a space for collective mobilisation around such structural reforms. Although in some instances the research report refers to provisions and studies conducted on foreigners,3 this study is mainly focused on refugees and asylum seekers. However some of issues affecting foreigners in general inadvertently affect refugees as well. Overall, my research looks at the general rights of refugees. It acknowledges that there are specific rights that apply to specific classes of refugees.4 Lastly, the use of 3 A ‗foreigner means an individual who is neither a citizen nor a resident.‘ ( see Yacoob J.‘s ruling in Lawyers for Human Rights v Minister of Home Affairs & Another CCT 18/03 4 These include women and children amongst others. See Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW 1979); Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC, 1989), in article 24 and related regional treaties. Also see s 28 of the RSA Constitution. 8 the term refugee in the study is intended for convenience and includes asylum seekers. The main thesis of the study is that states, as promoters and protectors of refugees‘ right to health, have an obligation to put in place all necessary measures that will aid refugees to full realisation of their right to access healthcare services.

The continued growth of the nation’s older adult population will bring many societal challenges. One of these challenges deals with meeting this population’s basic needs. Among the most crucial basic needs in older adulthood is proper nutrition, which is heavily impacted by one’s ability to access adequate amounts of healthy foods. Extensive research has been conducted on low food access among diverse populations, but opportunities remain to expand upon this research by concentrating on the food access challenges facing the older adult population. The current study had a twoold purpose. First, this study aimed to serve a basic academic purpose by integrating key elements of theories related to environmental gerontology and ecological models of aging and human development to explain the relationship between summary-level conditions and the food environments of older adults, particularly as they were related to food access in nonmetropolitan counties. Second, this study aimed to serve an applied-evaluative purpose by utilizing the results of the quantitative analysis to serve as an initial needs assessment that identified the characteristics of nonmetropolitan counties that were associated with higher levels of senior low food access. It was argued that the ability to identify counties facing high levels of senior low food access would aid in the development of interventions to help address this social problem. To this end, this study’s concluding sections proposed an initial logic model, which outlined an intervention designed to address low food access among older adults residing in nonmetropolitan counties. Support was found for several of the research hypotheses, with results indicating that a county’s proportion of minority residents and status as a high outmigration county were the two strongest predictors of a county’s status as a senior low food access county. Based on these results, an intervention was proposed that concentrated on educating older adults on the importance of nutrition in older age and facilitating more convenient access to food outlets for older adults in nonmetropolitan counties. Practical implications for this study and suggestions for future research related to this topic also were discussed.

The study examined the issues of access in public and private higher education institutions in Islamabad, Pakistan. The policies and institutions currently in place to deal with access related issues are not effective, therefore, not providing students with the support systems to help them succeed at the institutions of higher learning. The study analyzed student perspectives on access, examined access related systems in place at public and private institutions, and kind of students that have access to higher education. The study also analyzed the growth of higher education institutions and their impact on access related issues particularly in last eight years. Continuous planning, support and development needed to provide higher education is discussed. In addition, the research discussed opportunities and challenges experienced by students before entering college, processes involved entrance at college and after arriving at college. Moreover, similarities and dissimilarities between public and private institutions are also discussed. The study makes suggestions to improve access related systems to help students be successful and the need and ways how can they be further developed and strengthened is also discussed. The hope is that this research will contribute to well in-formed policy making that takes into account the complexities of the forces that shape higher education and the development of Pakistan.

The purpose of this thesis is to establish design guidelines that will encourage an intimate relationship between waterfront users and the adjacent waterway through increased immediate physical, visual, and audible access to water. This thesis includes a literature review to build an understanding of: (1) the relationship between people and water; (2) the evolution of urban waterfronts in the United States and how intimacy with water is limited by the siting of buildings, construction of transportation infrastructure, and installation of flood control measures; and (3) three approaches used to create design guidelines for an intimate waterfront design. The established design guidelines are then used to analyze three waterfronts: the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland; Carroll Creek in Frederick, Maryland; and the Georgetown waterfront in Washington, D.C. This analysis leads to the position that successful urban waterfronts must allow for immediate access to the water to foster an intimate experience for waterfront users. This position is then tested through the anaylsis and design of the Rock River waterfront in Janesville, WI. / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

Open Access zu publizieren, ist noch nicht selbstverständlich für WissenschaftlerInnen in den außeruniversitären Forschungsgemeinschaften. Neue Publikationsmöglichkeiten erfordern neue, prozessbegleitende Services. Der Aufbau eines Open Access Kompetenzzentrums in der Bibliothek ist ein bereits erfolgreicher Weg, die WissenschaftlerInnen umfassend zu informieren und zu unterstützen. Welche Leistungen erbringt das Kompetenzzentrum und wie erwirbt es die notwendige Kompetenz? Im Fallbeispiel 2 soll dargestellt werden, welche administrativen Bereiche das Thema Open Access tangiert, wie diese Bereiche zusammenarbeiten und wie sich dieses Netz für seine Aufgaben qualifiziert.

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are responsible for 100,000 patient deaths per year, creating a critical need for prevention of these deadly infections that occur with central venous lines (CVLs). Alternative forms of IV access such as midline catheters (MLCs) may offer lower rates of infection than those seen with CVLs. MLCs were implemented at the practice setting in 2016; however, no evaluation of their effectiveness had been conducted. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of MLCs using a retrospective, pre- post- comparison of CLABSI rates and device utilization rates (DUR) obtained from the practice setting before and after implementation of MLCs. Infection control and Lewin's change theories were used to provide a foundation for the project. This retrospective, pre-post comparison of CLABSI and DUR 6 months before and after introduction of MLCs sought to determine if MLC use affected either rate. Results of a Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no statistical differences (p > .05) in CLABSI rates and DUR when comparing the rates from the specified 6 month periods. A secondary purpose was to identify the characteristics and conditions in which MLCs were used. Patients with cardiovascular, neuro, and infection diagnoses constituted 43% of the 262 MLC placements. No statistically significant improvement in infection rates was demonstrated by this project; however, these findings illuminate the types of patients or conditions where MLCs are a viable alternative for IV access, and this knowledge may assist providers in options for patient care. This project promotes positive social change by raising awareness of potential strategies for reducing infections in patients when they are at their most vulnerable.