In group living species animals commonly compete for limited resources such as food (Darwin 1859). Winning competition for food may be beneficial for an individuals survival or reproductive success (Williams 1966; Clutton-Brock 1988; Metcalfe et al 1995) but conflict with group members may be costly as it typically involves aggression (Huntingford&Turner 1987, Mesterton-Gibbons&Adams 1998). Asymmetries between individuals are predicted to determine the outcome of competition (Maynard-Smith&Parker 1976), and individuals are expected to steal food when the benefit to them is greatest (Barnard 1984; Trivers 1972). I therefore investigate what determines the outcome of competition for food between group members, and what factors affect whether group members try to steal food in the cooperatively breeding meerkat (Suricatta suricatta). Meerkats competed for food items infrequently and the owner of a food item typically won competition, but dominant individuals and breeding females were more likely to win competition than other group members. This provides support for models of conflict over resources in group living species which predict that ownership may determine the outcome of competition, thereby avoiding frequent costly conflict (Maynard-Smith 1982). Furthermore, where large asymmetries exist between contestants in dominance status or the value of a resource, these may determine the outcome of competition (Maynard-Smith&Parker 1976; Grafen 1987). Meerkats varied in how frequently they tried to steal food depending upon the costs and benefits of competition. Dominant individuals competed for food more frequently which is likely to reflect reduced costs of competition as subordinate individuals may avoid conflict with them (Packer&Pusey 1985). Females competed for food more frequently than males and more frequently during breeding, reflecting the higher costs of reproduction to females compared to males (Williams 1966; Trivers 1972). Meerkats compete more frequently for food when food availability is low, which indicates that food items may be more valuable when they are rare. Meerkats in smaller groups competed more frequently. In cooperatively breeding species group members undertake a large number of costly helping behaviours. Individuals in small groups each contribute more effort to helping than individuals in large groups and suffer higher costs which may increase the benefit of food to them (Clutton-Brock et al 1998a; Clutton-Brock et al 2001a). Competition for the opportunity to breed in cooperatively breeding meerkats has resulted in despotic dominance hierarchies where a dominant female monopolises breeding and reproductively suppresses subordinates (Clutton-Brock et al 2001b). Dominant females stole more food than any other group members. This is likely to be a consequence of the high costs of reproduction for the dominant breeding female in species with high reproductive skew (Creel&Creel 1991; Clutton-Brock et al 2001b). Furthermore, dominant females were more aggressive and more successful in competition for food with their reproductive competitors. Dominant females may therefore use competition for food as a means of asserting dominance over their reproductive competitors which could contribute to reproductive suppression (Creel et al 1992; Williams 2004; Kutsukake&Clutton-Brock 2006b; Young et al 2006). / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Zoology and Entomology / unrestricted

A proposal for a living laboratory for the University of Pretoria's south campus. The University of Pretoria is celebrating its 100th year anniversary. In 2008 the Department of Landscape Architecture has requested that the final year Landscape Architecture students choose a site within the university owned land as a site for their dissertation. / Dissertation (ML(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

The purpose of this investigation, conceived in its broadest sense, was to study the living arrangements of older persons over a specific period of time in an attempt to arrive at some generalizations about the nature and changes of these arrangements as they relate to certain sociological variables.

Doctor Educationis / There is a wide-reaching consensus that data required for poverty analysis in developing countries are inadequate. Concerns have been raised on the accuracy and adequacy of household surveys, especially those emanating from Sub-Saharan Africa. Part of the debate has hinted on the existence of a statistical tragedy, but caution has also been voiced that African statistical offices are not similar and some statistical offices having stronger statistical capacities than others. The use of generalizations therefore fails to capture these variations. This thesis argues that African statistical offices are facing data challenges but not necessarily to the extent insinuated. In the post-1995 period, there has been an increase in the availability of household surveys from developing countries. This has also been accompanied by an expansion of poverty analyses efforts. Despite this surge in data availability, available household survey data remain inadequate in meeting the demand to answer poverty related enquiry. What is also evident is that cross sectional household surveys were conducted more extensively than panel data. Resultantly the paucity of panel data in developing counties is more pronounced. In South Africa, a country classified as ‘data rich’ in this thesis, there exists inadequate panel surveys that are nationally representative and covers a comprehensive period in the post-1995 period. Existing knowledge on poverty dynamics in the country has relied mostly on the use of the National Income Dynamic Study, KwaZulu Natal Dynamic Study and smaller cohort-based panels such as the Birth to Twenty and Birth to Ten cohort studies that have rarely been used in the analysis of poverty dynamics. Using mixed methods, this thesis engages these data issues. The qualitative component of this thesis uses key informants from Statistics South Africa and explores how the organization has measured poverty over the years. A historical background on the context of statistical conduct in the period before 1995 shows the shaky foundation that characterised statistical conduct in the country at the inception of Statistics South Africa in 1995. The organization since then has expanded its efforts in poverty measurement; partly a result of the availability of more household survey data. Improvements within the organization also are evidenced by the emergence of a fully-fledged Poverty and Inequality division within the organization. The agency has managed to embrace the measurement of multidimensional poverty. Nevertheless, there are issues surrounding xv available poverty related data. Issues of comparability affect poverty analysis, and these are discussed in this thesis. The informants agreed that there is need for more analysis of poverty using available surveys in South Africa. Against this backdrop, the use of pseudo panels to analyse poverty dynamics becomes an attractive option. Given the high costs associated with the conduct of panel surveys, pseudo panels are not only cost effective, but they enable the analysis of new research questions that would not be possible using existing data in its traditional forms. Elsewhere, pseudo panels have been used in the analysis of poverty dynamics in the absence of genuine panel data and the results have proved their importance. The methodology used to generate the pseudo panel in this thesis borrows from previous works including the work of Deaton and generates 13 birth cohorts using the Living Conditions Surveys of 2008/9 and 2014/15 as well as the IES of 2010. The birth cohorts under a set of given assumptions are ‘tracked’ in these three time periods. The thesis then analysed the expenditure patterns and poverty rates of birth cohorts. The findings suggested that in South Africa, expenditures are driven mostly with incomes from the labour market and social grants. The data however did not have adequate and comparative variables on the types of employment to further explore this debate. It also emerged that birth cohorts with male headship as well as birth cohorts in urban settlements and in White and Indian households have a higher percentage share of their income coming from labour market sources. On the other hand, birth cohorts with female headship and residing in rural, African and in Coloured households are more reliant on social grants. The majority of recipients of social grants receive the Child Social Grant and its minimalist value partly explains why birth cohorts reporting social grants as their main source of income are more likely to be poor when compared to birth cohorts who mostly earn their income from the labour market. Residing in a female-headed household, or in a rural area as well as in Black African and Coloured increases the chances of experiencing poverty. This supports existing knowledge on poverty in South Africa and confirms that these groups are deprived. The results of the pseudo panel analysis also show that poverty reduced between 2006 and 2011 for most birth cohorts but increased in 2015. Policy recommendations to reduce poverty therefore lie in the labour market. However, given the high levels of unemployment in the country today, more rigorous labour incentives are required.

Bangladesh is the most densely populated country with 1188 people per square kilometers. It has a total population of 160 million people and among which more than 16 million people lives in the capital, and that makes it one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Consequently there are huge needs for high rise housing to accommodate all those people or otherwise shift them to other place. But our country, at present, does not have enough resource to build up a newer city so that they can solve accommodation, infrastructure and unemployment problems. Thus, the only option is privatization of the housing which also has started in our country and this scenario is appearing to be more devastating. These buildings does not respect nor reflect our culture, history, society, religion, norms, behavior or community. Additionally, these housing units at final level of finishing are out of reach for the low and middle income people even though it was intended to be built for the low income group. Urban poor is a problem and an also an opportunity for this City. They are actively taking part in the economy and they are the server of the 4th class services of the society. But they don’t have proper place to live and facilities to lead their life style. Thus they sometimes choose different path of life leaving behind community values. However, they have lots of potential in the city and can easily make them useful to contribute to the culture and the society of the city. With a better place to live that will support their life style, they can easily become the keeper of their culture and crafts. With proper housing they can produce income and support their families. We can easily rely on their craftsmanship to retain our culture. Architecture should be sustainable and for all. So I have decided to work on the housing for mid and low income group so that they can stay and serve the city. It’s not only the design strategy but also the complete systematic process so that it can ensure that the end user can afford it. Our country is rich in culture, festivals, history and religion. So the design process should be sophisticated and ingenious to keep it in place. Also in our country still it’s a common scenario that most of the house wives doesn’t add to any income for the family. From my perspective a sustainable design can make that happen too. Thereafter my thesis intends to develop an architectural solution that can revive this city of Dhaka through ideas sustainable for the city and dweller as well as systemize the infrastructure to manipulate their passive income strategy and ensure a healthy communal and social life for them.

Every 66 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease. Because of the baby boomer generation, this number will continue to rise significantly in the coming years (2016 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures). As a result, it is essential to consider memory impaired individuals when creating space; specifically, those spaces in which patients receive long term care. Though there are claims that a wide range of options exist for memory impaired assisted living, types of care can be easily sorted into three groups: home care, institution care, or for few select individuals, care in specialized communities known as dementia villages. While there is a spectrum of care for each of these categories, more often than not, the main stream option is a typical nursing home or assisted-living facility. The direct influence of traditional hospital typologies is evident in the layout of the building, and is in part due to the use of government funding (Day). Specialized dementia and Alzheimer’s care does exist in some cities, though generally memory units differ in patient demographic and programing, and not in the way that spaces are formed. The idea of a dementia village, an isolated community that encompasses all aspects of living and social life, has proved successful in increasing patient autonomy; however, such facilities often exist outside of the urban realm and are built on the foundation of imitation and replication. Through historical analysis of medical building typologies and formal investigation of spatial relationships, this thesis aims to explore the opportunities within built space that allow aging and memory-loss patients to feel comfort. By flipping the relationship between the private and public realms of the building, it is possible to generate increased social interaction, improving the overall quality of life of the patients. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

As Americans witness the slow dissociation of the military from the civilian public, the need for a strong design initiative within military installations proves as applicable and necessary as it has always been. The role of the designer within the military is a longstanding and vigorously debated duty; the superficially disparate natures of the professions separate themselves on the premise of individual superiority, and isolate their fields of expertise from one another. However, the two microcosms retain an identity that may serve traditionally different clientele, but their purposes reflect and complement one another. This notion is best exemplified by the pedagogy often associated with architecture and the military: a community working tirelessly to construct a system best adapted to the public, regularly working with a client who does not have a clear vision of the resolution, but instead relies on the services of both occupations to not only visualize the outcome but to design the process as well. The all contingency of accredited designers within a typical military hierarchy have been tasked with creating a conducive living environment centralized around "the mission". While they have toiled endlessly to produce such a product, the unfortunate reality demonstrates that the weight of schematics has been typically relegated to grandsons of civil engineers and civilians with unrelated degrees and very little experience in a headquarter building hundreds of miles away. Bearing this in mind, the purpose of this thesis is to discover the greater organization of a military base, and to standardize it not according to chance doctrine, but soundly informed and localized knowledge of the surrounding environment. Such a design must be informed by a few key aspects; principally, the macro intention of such a layout must be centralized around "the mission", which in the case of most military bases, resembles a training and living environment conducive to deployment and combat effectiveness. Similarly, the determination of design must be within the scope of economic feasibility, which although quite gratuitous at first glance, is meagerly distributed throughout the separate branches and therein the country. Lastly, the design must have tenacity, as the ebb and flow of active duty populations produce an arbitrary fluctuation, but the life expectancy of such buildings is often projected within the fifty- to sixty-year time frame. Through careful research, and the benefit of personal interviews with clients who have spent collective centuries in the modern military, a design solution for the improved daily lives and increased combat effectiveness of the American military will serve to discuss the ways in which we can inform the macroevolution of military installations through dissecting the micro. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia initially characterised by short-term memory deficits followed by a progressive cross domain cognitive and functional decline over time and loss of independence in carrying out activities of daily living (ADL). Apathy and depression are also the two most frequent neuropsychiatric sequalae associated with AD and have an impact on patients' ability to execute ADLs. Little is still known if apathy subdomains differently predict ADL performance in these patients. In this study, we aimed to quantitatively investigate if global apathy and depression predict ADL performance. We also wanted to establish if the apathy evaluation scale (AES) items resolve into three factors as proposed by Marin and if those factors differently predict performance of ADLs. We recruited a sample of 115 patients diagnosed with probable or possible AD. Basing on current literature, we hypothesised that apathy and depression predict ADL performance. We also hypothesised that AES items will load into three factors relating to cognitive, behavioural and affective apathy subdomains and that these subdomains will differentially predict ADL performance in our patient sample. Our results indicated that high apathy and depression symptoms were associated with problems to carryout ADLs. They also indicated that AES items resolved into a three factor solution in analogy with Marin's conceptualisation but they did not cluster in the manner that he proposed. Finally, when these factors are regressed simultaneously, (derived from factor analysis) only behavioural apathy significantly predicted ADLs.