The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of support provided to learners from child headed homes (CHH) by the Institutional Level Support Teams ILST). This was a two-phased study involving a literature study and empirical research. The study employed a qualitative research method to elicit information from participants by means of individual interviews. The literature revealed that learners from CHH are part of our school systems even though the phenomenon of CHH is not increasing. These learners experience many challenges such as role adjustment, stress and grief and school drop outs. Due to lack of various needs it would be difficult for them to reach a level of self-actualisation unless schools provide support. Poverty, HIV/AIDS and the breakdown of appropriate alternative care were revealed as contextual factors leading to CHH. There are also policies and reports guiding the support of learners in schools. There are national programmes that are provided from national level to support needy learners included, namely NSNP, school based crime prevention programmes, the child support grant, the sanitary pads project, exemption from paying school fees and the food garden project. A qualitative method was used and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and documents. Five sites were purposefully selected and fifteen ILST members participated. The research sites comprised of five secondary schools. Data were collected from three strata, namely the principal, ILST coordinator and the teacher with the highest number of learners from CHH in his/her class. The study revealed that national programmes were more constant than school-based which were ad-hoc and disjointed. Factors hampering the provision of support included problems with identification of learners from CHH, lack of policies guiding the provision of support to learners from CHH, lack of leadership and the ILST members not being committed enough. Factors enhancing the provision of support included good leadership, availability of programmes at national and the involvement of external stakeholders.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of support provided to learners from child headed homes (CHH) by the Institutional Level Support Teams ILST). This was a two-phased study involving a literature study and empirical research. The study employed a qualitative research method to elicit information from participants by means of individual interviews. The literature revealed that learners from CHH are part of our school systems even though the phenomenon of CHH is not increasing. These learners experience many challenges such as role adjustment, stress and grief and school drop outs. Due to lack of various needs it would be difficult for them to reach a level of self-actualisation unless schools provide support. Poverty, HIV/AIDS and the breakdown of appropriate alternative care were revealed as contextual factors leading to CHH. There are also policies and reports guiding the support of learners in schools. There are national programmes that are provided from national level to support needy learners included, namely NSNP, school based crime prevention programmes, the child support grant, the sanitary pads project, exemption from paying school fees and the food garden project. A qualitative method was used and data was collected by means of semi-structured interviews and documents. Five sites were purposefully selected and fifteen ILST members participated. The research sites comprised of five secondary schools. Data were collected from three strata, namely the principal, ILST coordinator and the teacher with the highest number of learners from CHH in his/her class. The study revealed that national programmes were more constant than school-based which were ad-hoc and disjointed. Factors hampering the provision of support included problems with identification of learners from CHH, lack of policies guiding the provision of support to learners from CHH, lack of leadership and the ILST members not being committed enough. Factors enhancing the provision of support included good leadership, availability of programmes at national and the involvement of external stakeholders.

Phase-change contrast agents (PCCAs) are an innovative form of imaging agent with practical applications in both the research and clinical settings. PCCAs are derived from gaseous microbubbles, which are able to act as targeted-contrast agents through conjugation of a ligand that is selective for an overexpressed receptor or biomarker in a given disease. Gaseous microbubbles can be condensed to liquid phase nanodroplets, which should be sufficiently small to extravasate into cells and/or tissues given their size and stability. Once liquid nanodroplets have internalized within a given tissue, they can be "activated" back into gaseous microbubbles with ultrasound at clinically used frequencies and energy outputs. This is purposeful as microbubbles provide much greater ultrasound reflectivity than nanodroplets. In this study, PCCAs and/or microbubbles act as a targeting agent in multiple scenarios. The projects in this study include- examination of binding and internalization of targeted PCCAs with different gaseous cores within MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, vaporization of liquid phase nanodroplets through application of acoustic energy via focused ultrasound (FUS), and targeting vulnerable plaque in the heart with different types of targeted microbubbles under varying shear-stresses.

This thesis examines what effect the economic discourse in EU migration policy might have on the view of migrants’ human rights in the European public opinion. The study is carried out as a qualitative content analysis of two central EU migration policy documents: The Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (2011), and A European Agenda on Migration (2015). The objective of the analysis is to determine whether the economic discourse have a dominant position in the documents and how this might affect the rights of the most vulnerable migrants. The analysis is based on a deductive approach in which existing theory have been analysed to identify key concepts upon which predetermined discourses have been decided and analysed in the documents. The analysis establishes that the economic discourse has a dominant position in the two documents, and that human rights are conditional. The analysis shows that migrants are stripped of their basic human rights due to the fact that they are not members of a community. The conclusion of the analysis is that human dignity is dependent upon your skills, competences and economic capital. It is expressed through the lack of political will to propose initiatives aimed at the most vulnerable migrants. The EU and is Member States are proposing stronger actions when it comes to attracting third country nationals to the EU that might contribute to economic growth.

This dissertation includes three essays, which investigate contingent claims pricing subject to credit risk based on the structural approach and analyze associated issues of corporate finance. The first essay develops and examines a partial equilibrium model to investigate the effects of macroeconomic condition and firm-level productivity shocks on the determination of optimal debt ratio. The model extends the contingent-claims models of the firm's capital structure by incorporating both the industry demand and firm-level supply factors into the firm's earnings and unlevered asset value. Our model predicts that the optimal debt ratio is negatively correlated to the macroeconomic conditions and the firm-level productivity. Furthermore, the theoretical implications are totally supported by the pooled feasible generalized least squares estimation with 311 Taiwanese listed manufacturing firms' quarterly data over the period from 1994 to 2003. The differences between the high-tech electronics and other manufacturing firms are also investigated, and particularly the high-tech firms are not tied up with the macroeconomic conditions while the others are. The second essay presents a contingent claim valuation of a callable convertible bond with the issuer's credit risk. The optimal call, voluntary conversion and bankruptcy strategies are jointly determined by shareholders and bondholders to maximize the equity value and the bond value, respectively. Our model not only incorporates tax benefits, bankruptcy costs, refunding costs and a call notice period, but also takes account of the issuer's debt size and structure. The numerical results show that the predicted optimal call policies are generally consistent with recent empirical findings; therefore calling convertible bonds too late or too early can be rational. The third essay provides a closed-form valuation formula for the Black-Scholes options subject to interest rate risk and credit risk. Not only does our model allow for the possible default of the option issuer prior to the option's maturity, but also considers the correlations among the option issuer's total asset, the underlying stock, and the default-free zero coupon bond. We further tailor-make a specific credit-linked option for hedging the default risk of the option issuer. The numerical results show that the default risk of the option issuer significantly reduces the option values, and the vulnerable option values may be remarkably overestimated in the case where the default can occur only at the maturity of the option.

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the mechanism of association between social determinants of health (SDH), particularly limited health literacy, and disparate outcomes related to cardiovascular disease in vulnerable populations. Specific aims were to 1) compare quality of life (QOL), anxiety, and depressive symptoms between genders in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients; 2) examine the association between multi-morbidity burden and QOL; 3) determine whether health literacy levels independently predict CVD risk in the male prison population; 4) examine the relationship between health literacy and decisiveness regarding end of life (EOL) choices, and 5) examine SDH as predictors of perceived poor health status in ICD recipients. Specific aim one was addressed by analysis of data collected from individuals in the Swedish ICD and Pacemaker Registry. Multiple linear regression was used to determine predictors of anxiety, depression, and quality of life in men and women. A higher prevalence of anxiety symptoms in women was noted with no differences in depressive symptoms noted between the genders. The majority of the variance in the predictive models for QOL was explained by the addition of the psychosocial variables for both genders. Specific aim two was addressed by analysis of data collected from individuals in the Swedish ICD and Pacemaker Registry. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of QOL. Greater multi-morbidity burden was associated with lower QOL in ICD recipients. Specific aim three was addressed by analysis of data collected from male inmates enrolled in a bio-behavioral educational and counselling intervention program to reduce CVD risk. Nonlinear regression was used to determine whether health literacy was an independent predictor of CVD risk while controlling for social and clinical variables. Inmates with adequate levels of health literacy had lower ten year CVD risk profiles than those inmates with inadequate health literacy. Specific aim four was addressed by analysis of data collected from ICD recipients. Multinomial regression was used to determine predictors of decisiveness regarding EOL choices. Within the context of terminal illness, health literacy and race were found to be predictors of decisiveness regrading generator replacement while gender was found to be a predictor of decisiveness regarding the withdrawal of defibrillation therapy. Specific aim five was addressed by analysis of data collected from ICD recipients. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of perceived poor health status. Residential status in the Central Appalachian region of Kentucky, not working outside the home, higher levels of health literacy, and comorbid depression were predictors of perceived poor/very poor health status.

This study design was to identify and examine how disaster experience, self-efficacy, and demographic factors influence disaster preparedness in community-dwelling older adults. Current data indicates the United States is rapidly aging. Parallel to this significant increase among the elderly population, natural disasters are more prevalent. Consequently, older adults are affected adversely by these disasters and exposure to social vulnerabilities during the disaster cycle. For the purpose of this study, non-identifiable secondary data were analyzed. Sources of the data were the 2007 and 2008 National Center for Disaster Preparedness surveys. The sample focus of this study was adults 50 and older. Regression analyses identified important predictors of disaster preparedness in the survey respondents. Sample adults with previous disaster experience are two times more likely to be in a higher category for having an emergency plan than those respondents with no observable effects of self-efficacy and no previous disaster experience. The frequency of natural disasters in the United States has generated a renewed interest in disaster management, in particular, disaster preparedness. Nevertheless, the focal point of disaster preparedness is no longer the rudimentary stockpile of water, a first aid kit, and a battery operated radio. To advance the field of disaster management it is vital for gerontologist to approach disaster preparedness by differentiating between stockpiling supplies and social cognitive interventions that fundamentally alters preparedness behavior.

Planläggning av cirkulationsplatser har blivit ett vanligt inslag i en mängd olika städer världen över för att lösa farliga situationer som kan uppstå i traditionella fyrvägskorsningar. Detta eftersom bilisternas hastighet hålls låg i en cirkulationsplats jämfört med en vanlig fyrvägskorsning vilket i sin tur leder till mindre allvarliga olyckor. Är de oskyddade trafikanternas säkerhetsfördelar vid en cirkulationsplats lika tydliga? Syftet med studien är att undersöka utformningen av trafikmiljöer, med fokus på fotgängares och cyklisters säkerhet i anslutning till cirkulationsplatser. Jag har sett på vilka säkerhetshöjande aspekter som bör tas i beaktande för oskyddade trafikanter. Frågeställningarna i arbetet är - Vilka för- och nackdelar för oskyddade trafikanter finns det med planläggning och konstruktion av cirkulationsplatser? - Vilka säkerhetsaspekter tas i beaktande vid cirkulationsplatser? Forskningen baserar sig på en kvalitativ metod. Datainsamlingsmetoder som använts är observation, intervju och kvalitativ textanalys. I undersökningen deltog tre planerare från Gävle, Eskilstuna och Västerås. I undersökningen lyfts säkerhetsaspekter, samt för- och nackdelar fram som de undersökta kommunerna utgår ifrån i planläggningen av cirkulationsplatser och övergångsställen. I resultatet kan konstateras att det med snabba och relativt enkla metoder och åtgärder är möjligt att förbättra fotgängares och cyklisters säkerhet på passager vid cirkulationsplatser. / Planning of roundabouts have become a common feature in various cities around the world to resolve dangerous situations that may occur in traditional four-way intersections. This is because the motorists’ speed is lower in a roundabout compared to a standard four-way intersection, which leads to less severe accidents. Are vulnerable road users safety benefits at a roundabout as clear? The purpose of the study is to examine the design of traffic environments, with a focus on pedestrian and cyclists’ safety in connection to roundabouts. I have seen on the safety aspects that should be taken into consideration for pedestrians and cyclists. The research questions in my study are: - What are the advantages and disadvantages of vulnerable road users with planning and construction of roundabouts? - Which safety aspects are taken into consideration in roundabouts? The research is based on a qualitative approach. Data collection methods used are observation, interview and qualitative text analysis. The study included three planners from Gävle, Eskilstuna and Västerås. The highlighted safety aspects, advantages and disadvantages presented by the surveyed municipalities proceed from with planning of roundabouts and pedestrian crossings. In the result it can be stated that with fast and relatively simple methods and steps are possible to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety on crossings at roundabouts.

This diploma thesis deals with the particularly vulnerable victims of crime and their protection within criminal proceedings. The situation of victim protection is one of the emerging trends in the area of criminal law and because it is a topic that has just recently been addressed by the legal order, there is a room for its assessment and an analysis of problematic areas of concerning legislation. The aim of this thesis is to clarify current legislation regarding the legal position and protection of particularly vulnerable victims of crime that is set out in Act no. 45/2013 Coll., on Victims of Crime. The text is divided into five chapters that are further divided into sub-chapters and the research was done mainly through legislation, explanatory memorandums and concerning comments, specific legal literature and legal journal articles. The first chapter is concerning the historical development, leading to the current legislation regarding the protection of victims of crime within the Czech legal order as well as the international legal order. The second chapter defines important terms for this thesis (victim and particularly vulnerable victim) as stated in the current legislation. It also shortly describes the term criminal proceedings and its specifications in the context of the legal position of...

Diante da realidade de segregação residencial existente no Brasil, determinada pela heterogeneidade de renda, de condições sociais entre bairros e distritos, evidencia-se uma sociedade cada vez mais penneada por iniquidades sociais e ambientais. Somado a isto, há o fato do crescimento da concentração populacional em áreas urbanas. Este e outros fatores geram transformações nas estruturas das cidades acentuando conflitos referentes ao uso e ocupação do solo. Tais conflitos requerem agilidade de suprir demandas de fornecimento de serviços essenciais, tais como de abastecimento de água e esgotamento sanitário, especialmente quando se trata destes serviços às populações vulneráveis. Para apoio a medição e visualização desse cenário, de forma a elaborar políticas públicas e empresarias, é fundamental a utilização de indicadores, os quais, no entanto, não estão prontamente disponíveis. Emerge assim a necessidade de proposição de indicadores que mensurem o fornecimento dos serviços às populações vulneráveis em áreas urbanas. Neste contexto, com estudo de caso para o Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, a pesquisa teve como enfoque atuar na interface teórica e prática para proposição de indicadores. Foram realizadas, então, revisão bibliográfica, análise documental e discussão crítica com base no aprendizado do estudo de caso. Doze indicadores foram propostos e um sistema de indicadores de benchmarking dos serviços de abastecimento e esgotamento sanitário voltados às populações vulneráveis foi estruturado. O sistema e os indicadores foram identificados por meio do alinhamento de diferentes visões dos atores, o que permitiu que fossem condizentes com a realidade dos serviços, e posteriormente, mais facilmente implementados. / The income heterogeneity and social conditions between neighborhoods and districts show a society increasingly permeated by social and environmental inequities by means the reality of residential segregation that exists in Brazil. In addition, there is population growth occurred concentrated in urban areas, this and other factors that generate transformations in the structures of cities accentuating conflicts regarding the use and occupation. Such conflicts require flexibility to supply demands for essential services such as to provi de water and sanitation services, especially aimed to vulnerable populations. For the measurement and visualization ofthis scenario, in order to produce the policies and business, it is essential to use of indicators, which, however, are not readily available. Thus emerges the need to propose indicators that measure the provision of services to vulnerable populations in urban areas. In this context, with case study in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, the research was focused on theoretical and practical interface to proposed indicators. Were performed also, literature review, document analysis and critical discussion based on the learning case study. Twelve indicators were proposed and a system of benchmarking indicators for the water supply and sanitation services to targeted vulnerable populations was structured. The framework and indicators were proposed by aligning different views of the actors, in a way to be consistent with the reality of services and more easily implemented.