This paper presents a description of gray-headed junco habitat in the form of a model based on discriminant function analysis. Junco nests were found by searching randomly located grids on a 7.8 km2 study area in central Utah. Vegetation data was gathered on 500 m2 circular plots surrounding nests and contrasted with similar data from searched grids where nests were not found. The model explains 28 percent of the between-groups variance and correctly classifies 68 percent of the plots. Plant cover types are good predictors of areas where gray-headed juncos nest, while plant community type descriptions do not distinguish between utilized and unutilized areas. The use of quantitative models of wildlife habitat with data derived from various kinds of information systems is discussed.

There is a plethora of development literature, both academic and policy oriented, that problematises female-headed households in normative ways, positioning them as socially isolated, stigmatised, lacking in agency and poor, equated with the ‘feminisation of poverty’. Through positioning female-headed households as ‘other’ there is also a notable lack of regard for the diverse socio-political and cultural context which within female-headed households reside. By situating this research within a feminist postdevelopment framework, and through the use of participatory methodologies and the articulation of individual biographies of the development experience, this dissertation seeks to re-position our understanding of the development experience of female-headed households. Drawing on the case of Samoa, this study demonstrates how fa’asamoa (the Samoan way), inclusive of fa’amatai (customary system of governance), the feagaiga (brother/sister relationship) and the practice of fa’alavelave (demonstrating love and concern), all support the welfare and wellbeing of female-headed households, including any children born of these households. They also afford women in female-headed households a certain level of voice and agency. The thesis further highlights that the category of female-headed households was not well understood within Samoa because neither villagers nor policy makers labelled women in this way. Rather, women were recognised in relation to the cultural framework of fa’asamoa which situates them in terms of their position within their family, their natal village and the wider community. This illustrates the importance of culture when attempting to frame the development experiences of female-headed households in any part of the world. Development researchers and practitioners need to seriously question just how useful the practice of categorising and labelling is to Development Studies. In highlighting the problematic nature of universal labels and categories, this thesis concludes that the starting point of analysis for female-headed households needs to begin with the sociopolitical-cultural context, as opposed to the category of female-headed households. Shifting beyond a desire to uncritically categorise and label will provide a space for envisioning new approaches to development thinking and practice, and for truly seeing the ways that people struggle, often successfully, to create and pursue opportunities.

<p>The objective of the study was to explore the conditions of every day life of child-headed households in South Africa. Following research questions were developed:</p><p>• How do South African children who are the head of the household perceive his or her life situation and the role as the household-head?</p><p>• How are the relations with siblings and other relatives?</p><p>• What kind of support do they need?</p><p>In order to fulfil the objective an interview study with the design as a case study was con-ducted. Seven children and young adults who had been heading household since under the age of 18 were found to be interviewed about their conditions of life. The result is presented as six case studies and is then discussed in the light of earlier knowledge on the subject as well as focusing on unique and mutual experienced of the informants. The results strongly support results in earlier research on life conditions for Child-headed households (CHH). Children living in CHHs face immense challenges and difficulties in their every day life and the sup-port given is not enough. Conclusions that are made include that improving assistance must be offered both in the dimensions of prevention of children living alone and immediate support to children already living in CHHs.</p>

The objective of the study was to explore the conditions of every day life of child-headed households in South Africa. Following research questions were developed: • How do South African children who are the head of the household perceive his or her life situation and the role as the household-head? • How are the relations with siblings and other relatives? • What kind of support do they need? In order to fulfil the objective an interview study with the design as a case study was con-ducted. Seven children and young adults who had been heading household since under the age of 18 were found to be interviewed about their conditions of life. The result is presented as six case studies and is then discussed in the light of earlier knowledge on the subject as well as focusing on unique and mutual experienced of the informants. The results strongly support results in earlier research on life conditions for Child-headed households (CHH). Children living in CHHs face immense challenges and difficulties in their every day life and the sup-port given is not enough. Conclusions that are made include that improving assistance must be offered both in the dimensions of prevention of children living alone and immediate support to children already living in CHHs.

There has been an increase in grandparents raising their grandchildren due to parental absence. This family structure has affected urban, single, low income African Americans at a higher rate than any other racial group. Research on grandchildren reared in grandparent-headed families (GHF) states these children are at risk for significant emotional, behavioral, physical problems, and learning disabilities than children living with their biological parents. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of African American grandchildren raised in GHF. Both quantitative and qualitative methodology was used, including individual interviews with 14 African American grandchildren ages 10-16 and their 6 grandparent caregivers, and the completion of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), which is a standard psychological measure. Results indicated that although the majority of the grandchildren were content living with their grandparents, they experienced challenges at school, including behavioral issues, low academic performance, and suspensions. Family factors that might affect grandchildren’s adjustment to living in a GHF are discussed, as well as implications for therapists and recommendations for future research with grandchildren from GHF.

Use of composite steel construction with precast hollow core slabs is now popular in the UK,but the present knowledge in shear capacity of the headed shear studs for this type of composite construction is very limited. Currently, all the information is based on the results obtained from experimental push-off tests. A finite element model to simulate the behaviour of headed stud shear connection in composite beam with precast hollow core slabs is described. The model is based on finite element method and takes into account the linear and non-linear behaviour of all the materials. The model has been validated against the test results, for which the accuracy of the model used is demonstrated. Parametric studies showing the effect of the change in transverse gap size, transverse reinforcement diameter and in-situ concrete strength on the shear connection capacity are presented.

After the death of their parents many youth resume full parental responsibility in taking care of their orphaned siblings. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and challenges of youth fostering their siblings and heading households in Port Shepstone. This study was guided by the ecological systems theory and used a qualitative research approach to undertake the study. A sample of ten participants was used with whom face to face interviews were conducted. The study revealed that the youth heading households resumed parental responsibilities at a young age. They shoulder new responsibilities such as domestic chores and child care duties. In addition, the youth heading households experience financial challenges due to lack of employment. As a result, the foster care grant was the only source of income which was not enough to meet all the needs of their siblings. The participants further indicated that they and their siblings are still dealing with the death of their parent(s). Both the participants and their siblings had never received counseling after the deaths of their parents. In addition, the participants revealed that they were experiencing challenges regarding disciplining their siblings who were presenting with behavioral problems. Furthermore, the findings reveal that the social workers spend more time on foster care placement (statutory work) rather than focusing on early prevention programmes. Lastly, the youth heading households wanted more social work support, as social workers rarely visited the youth headed households to check on the progress of the placements. To overcome all these challenges, I support the recommendation made by the Department of Social Development as it recently announced an intention to create a kinship grant (Jamieson et al., 2012). This will decrease the workload of social workers so that they can attend to other therapeutic services. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

This dissertation is an exploration of the experiences and challenges faced by children who are heads of households, and are obliged to head families, which entails caring for their siblings, assuming adult roles and taking care of the general running of the households. A review of the literature revealed that research based on the experiences of children who are heads of households is a neglected field of study and there is limited information on the topic. This study aimed to explore, describe and interpret the experiences of children who are heads of households. The study attempted to highlight relevant issues that may provide guidance to different stakeholders in their efforts to deal with orphaned children, child-headed households and children who are affected by HIV and AIDS. Qualitative research processes were used in this study. Data collection took the form of face-to-face interviews, using an interview guide in making the interviews more flexible and at the same time covering all the aspects the researcher wanted to cover. Findings of the study revealed that orphaned children who are heading households experience various problems in addition to material needs. The study revealed that the main problem is poverty, lack of support structures, for example, support from family members, friends and the community at large and secondly, the unavailability and inaccessibility of service providers. The study also revealed that social discrimination experienced by orphans in child-headed households impacts negatively on their social functioning and education. Based on these findings, recommendations are made with regard to the roles of the Departments of Social Welfare, Health, Education and Home Affairs in ensuring satisfactory services to orphaned children who are heads of households. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2007.

Obligate brood parasites rely solely on other species, the hosts, to incubate their eggs and raise their offspring, which often reduces the host’s reproductive output. This reproductive cost has led to the evolution of anti-parasite adaptations among hosts, which in turn, has led to better trickery by parasites, a process termed an evolutionary arms race. The objective of this thesis was to investigate host-parasite coevolutionary arms races to address questions of host-use diversity. Host diversity varies dramatically among brood-parasitic species, but reasons for variations in host-use among brood parasites are not well understood. In Chapter 2, I address questions on host diversity specifically, whereas I address questions about coevolutionary interaction between hosts and parasites in Chapters 3, 4 and 5 using two host-parasite systems, one in New Zealand and one in North America. Chapter 2 investigates if host diversity is constrained by aggressive nest defence behaviour. I compared the nest defence behaviour of the exclusive host of the shining cuckoo Chrysococcyx lucidus lucidus on the main islands of New Zealand, the grey warbler Gerygone igata, to two other potentially suitable hosts that are not currently parasitised, the fantail Rhipidura fuliginosa and the silvereye Zosterops lateralis. The results suggest that grey warblers are as aggressive as fantails and silvereyes towards shining cuckoos at the nest and thus, host specialisation in shining cuckoos in New Zealand, at least, does not appear to be the result of nest-defence constraints imposed by potential but unused host species. Chapter 3 investigates if red-winged blackbirds Agelaius phoeniceus, a species that typically accepts the eggs of parasites, recognises, as indicated by changes in incubation behaviour, when they have been parasitised by brown-headed cowbirds Molothrus ater. Recognition without rejection suggests that rejection may be context-dependent but the results suggest that red-winged blackbirds do not recognise when their nests have been parasitised by brown-headed cowbirds, at least at the egg stage. This study was the first to investigate if hosts that almost invariably accept the eggs of parasites recognise when they have been parasitised. Chapter 4 investigated the possibility of coevolutionary arms races occurring through olfactory channels in contrast to earlier work that focussed only on visual and auditory cues. Recent research has revealed that olfactory abilities in birds are more common than previously thought. Uropygial gland secretions are posited to be a key source of avian body odour and its composition has been found to vary among species and individuals as well as between the sexes. I compared gas-chromatography (GC-FID) traces of shining cuckoo preen wax to the GC-FID traces of the grey warbler, the only host of the shining cuckoo in mainland New Zealand, as well as the preen wax of seven other species for evidence of mimicry. Preliminary results suggest there is evidence for mimicry and the potential for odour-based nestling discrimination in grey warblers. Further tests recording the response of grey warblers to odour-manipulated nestlings are necessary. Finally, in Chapter 5, I investigated the response of the song thrush Turdus philomelos, a species that rejects the eggs of the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus and conspecifics at intermediate and low frequencies, respectively, to nest-odour manipulations using the preen wax of conspecifics and heterospecifics. The results suggest song thrush do not use odour to assess the risk of parasitism at least as indicated in terms of changes in incubation behaviour. Investigations of the role of olfaction in avian brood parasite systems can provide a better understanding of brood-parasite coevolution. Only by considering all channels of communication can we be sure to completely understand the coevolutionary dynamics between brood parasites and their hosts.

Salmonella is one of the most important enteropathogenic bacteria. It is responsible for about 5000 reported cases of human gastroenteritis each year in Sweden. Salmonellosis is a zoonotic disease, and the bacterium has the ability to infect a variety of both domestic and wild animal species. In studies of Swedish wild bird populations, we found that Black-headed gull may be the main reservoir for Salmonella in birds, and that Salmonella infection is expressed as carriage with no obvious disease manifestations. Black-headed gull is a migratory bird and can transport strains of Salmonella with virulence traits like antibiotic resistance, from sources outside Sweden. Genetic molecular methods, PFGE and IS200, also demonstrate that Black-headed gull play a role in the transmission chain of Salmonella in Sweden. In a study of the Swedish Peregrine Falcon population, Salmonella amager and Campylobacter jejuni were found. There were indications, based on serotyping of Salmonella and genetical typing by PFGE of Campylobacter that these isolates were transmitsted to the falcons from a human or domestic animal source. This bird of prey has sparse contact with humans but may be infected by Salmonella of human origin by feeding on other birds, like gull. Salmonella was found in penguins, albatrosses and mainly in seals in a study in Antarctica. Several features of the Salmonella serotypes found indicate a human source for Salmonella infection in these animals, and also a spread of Salmonella within and between animal species in Antarctica. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2002</p> / digitalisering@umu