Detta arbete syftar till att undersöka hur blå-grön infrastruktur kan användas som en metod för översvämningsskydd vid hamnomvandlingar av industriområden som en del i att öka städers resilience. Forskningsdesignen som används är en fallstudie av fenomenen blå-grön infrastruktur och urban flooding. Arbetets teoretiska ramverk utgörs av non-equilibrium-paradigmets syn på begreppet resilience. Resilience definieras här som ett system som påverkas av externa och interna processer samtidigt som det har en förmåga till kontinuerlig anpassning samt en fortlöpande funktionalitet. Av arbetets analys framkommer att vid implementering av blå-grön infrastruktur är helheten större än summan av delarna. Det är därför centralt att alla delar av det blå-gröna infrastruktursystemet fyller en funktion i sig själva så väl som i förhållande till varandra. Detta är den viktigaste aspekten som måste uppfyllas om blå-grön infrastruktur ska kunna möta de krav som urban flooding och havsnära exploatering ställer. / This studie aim to investegate how blue-green infrastructure can be used as a method for urban flood-prevention in redevelopments of former harbors as a part of increasing the resilience capacity of urban areas. The method is a case study of the fenomenon blu-green infrastructure and urban flooding. The studies theoretical framework is the non-equilibrium paradigm view of resilience. In this studie resilience is viewed as a system that is influenced by internal and external processes as well as retaining the capacity of constant adaptation and functionality.  As a result of the studies analysis it is shown that when implementing blue-green infrastructure the idea of that the whole is bigger than total of the parts is vital. The system that aims to cope with urban flooding has to be functional as a cohesive system as well as in the separate parts. This is the most important idea if blu-green infrastructure is to be useful in coping with the consequences of urban flooding as well as ensuring a more resilient future.

<p>The goal of this dissertation is two-fold: 1) to identify novel biological pathways implicating individual differences in reward and threat processing in the emergence of risk and resilience for psychopathology, 2) to identify novel genetic and epigenetic predictors of the inter-individual variability in these biological pathways. Four specific studies are reported wherein blood oxygen-level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) was used to measure individual differences in threat-related amygdala reactivity and reward-related ventral striatum (VS) reactivity; self-report was used to measure of mood and psychopathology as well as the experience of stressful life events. In addition, DNA was derived from peripheral tissues to identify specific genetic and epigenetic markers.</p><p>Results from Study 1 demonstrate that individuals with relatively low reward-related VS reactivity show stress-related reductions in positive affect, while those with high VS reactivity remain resilient to these potentially depressogenic effects. Heightened VS reactivity was, however, associated with stress-related increases in problem drinking in Study 2. Importantly, this effect only occurred in individuals showing concomitantly reduced threat-related amygdala reactivity. Study 3 demonstrates that using a multilocus genetic profile capturing the cumulative impact of five functional polymorphic loci on dopamine signaling increases power to explain variability in reward-related VS reactivity relative to an approach considering each locus independently. Finally, Study 4 provides evidence that methylation in the proximal promoter of the serotonin transporter gene is negatively correlated with gene expression and positively correlated with threat-related amygdala reactivity above and beyond the effects of commonly studied functional DNA-sequence based variation in the same genomic vicinity.</p><p>The results from these studies implicate novel biological pathways, namely reward-related VS reactivity and threat-related amygdala reactivity, as predictors of relative risk or resilience for psychopathology particularly in response to stressful life events. Moreover, the results suggest that genetic and epigenetic markers may serve as easily accessible peripheral tissue proxies for these neural phenotypes and, ultimately, risk and resilience. Such markers may eventually be harnessed to identify vulnerable individuals and facilitate targeted early intervention or prevention efforts.</p> / Dissertation

Rural communities that depend on tourism for their economic well being, such as Barra de Valizas, Uruguay, rely on their social and ecological integrity to attract tourists to their communities. Peak tourist seasons and associated augmented consumption patterns can saturate the solid waste systems of these tourist destinations. Peak periods of waste production in these communities can lead to the degradation of ecological and social integrity, and can pose the threat of reduced tourist visitation rates and consequent downturns in the local economy. The degradation and worries for the local economy can generate awareness about the implications of increased waste production and can thus be a driver to develop waste reduction and diversion strategies. As part of developing this thesis, I implemented a case study of the waste management system in Barra de Valizas, Uruguay. The condition of interest in this study is communities that are economically dependent on tourism, have a small permanent resident population, experience peak periods of tourist visitation, and have difficulty managing their fluctuating waste system. This case study, founded in Participatory Action Research, identified waste system components and processes and determined some feasible improvements by way of iterative processes of research and action. Seven semi-structured interviews, 54 household structured interviews, four focus groups and community mapping were applied with diverse stakeholders to collaboratively develop and implement waste system improvement strategies. The implementation of these strategies elucidated upon waste system components, processes, linkages and general state. This research demonstrated that permanent residents of Barra de Valizas consume more packaged goods during the tourist season and as such produce, on average, four times more waste during the peak tourist season as compared to the off season. Peak periods of waste production, associated with the peak tourist visitation period, were found to saturate the local waste management system and weaken local social and ecological integrity. Research participants highlighted awareness building, improved waste containment, and waste diversion as key strategies for reducing this saturation. / Graduate / 0366 / rhianna@uvic.ca

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The present study focuses on the salutogenic properties of families and attempted to identify factors that promote resilience in post-divorce families. McCubbin and Patterson's (1983) double ABCX model explains how families adapt to crises (divorce), and takes into account other life events that also impact on the family's resources. A cross-sectional research design was chosen to identify factors related to family resilience. The 98 participating families were identified on the grounds of the nature of the crisis and the developmental phase of the family. Self-report questionnaires were completed by the parent and a child acting as representatives of the family. These questionnaires consisted of a biographical questionnaire, the Relative and Friend Support Index, the Social Support Index, Family Crises Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, Family Sense of Coherence Scale, and the Family Hardiness Index. Intra-family support, support of the extended family, support of friends, religion, open communication amongst family members, and work- and financial security were identified as factors promoting resilience in these post-divorce families. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie fokus op salutogenetiese eienskappe van gesinne en poog am faktore wat verband hou met veerkragtigheid in enkelouergesinne te identifiseer. McCubbin en Patterson (1983) se dubbele ABCX-model verduidelik gesinne se aanpassing na 'n krisis (egskeiding) en neem oak ander lewensgebeure in ag wat terselfdertyd op die gesin se hulpbranne begin staatmaak. 'n Dwarssnit navorsingsontwerp is gebruik am faktore te identifiseer en te beskryf wat met gesinsveerkragtigheid verband hou. Die 98 gesinne wat aan hierdie ondersoek deelgeneem het, is ge"ldentifiseer op grand van die aard van die krisis en ontwikkelingstadium van die gesinne. Selfrapporteringsvraelyste is deur die ouer en In kind, as verteenwoordigers van die gesin, voltooi. Die vraelyste het bestaan uit 'n biografiese vraelys (wat oak 'n oopend vraag ingesluit het), Relative and Friend Support Index, Social Support Index; Family Crises Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, Family Sense of Coherence Scale, en die Family Hardiness Index. Intra- gesinsondersteuning, ondersteuning deur die uitgebreide familie, ondersteuning van vriende, geloof, oop kommunikasie onder gesinslede, positiewe gesindheid rakend hulle toekoms, en finansiele- en werksekuritiet, is ge"ldentifiseer as faktore wat bydra tot veerkragtigheid in enkelouergesinne.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The death of a parent calls on the family to utilize all its resources in order to adapt successfully and maintain normal family functioning. Within the mental health field a paradigm-shift from pathology-based to health-oriented is underway. Integral to this health-oriented paradigm is resilience, the ability to rebound after being stressed or challenged, as well as being able to rise above adversity and to survive stress. Family resilience theory emphasizes the role that family characteristics, behaviour patterns and capabilities play in cushioning the impact of stressful life events and in assisting the family in recovering from crises (McCubbin, Thompson, & McCubbin, 1996). Using a crosssectional survey research design, the present study aimed to explore and explicate those resiliency factors which enable families to adjust and adapt successfully after the loss of a parent. Families in which the death of a parent took place 1 to 3 years ago, and in which the eldest child was between 12 and 19 years old were approached to take part in this study. Thirty nine families completed questionnaires, as well as an open-ended question in which they were asked to report the most important factors or strengths which they felt helped their family through the stressful period. Results indicate that intrafamilial support such as emotional and practical support amongst family members, and family hardiness characteristics such as the internal strengths and durability of the family unit, contribute to resilience within the family. Individual characteristics, such as positive personality characteristics like optimism, are as important. Support from extended family and friends, as well as support obtained from religious and spiritual beliefs and activities, were reported as facilitating successful adjustment to the loss. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die dood van 'n ouer vereis dat 'n gesin alle bronne moet benut ten einde suksesvolle aanpassing en gewone gesinsfunksionering te handhaaf. Binne die geestesgesondheidsveld is daar 'n paradigma-verskuiwing vanaf patologie-gebaseerd na gesondheidsgeoriënteerd. Integraal tot hierdie gesondheidsgeoriënteerde paradigma is veerkragtigheid, die vermoë om terug te bons, uit te styg, en te oorleef nadat teëspoed ervaar is. Gesinsveerkragtigheidsteorieë beklemtoon die rol wat gesinseienskappe, gedragspatrone en bekwaamhede speel met betrekking tot die versagting van die impak van stresvolle lewenservaringe, asook die gesin se herstel na die krisis (McCubbin, Thompson, & McCubbin, 1996). 'n Dwarssnit opname-navorsingsontwerp is gebruik om die veerkragtigheidsfaktore te identifiseer en te beskryf wat gesinne help om suksesvol na die dood van 'n ouer aan te pas. Gesinne waar 'n ouer tussen een en drie jaar vantevore gesterf het, en die oudste kind tussen 12 en 19 jaar oud is, is genader vir deelname aan hierdie ondersoek. Nege-en-dertig gesinne het vraelyste sowel as 'n oop-end vraag voltooi waarin hulle gevra is om die belangrikste faktore te beskryf wat hul gesin deur die stresvolle periode gehelp het. Resultate dui daarop dat intragesinsondersteuning soos emosionele en praktiese ondersteuning, en gesinsgehardheid met kenmerke van interne sterkte en die volhoubaarheid van die gesin as eenheid, bygedra het tot gesinsveerkragtigheid. Individuele eienskappe soos optimisme het net so 'n essensiële rol gespeel. Ondersteuning van familie en vriende, asook ondersteuning as gevolg van godsdienstige en spirituele oortuigings en aktiwiteite, was fasiliterend in die suksesvolle aanpassing na die dood van 'n ouer.

Children's thinking has been described by Piaget and others in general terms, which suggest that there are major developmental changes that affect children's thinking at various stages of their development. Some criticisms of Piaget's theory have related to his approach to describing children's thinking as a context free phenomenon. In relation to this point, arguments have been put forward for the need to investigate the development of children's thinking, within particular content areas, and the investigations reported in this thesis have concentrated on the development of religious thinking of children aged from ~6 to 11 years. A review of previous investigations into this area of children's thought development reveals major shortcomings, both in the experimental approaches used and in the theories that have been constructed. In particular it is argued that there has been a tendency for investigators to propose stage development theories on the basis of inadequate results. It is argued that there is a need for investigations which approach this problem from new directions. As a first step, a series of investigations, which employ a variety of approaches and which investigate various cognitive and semantic factors that may influence the development of religious thinking in children, are presented. The investigations that are reported involved individual interviews with 440 children, in the age range from 6 to 11 years. A variety of experimental techniques were employed, including those investigating the children's understanding of various biblical parables, their understanding of the meaning of words used in religious discourse, their conception of historical time and ability to sequentially order events in time, and the way that these factors affected their understanding of religious ideas. The results of the investigations are discussed in terms of the variety of aspects, which they reveal, relating to the development of religious thinking in children. It is argued that this evidence does not support the idea of the development of religious thinking being a unidimensional stage related process; however, the evidence collected from these studies is insufficient to form the basis of an alternative model. It is argued that future studies that follow this approach will be necessary if a satisfactory theory is to be constructed. The educational implications of these findings are discussed and it is argued that certain curriculum changes in the area of religious education may have been made on the basis of insufficient evidence and inadequate theories.

Using a large sample from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, the current study examined the processes through which children's agentic processes promoted their resilience in the face of mothers' depressive symptoms at first grade. Children's resilience in the presence of mothers' depressive symptoms was demonstrated to be homogeneous across domains of academic performance, social competence, internalizing behavior, and externalizing behavior. Children's effortful control, self-assertion, and mastery motivation predicted their resilience in these domains to a varying degree. The agentic processes mediated the relation of different patterns of individual (i.e., child intelligence, temperament), relational (i.e., attachment security), and environmental (i.e., maternal sensitivity, childcare quality) factors to children's resilience across domains. Interrelations among child individual, relational, and environmental characteristics were also observed. Moreover, findings from two analytic approaches converged in terms of underscoring the importance of the agentic system in promoting child resilience in the face of mothers' depressive symptoms. Children's agentic processes promoted their resilience via additive main effects rather than interactive effects. / text

The impetus for this study grew from observations in clinical practice that many individuals survived all sorts of hardships with minimal distress, or with the ability to tolerate their distress, and move on with their lives in a positive manner. A review of the literature led to the conclusions that the research investigating resilience was making minimal inroads into understanding what made these people different, and that the richness of who they were was being lost in the scientific process. This dissatisfaction led to the decision to explore the construct from a phenomenological framework, and to try and discover the essential elements of resilience through analysis of the subjective experience of resilience. A qualitative study involving thirteen participants identified by their peers as resilient was undertaken and the underlying themes of their stories were analysed. This led to the development of a model of resilience that attempted to balance the need for parsimony with that of explanatory breadth, and which had the potential to tolerate the complexity and instability of the construct itself. The model developed identified three core elements that embraced the construct of resilience. These included the physiological capacity to be resilient, and from this basis the ability to be adaptive and the ability to maintain well-being emerge. Factors identified with these elements include individual reactivity to and recovery from adverse events, the ability to be effective and efficient in the management of adverse events, and the beliefs about the world and the self that promote well-being when exposed to adverse events. The model has a basis within neurobiology and is framed within the context of Dynamic Systems Theory. The theory itself is a culmination of clinical observations with what is known from within the current literature and the results of this study.

Ecological change very often parallels social change. The concept of the social-ecological system (SES) provides a holistic means of accounting for the dualistic nature of human-environmental interactions by acknowledging that social, political and economic factors influence and are in turn influenced by the processes of ecological change. These transformations can be contextualized within nested adaptive cycles of change that respond to pre-existing conditions and which provide new opportunities for system actors. The adaptive cycle also grants that processes of social and ecological change may be permanent, irreversible and result in new configurations not previously imaginable. The ability for an SES to respond to these processes of change depends upon its resilience which defines the range of reversible change within a stable state. Resilience is determined by a system's vulnerability, by the pre-existing or available capital.Within this dissertation, I assert that resilience is an important factor to consider in studying arid land political ecology. Resilience can be influenced by both institutional and environmental factors. I assert here that institutional factors alone cannot explain the pace of change in a particular political ecology. While institutions constitute the dominant signals with regards to economic decision making, environmental signals may be ultimately more significant. I utilize a detailed case study focused upon a watershed and ejido in northwestern Mexico. This case study demonstrates the influence of strong political and economic signals that influence local economics. Nature bats last and can exert powerful forces over institutional choices. Using this case study, I demonstrate how a dramatic shift in climatic as well as hydrologic regimes leads ultimately to a general degradation of agropastoral ecological resources and their replacement with new, stable but less desirable states. Land-use has subsequently changed. The latter set of ecological changes has become a sort of death of a thousand cuts that has reduced the community's ability to tap local natural capital and thereby generate economic capital. This study is intends to contribute to our knowledge of political ecology by evaluating the concepts of ecological resilience, multiple stable states, and adaptive cycles to the study of these social-ecological systems.

LA-UR-09-02500A wide range of theories - resilience theory and the study of complex adaptive systems, for example - are advancing our understanding of anthropological systems. Recently, anthropologists have applied the panarchy framework to study socionatural systems. This framework allows researchers to assess growth, conservation, release, and reorganization in this nested-cycle model that operates simultaneously at multiple spatio-temporal scales. The long time-depth of the archaeological record is a critical factor in our ability to investigate human behavior within the panarchy's set of nested adaptive cycles.Archaeological investigation in the US Southwest has focused on processes of aggregation and culture change due to varying environmental and social conditions; the Pajarito Plateau, NM, has been the subject of archaeological research since the late 1800s. The Los Alamos National Laboratory portion of the Plateau has been thoroughly surveyed for cultural resources, but has received less attention by scholars than surrounding areas, including Bandelier National Monument. I use the panarchy framework to build a model of Puebloan settlement, land use, demography, and adaptation to assess the utility of the panarchy model for anthropological systems and fill a void in archaeologists' understanding of the Puebloan Southwest.I analyze patterns of residential and agricultural land use during the Rio Grande Coalition and Classic periods (A.D. 1150-1600) for the Pajarito Plateau. I conclude that there is no major change in the use of various landscape ranges between these periods. I reconstruct regional Puebloan momentary population and investigate recent evidence that supports a San Juan Basin source of the dramatic population increase during the Late Coalition. I also investigate aggregation into large plaza pueblos, the development of craft specialization, agricultural intensification, architectural change, and increased participation in the wider Rio Grande marketplace economy as responses of households, clans, villages, and the entire Pajarito population to the highly fluctuating climate of the local landscape. I address these results within the panarchy framework. Further, I argue that the Pajarito Plateau system continued after the population dispersed into the Rio Grande Valley below, to be closer to reliable sources of water and the growing Rio Grande economy.