Statistics show that chronic heat exposure and extreme heat waves are the leading cause of death amongst natural disasters in urban spaces across the United States, outpacing the likes of more notable phenomena such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes. Heat in urban spaces is not distributed equally due to the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon which significantly elevates temperatures due to the various absorption characteristics of built environment features. Historical discriminatory mortgage lending schemes and planning practices that targeted communities of color have intensified that issue, endangering the health and well-being of marginalized neighborhoods to this day. Although generating feasible design solutions to mitigate the impact of heat in urban spaces represents a substantial challenge, utilizing readily available data sources to garner the social and political support required for actionable change is likely the more complex issue. Because youth are typically less jaded by external social and political influences and will either enjoy the benefits or suffer the consequences related to the built environment for their entire adult life, they possess a unique potential to serve as a vehicle for generating community momentum for the implementation of heat resilience solutions. This thesis explores the spatial distribution of heat throughout neighborhoods in Roanoke, Virginia by exploring both land surface temperature and air temperature discrepancies by Home Owners' Loan Corporation (HOLC) classification and census tract. I find that HOLC polygons not labeled "A" possess a considerably higher average temperature than the most "desirable" classification, and that there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between mean land surface temperature (aggregation of Landsat raster files) and census tract socio demographic characteristics such as median household income and percentage of residents aged 65 and over. This thesis also examines the potential of youth-focused science education programs to catalyze the political will necessary to enact resilience planning efforts that no single governmental agency is responsible for. I analyzed the various impacts that artifacts produced by a 2021 science education program conducted with Roanoke City middle school students inflicted on a 2022 focus group comprised of influential Roanoke public officials. I show the reasoning which supports that four primary opportunity and challenge categories – Breaking Down Silos, Spreading Awareness, Places and Venues, and Resources and Funding – can serve as foundational discussion components for heat resilience planning panels in the future. This thesis advances the awareness of disproportionate exposure to heat in urban spaces and contributes to theories attempting to trigger heat resilience planning efforts. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning / Extreme heat presents a deadly threat to people, particularly those who live in cities. Heat is not distributed evenly throughout urban areas, with some places being hotter than others. Climate change is a force which will make that problem worse. As a result, it is important for planners and other leaders to implement strategies to solve that issue. Engaging youth in the planning process is one way to speed that process up. This thesis explores whether neighborhoods in Roanoke, Virginia experience different levels of heat stress. I find that areas which have historically been deemed by the government to be "most desirable" are typically cooler than others. This research also examines the ability of youth education programs to compel relevant decision makers to act on an issue. Through an analysis of a focus group discussion, I show that the experiences and ideas of Roanoke City middle school students encouraged Roanoke City public officials to respond to their concerns. Four major themes related to heat resilience opportunity and challenge areas emerged – Breaking Down Silos, Spreading Awareness, Places and Venues, and Resources and Funding.

Yes / The resilience of systems derives from many inputs, relating both to design and to operational planning. In the latter context the role and effective functioning of the ‘blue light’ emergency services is often critical. The judgements and decisions that have to be made are complex and time-constrained, often undertaken before all the critical information that might be wanted is available. Recent developments in decision research, notably the on-going dual process debate, suggest that the process of decision making adopted is often more complex than had previously been appreciated and strongly linked to both context and individual factors, notably expertise. In the light of such developments, this paper presents an empirical study of emergency responders working in realistic, non-laboratory conditions. It argues that recent moves to recognise the need to support, through the way in which information is provided, more intuitive as well as analytic modes of thinking in decision support are timely and that an important research agenda exists linking decision support design with a fuller understanding of exactly how individuals make their decisions in emergency conditions. / This research was funded by ESRC and 1Spatial, a Cambridge-based software company specialising in high volume, business critical data.

Yes / The literature on the imperativeness of government support for firm survival since the onset of COVID-19 is vast, but scholars have scarcely considered the impact of such assistance on managers' time, nor the extent to which support measures induce resilience and export activity. Accordingly, this study assesses the impact of government support on (1) bureaucracy and (2) resilience using data from 535 Moroccan SMEs. It further evaluates the influence of resilience on direct versus indirect exports, and espouses the institutional voids, resource-based and strategy-creation view to explain the associations through a contingency lens. The results demonstrate that (1) government support increases bureaucracy which, (2) surprisingly triggers and enhances resilience. Furthermore, (3) resilience has a positive impact on direct exports but (4) adversely affects indirect exports. Theoretically, the findings acquiesce extant calls for measurement specificity in export performance. Practically, stakeholders' attention is drawn to the value of managers' time well spent.

Yes / The purpose of this research is to establish the necessary and sufficient conditions for food safety and security during pandemic outbreaks, focusing on the case of COVID-19 to ensure resilience of the food supply chain. The study emphasises on the complexity theory of fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), to establish a result-driven definition of Industry 5.0 (I5.0) during and post pandemics. The results of this study revealed that a combination of conditions derived from pandemic policy related reforms and I5.0 enablers will assist manufacturers and suppliers in establishing food safety and security during and post the COVID-19 era in a developing economy. Food safety and security being the goal, based on a survey of 140 food companies, this study provides insights to manufacturers and policymakers to enable selective implementation of I5.0 enabling technologies and pandemic policies.

Yes / Purpose: The aim of this research is to evaluate if the Complex Adaptive Systems theory can be used to explain resilience strategies within the pharmaceutical supply chain Research Approach: An in depth review of literature surrounding resilience in the pharmaceutical supply chain. In order to pursue this study agenda, data was collected from Scopus, the largest peer review journal as well as EBSCOhost. The PRISMA guideline was adopted in the systematic review process where 34 peer reviewed papers in the field of CAS, supply chain and supply chain resilience were identified with respect to methodologies employed, location of the study and approaches. Findings and Originality: The systematic review of literature shows that there are inherent similarities between the concept of resilience and the CAS theory. The CAS theory explains that PSC’s are dynamic, have emergent behaviours complex, adaptive, interconnected as well as possess schemas that regulate their operations. Hence if resilience strategies are to be employed to mitigate disruptive events they need to be harnessed in a manner to fit this particular supply chain. This work is innovative as it provides a new insight into the contemporary discourse on resilience strategy creation and deployment, examining the use of this theory in the PSC, and thus provides original contribution. Research Impact: This study contributes to the existing literature base, by providing theoretical underpinnings in the area of resilience and the pharmaceutical supply chain. This furthers the CAS agenda, SCR agenda and also presents an innovative output which warrants more detailed analysis and feasibility testing. Practical Impact: Complexity principles are multi-scaled and multi-domain and as such the suggestions put forward in this theoretical framework can be adopted in various supply chain networks as well as disruptive events. It provides new insights with regards to structures for managers seeking to design and improve resilience supply chains, a key element of which is the adoption of a holistic analysis by SC managers when developing resilience strategies. This is critical if disruptions are to be identified and mitigated before their impact is felt.

The refugee and newcomer population faces many challenges as they arrive in their host country. Many individuals experience varying degrees of trauma in their country of origin. Trauma can lead to poor mental health outcomes and poor adjustment in host countries. Refugee children in particular may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety as a result of traumatic experiences. Children can be resilient when given opportunities to create relationships and gain confidence. These opportunities can be fostered through various avenues, one of which is the school environment. Refugee students can benefit from various supports provided to them in the school environment. One support that has created positive effects for children is peer mentoring. Peer mentoring programs have benefited students through improved self-efficacy, better adjustment to a new culture, and stronger connections with peers. However, more research on effective educational supports is needed. This study evaluated both mentors and mentees ratings of resiliency as a result of their participation in an 8-week mentoring program. Results indicated that the mentees scores increased significantly while mentors' scores did not. The results, limitations, and implications are further discussed in the document.

The Wallflower Prototype is based on my novel, “Wallflower.” “Wallflower” follows the story of daring trauma survivor, Robyn. She uncovers a dark truth - demons and she-devils look just like her. Armed with her newfound strength and courage, she takes it upon herself to face the darkness and prove that true power comes from within. This novel stemmed from a thought experiment. I pondered a thought-provoking scenario: What if in a society, people's choices were believed to be influenced by malevolent demons, and the terrible atrocities committed by humanity were the work of these dark forces?

In Jackson, Mississippi, basic needs like access to food and water are critical issues. This research reveals efforts and actors working to improve food access within Jackson’s foodscape. This study uses interview and mapping methodologies, which unearth the challenges and opportunities for food efforts in Jackson. Current food work is analyzed through a cultural lens – How is the work influenced by the unique conditions and aspects of Jackson? – and a temporal lens – How does time impact access? What are historic changes and future visions for Jackson? These investigations contribute to opportunities for developing sustainable food systems, determining spatial, infrastructural, and temporal inaccessibility, increasing understanding of opportunities and challenges for food security, and adding to existing literature on the foodscape. By documenting food security organizations, the built environment, and social dynamics in the current context, this research emphasizes how landscape architecture can contribute to building a more equitable, sustainable food future.

In recent years, rare catastrophic disasters have triggered pharmaceutical supply chain disruptions, resulting in product shortages and other problems that have negatively impacted healthcare delivery. Since the health sector is part of many nations’ critical infrastructure, ensuring minimal disruption in the supporting supply chains is an essential aspect of national security. While traditional risk management approaches have proven adequate for handling independent routine operational risks, these methods are inadequate for infrequent disruptive risks that propagate further risks, producing a domino effect in complex systems. Since today’s pharmaceutical supply chains have many characteristics of complex systems, elucidating the disruptive risks and required resilience capabilities, through knowledge gained from actual disasters, can be valuable in developing mitigation strategies. This research aims to investigate two catastrophic disasters that disrupted pharmaceutical supply chains in recent years. The first case explores the impact of a localized Category IV hurricane that hit Puerto Rico and disrupted the supply chain for saline, an essential product used in the treatment of many illnesses. The risk events that propagated from the disaster are identified and modeled using a Bayesian network to determine where resilience should be strengthened. In accordance with ISO 31000 risk management guidelines, Bayesian networks have been identified as appropriate tools for modeling complex system risks. The second case employs a qualitative research study on the vaccine supply chain supporting mass immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic. A content analysis is conducted to extract the insights of over 100 professionals on disruptors and resilience capability requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain. The results indicate that a large and diverse set of risk factors and resilience capabilities are pertinent to pharmaceutical supply chains during localized severe weather and global pandemic disasters. Furthermore, to mitigate the impacts of severe weather risk in the case of Puerto Rico, the predominant type of resilience required is absorptive capacity, while in the case of the mass immunization vaccine supply chain, adaptive capacity is key. These findings should be useful to national leaders, pharmaceutical supply chain and healthcare sourcing managers, disaster preparedness officers, and others charged with pharmaceutical supply chain resilience.

This study investigated the efficacy of culturally adapted bibliotherapy in promoting resilience among American Samoan children aged 5-13 years in response to high adolescent suicide rates in the Pacific Islands and the need for culturally adapted and supportive interventions grounded in mental health wellness. Bibliotherapy, particularly the identification with story characters, has been recognized for bolstering mental wellness, resilience, and emotional regulation in children. In this research, the children's response to bibliotherapy was measured through card sorting and forced-choice exercises, assessing their engagement with literature mirroring their experiences. The materials were developed in collaboration with Samoan cultural brokers on island to ensure cultural relevance, focusing on emotions commonly faced by children, such as sadness, anger, and fear, within the context of school bullying and the grief of losing a loved one. Findings suggest that the adapted stories significantly aided the children in relating to the characters and their challenges, demonstrating that culturally sensitive bibliotherapy may be a promising approach for reinforcing resilience in Pacific Islander communities. The study concludes with a discussion on the practical applications of these findings.