19,816 research outputs found
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Food Security Under a Changing Climate: Exploring the Integration of Resilience in Research and Practice
Climate change poses significant risks to our food systems, thus jeopardising the food security of millions of people worldwide. The concept of resilience is increasingly being proposed as a framework to find solutions to these challenges. In this chapter, we assess how resilience has been integrated in discussions about climate change and food security by both academics and practitioners. We performed a targeted review of the academic literature on climate change, food security, and resilience and found that despite a growing body of literature on the subject, the pathways through which actions translate into resilience and then into food security remain unclear. An examination of a sample of projects implemented through the Adaptation Fund revealed that many good practices with potential for resilience-building are used but also that suitable indicators and methods to monitor and evaluate resilience and its outcomes are lacking. Based on our findings, we conclude that while the concept of resilience has accompanied and may have favoured a transition towards more integrated approaches and interventions in work related to climate change and food security, further efforts are needed to identify an efficient and rational sequence of interventions to improve food security in response to climate threats
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Ensuring Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Through the Transformation of Food Systems
The Viability and Potential Consequences of IoT-Based Ransomware
With the increased threat of ransomware and the substantial growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) market, there is significant motivation for attackers to carry out IoT-based ransomware campaigns. In this thesis, the viability of such malware is tested.
As part of this work, various techniques that could be used by ransomware developers to attack commercial IoT devices were explored. First, methods that attackers could use to communicate with the victim were examined, such that a ransom note was able to be reliably sent to a victim. Next, the viability of using "bricking" as a method of ransom was evaluated, such that devices could be remotely disabled unless the victim makes a payment to the attacker. Research was then performed to ascertain whether it was possible to remotely gain persistence on IoT devices, which would improve the efficacy of existing ransomware methods, and provide opportunities for more advanced ransomware to be created. Finally, after successfully identifying a number of persistence techniques, the viability of privacy-invasion based ransomware was analysed.
For each assessed technique, proofs of concept were developed. A range of devices -- with various intended purposes, such as routers, cameras and phones -- were used to test the viability of these proofs of concept. To test communication hijacking, devices' "channels of communication" -- such as web services and embedded screens -- were identified, then hijacked to display custom ransom notes. During the analysis of bricking-based ransomware, a working proof of concept was created, which was then able to remotely brick five IoT devices. After analysing the storage design of an assortment of IoT devices, six different persistence techniques were identified, which were then successfully tested on four devices, such that malicious filesystem modifications would be retained after the device was rebooted. When researching privacy-invasion based ransomware, several methods were created to extract information from data sources that can be commonly found on IoT devices, such as nearby WiFi signals, images from cameras, or audio from microphones. These were successfully implemented in a test environment such that ransomable data could be extracted, processed, and stored for later use to blackmail the victim.
Overall, IoT-based ransomware has not only been shown to be viable but also highly damaging to both IoT devices and their users. While the use of IoT-ransomware is still very uncommon "in the wild", the techniques demonstrated within this work highlight an urgent need to improve the security of IoT devices to avoid the risk of IoT-based ransomware causing havoc in our society. Finally, during the development of these proofs of concept, a number of potential countermeasures were identified, which can be used to limit the effectiveness of the attacking techniques discovered in this PhD research
Victims' Access to Justice in Trinidad and Tobago: An exploratory study of experiences and challenges of accessing criminal justice in a post-colonial society
This thesis investigates victims' access to justice in Trinidad and Tobago, using their own narratives. It seeks to capture how their experiences affected their identities as victims and citizens, alongside their perceptions of legitimacy regarding the criminal justice system. While there have been some reforms in the administration of criminal justice in Trinidad and Tobago, such reforms have not focused on victims' accessibility to the justice system. Using grounded theory methodology, qualitative data was collected through 31 in-depth interviews with victims and victim advocates. The analysis found that victims experienced interpersonal, structural, and systemic barriers at varying levels throughout the criminal justice system, which manifested as institutionalized secondary victimization, silencing and inequality. This thesis argues that such experiences not only served to appropriate conflict but demonstrates that access is often given in a very narrow sense. Furthermore, it shows a failure to encompass access to justice as appropriated conflicts are left to stagnate in the system as there is often very little resolution. Adopting a postcolonial lens to analyse victims' experiences, the analysis identified othering practices that served to institutionalize the vulnerability and powerlessness associated with victim identities. Here, it is argued that these othering practices also affected the rights consciousness of victims, delegitimating their identities as citizens. Moreover, as a result of their experiences, victims had mixed perceptions of the justice system. It is argued that while the system is a legitimate authority victims' endorsement of the system is questionable, therefore victims' experiences suggest that there is a reinforcement of the system's legal hegemony. The findings suggest that within the legal system of Trinidad and Tobago, legacies of colonialism shape the postcolonial present as the psychology and inequalities of the past are present in the interactions and processes of justice. These findings are relevant for policymakers in Trinidad and Tobago and other regions. From this study it is recognized that, to improve access to justice for victims, there needs to be a move towards victim empowerment that promotes resilience and enhances social capital. Going forward it is noted that there is a need for further research
Integración de la gestión de seguridad cibernética a la gestión de riesgo empresarial
Con los avances tecnológicos llegan nuevas formas de criminalidad asociadas al ciberespacio, lo cual refuerza la necesidad de gestionar los riesgos cibernéticos asociados. Esta investigación buscó profundizar en aspectos que le aporten a la integración de la seguridad cibernética con la ya más establecida gestión de riesgo empresarial. Para ello, se realizó una revisión de literatura sobre gestión de seguridad cibernética, riesgos cibernéticos y gestión de riesgos empresariales; adicionalmente, se utilizó el análisis de casos, cuya muestra abarcó cuatro compañÃas de un grupo empresarial con presencia en Latinoamérica, perteneciente al Sector Financiero. Se observó que la integración de estas gestiones depende, en gran medida, del apoyo por parte de la Alta Dirección para la habilitación de estrategias y recursos, del conocimiento que las empresas absorben del entorno para adoptar buenas prácticas metodológicas y operativas, y del comportamiento que las personas tienen frente a las amenazas y los riesgos. Se concluyó que para tener una adecuada integración entre la gestión de la seguridad cibernética y la gestión de los riesgos empresariales se requiere de iniciativas que sean habilitadas desde la más alta dirección de la organización y que sean implementadas en todos los niveles, abarcando temas como cultura, conocimiento, metodologÃas, herramientas, roles y responsabilidades.With technological advances come new forms of crime associated with cyberspace, which increases the need to manage the associated cyber risks. This research pursued to delve into aspects that contribute to the integration of cybersecurity with the already well-established business risk management. To do this, a literature review about Cybersecurity Management, Cyber Risks and Business Risk Management was carried out; additionally, the case analysis method was used, with a sample composed by four companies from Financial Sector, with presence in Latin-America. It was observed that the integration largely depends on the support from senior management profiles for enabling strategies and resources; additionally, on the knowledge that companies absorb from the environment to implement good methodological and operational practices; and from behavior of people against threats and risks. It was concluded to have a proper integration between Cybersecurity Management and Business Risk Management, initiatives supported from the highest management profiles of the organization are required, which need to be implemented at all levels, including topics such as culture, knowledge, methodologies, tools, roles and responsibilities
Strategies for Early Learners
Welcome to learning about how to effectively plan curriculum for young children. This textbook will address: • Developing curriculum through the planning cycle • Theories that inform what we know about how children learn and the best ways for teachers to support learning • The three components of developmentally appropriate practice • Importance and value of play and intentional teaching • Different models of curriculum • Process of lesson planning (documenting planned experiences for children) • Physical, temporal, and social environments that set the stage for children’s learning • Appropriate guidance techniques to support children’s behaviors as the self-regulation abilities mature. • Planning for preschool-aged children in specific domains including o Physical development o Language and literacy o Math o Science o Creative (the visual and performing arts) o Diversity (social science and history) o Health and safety • Making children’s learning visible through documentation and assessmenthttps://scholar.utc.edu/open-textbooks/1001/thumbnail.jp
Bundling Weather Index Insurance with Microfinance: Trekking the Long Road between Expectations and Reality. A Study on Sub-Saharan Africa
Food production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is exposed to climatic variations and weather-related shocks which affect agricultural output beyond the manageable limits of smallholder farmers. To manage food production uncertainties, weather index insurance (WII) pilot projects have been launched across SSA since the early 2000s. Due to low adoption rates among smallholder farmers, insurance providers have partnered with risk aggregators such as microfinance institutions to foster the demand for and uptake of WII. Despite this, demand for WWI remains low. This chapter seeks to explore the gap between the assertion, that WII is a promising risk transfer mechanism for smallholder farmers in SSA and the realisation that, even where microfinance is made available, subscription rates among smallholder farmers rarely rise. The practice of linking insurance with credit is considered to be important because, in principle, when smallholder farmers have access to insurance, they pose less risk to creditors. In this sense, insurance can crowd-in credit, the lack of which has long been identified as a major, if not the main, constraint for smallholders in developing countries
The Professional Identity of Doctors who Provide Abortions: A Sociological Investigation
Abortion is a medicalised problem in England and Wales, where the law places doctors at the centre of legal provision and puts doctors in control of who has an abortion. However, the sex-selection abortion scandal of 2012 presented a very real threat to 'abortion doctors', when the medical profession's values and practices were questioned in the media, society and by Members of Parliament. Doctors found themselves at the centre of a series of claims that stated doctors were acting both illegally and unethically, driven by profit rather than patient needs. Yet, the perspectives of those doctors who provide abortions has been under-researched; this thesis aims to fill that gap by examining the beliefs and values of this group of doctors. Early chapters highlight the ambiguous position of the abortion provider in Britain, where doctors are seen as a collective group of professionals motivated by medical dominance and medical autonomy. They outline how this position is then questioned and contested, with doctors being presented as unethical. By studying abortion at the macro-, meso- and micro-levels, this thesis seeks to better understand the values of the 'abortion doctor', and how these levels shape the work and experiences of abortion providers in England and Wales. This thesis thus addresses the question: 'What do abortion doctors' accounts of their professional work suggest about the contemporary dynamics of the medicalisation of abortion in Britain?'. It investigates the research question using a qualitative methodological approach: face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with 47 doctors who provide abortions in England and Wales. The findings from this empirical study show how doctors' values are linked to how they view the 'normalisation of abortion'. At the macro-level doctors, openly resisted the medicalisation of abortion through the position ascribed to them by the legal framework, yet at the meso-level doctors construct an identity where normalising abortion is based on further medicalising services. Finally, at the micro-level, the ambiguous position of the abortion provider is further identified in terms of being both a proud provider and a stigmatised individual. This thesis shows that while the existing medicalisation literature has some utility, it has limited explanatory power when investigating the problem of abortion. The thesis thus provides some innovative insights into the relevance and value of medicalisation through a comprehensive study on doctors' values, beliefs and practices
Towards a more just refuge regime: quotas, markets and a fair share
The international refugee regime is beset by two problems: Responsibility for refuge falls
disproportionately on a few states and many owed refuge do not get it. In this work, I explore
remedies to these problems. One is a quota distribution wherein states are distributed
responsibilities via allotment. Another is a marketized quota system wherein states are free to buy
and sell their allotments with others. I explore these in three parts. In Part 1, I develop the prime
principles upon which a just regime is built and with which alternatives can be adjudicated. The
first and most important principle – ‘Justice for Refugees’ – stipulates that a just regime provides
refuge for all who have a basic interest in it. The second principle – ‘Justice for States’ – stipulates
that a just distribution of refuge responsibilities among states is one that is capacity considerate. In
Part 2, I take up several vexing questions regarding the distribution of refuge responsibilities
among states in a collective effort. First, what is a state’s ‘fair share’? The answer requires the
determination of some logic – some metric – with which a distribution is determined. I argue that
one popular method in the political theory literature – a GDP-based distribution – is normatively
unsatisfactory. In its place, I posit several alternative metrics that are more attuned with the
principles of justice but absent in the political theory literature: GDP adjusted for Purchasing
Power Parity and the Human Development Index. I offer an exploration of both these. Second,
are states required to ‘take up the slack’ left by defaulting peers? Here, I argue that duties of help
remain intact in cases of partial compliance among states in the refuge regime, but that political
concerns may require that such duties be applied with caution. I submit that a market instrument
offers one practical solution to this problem, as well as other advantages. In Part 3, I take aim at
marketization and grapple with its many pitfalls: That marketization is commodifying, that it is
corrupting, and that it offers little advantage in providing quality protection for refugees. In
addition to these, I apply a framework of moral markets developed by Debra Satz. I argue that a
refuge market may satisfy Justice Among States, but that it is violative of the refugees’ welfare
interest in remaining free of degrading and discriminatory treatment
The potential of shade trees to improve microclimate in coffee production systems and contribute to the protection of coffee yield and quality in a changing climate
Climate change is a major challenge to which global coffee production must adapt.
With Coffea arabica being especially sensitive to rising temperatures, shade trees
present a promising adaptation strategy, as there is some evidence that they can
modify microclimate. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, combining biophysical
and sociological research, this study investigated the effect of shade on coffee
production on the southern slope of Mt. Kilimanjaro with the aim of finding suitable
strategies to optimise coffee production systems and ensure optimal yield and quality,
thus assuring farmers’ livelihoods into the future, in the face of climate change.
Precipitation records from coffee plantations were analysed for changes in weather
patterns in the last two decades. The influence of shade on microclimate, leaf
temperature, coffee yield and physical quality aspects was assessed in coffee
plantations and smallholder systems. Additionally, focus group discussions and
interviews with small-scale farmers were conducted to explore farmers’ knowledge on
the impacts of weather extremes on coffee production and the ecosystem services
different tree species provide. This research shows that climate change at
Mt. Kilimanjaro manifests as droughts and shorter wet seasons with less frequent but
heavier rainfall events, challenges to which coffee farmers will have to adapt. Shade
trees show potential in adaptation of coffee production systems to climate change, as
they reduce maximum air temperatures and can reduce leaf temperature extremes
during hot periods, without having negative effects on nocturnal temperatures, which
are beneficial for coffee production. In coffee plantations, no effect of shade on yields
was observed while a slight reduction was observed for smallholder systems. Coffee
quality benefits from shade, as different shade components are associated with an
increase in bean size and weight. Farmers identified Albizia schimperiana as an
important tree species, providing regulatory ecosystem services to improve coffee
production. Recommendations need to take farmers’ priorities into account, including
their willingness to trade some reduction in coffee production for other services, such
as food, fodder or firewood, which were identified as the most important ecosystem
services for farmers at Mt. Kilimanjaro
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