Heterogeneous Perspectives of Urban Resilience - Dealing with Flood and Heat Events in European Cities

Numerous threats, stresses and shocks occurring from both natural hazards and human-made events are not only put on our ecosystems but further concern our urban and regional systems. Global warming has reached European cities and city-regions with its alarming impacts such as enduring heat waves and heavy flash floods. To react to these challenges and to reduce vulnerabilities in response to rapidly changing climatic conditions and growing urban complexities, various planning concepts have been introduced to urban and regional development

Black Carbon Measurements of Snow and Ice Using the Single Particle Soot Photometer: Method Development and an AD 1852-1999 Record of Atmospheric Black Carbon from a Mount Logan Ice Core

Black carbon (BC), produced by the combustion of fossil and biofuels, warms the climate by absorbing solar radiation when in the atmosphere and by reducing the albedo of snow and ice when deposited. Measuring BC in snow and ice is important for estimating albedo reduction and developing historical records of BC concentration. Experiments were conducted to further develop a method for measuring BC in snow and ice using the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2). Results suggest the optimal procedures for sample storage, treatment, and nebulization, and analysis and calibration of BC concentrations measured using the SP2 coupled to a CETAC ultrasonic nebulizer. The methods were then used to develop an AD 1852-1999 record of BC using an ice core from Mt. Logan in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The BC recorded at Mt. Logan is predominantly from biomass burning in Alaska, the Yukon Territory, and Siberia. Climatic implications of the BC record are discussed

The Effect of Early Skin-to-Skin Contact on Breastfeeding Duration and Exclusivity: a Mixed Methods Study

Background: Breastfeeding is beneficial to the health of both mother and infant and fosters optimal growth for the baby in the first two years of life. Evidence based guidelines followed by the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) includes Ten Steps. Step Four recommends placing the newborn skin-to-skin on the mother\u27s chest to foster the initiation of breastfeeding in the first hour after birth.;Objectives: The first and second objective determined if skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mother and infant in the healthy postpartum breastfeeding mother affected duration and exclusivity rates at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. The third objective described mothers\u27 lived experience with breastfeeding and bonding following SSC per policy.;Design: A retrospective, cohort, mixed methods design was used in a small rural hospital in West Virginia (WV). The sample included 55 women who met the inclusion criteria of healthy mothers whose babies were vaginally delivered January 2012--September 2016. The intervention cohort received SSC per the Baby Friendly Step 4 policy. The comparison group did not receive SSC.;Methods: Duration rates, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rates, and mothers\u27 lived experience following SSC were collected via phone interview and transcription.;Results: Comparing the SSC to the comparison cohort, breastfeeding duration rates were: 82.4% vs. 61.6% at 6 weeks (p. = 0.170); 73.5% vs. 52.4% at 3 months (p. = 0.190); 44.1% versus 42.9% at 6 months (p. = 0.170). EBF rates were: 73.5% vs. 51.7% at 6 weeks (p= 0.336); 64.7% vs. 52.4% at 3 months (p = 0.533); 20.6% vs.23.8% at 6 months (p. = 1.00). In most time intervals the SSC cohort rates were higher than the comparative cohort rates, yet none of the rates reached significance. Mothers identified that SSC had a positive effect on their breastfeeding and bonding experience in the first months of their babies\u27 lives

The Economic Benefits of Portable Instrumentation on the Criminal Justice System: A Comprehensive Return-on-Investment Analysis

Prosecuting crime is an expensive endeavor. This thesis compiles data from a variety of sources to show that, in 2015, the average cost of prosecuting a seized-drug case in the United States was about {dollar}26,000. Of that amount, crime laboratories only cost about {dollar}275 per seized-drug case, or less than ~1% of the total cost of prosecuting a drug case. We show that the criminal justice system could save millions of dollars per year by strategically investing in portable chemical instrumentation and conducting seized-drug confirmatory analyses at the scene of the crime, or at booking, instead of in the laboratory. Such investments would require that on-site analyses meet the same strict standards for drug identifications as conventional laboratory protocols and that drug identification reports be completed before booking.;By implementing confirmatory portable instrumentation to analyze seized-drug samples in the field, the initial cost of investment can be justified by the benefits and cost savings in the court system. For example, one major economic benefit of on-site testing is the reduction of pretrial costs---like jail time---for suspects awaiting trial. Our calculations show that marginal savings between {dollar}1.5M and {dollar}20M within the first year and between {dollar}8M and {dollar}90M by the fifth year of implementation are possible for each set of portable instruments purchased. The economic analysis includes expenses such as the capital equipment costs, supplies, service contracts, full-time equivalent employees and their benefits and travel. The estimated cost of deployment is ~{dollar}327,000 in the first year and an additional cost of ~{dollar}214,000 a year thereafter. On-site analyses are expected to save an average of 150 jail days per case, which, at an average cost of {dollar}129 per day, would save approximately {dollar}10K per case. In addition to the economic benefits, some additional benefits for pre-booking drug tests include reduced recidivism rates, better prosecutorial accuracy, increased public faith, and decreased compensation costs for the wrongly convicted. For all these reasons, portable instrumentation can greatly benefit the entire criminal justice system

Tr-Island - Combating Urban Heat Islands in the City Centre in Hanover

As part of the HeKris research and exchange, this paper presents a creative proposal in dealing with the issue of urban heat islands in the city centre of Hannover. The area in question is essentially fragmented due to heat island effects making some streets and connecting roads unbearable to walk through. By utilising the old tram infrastructure on Prinzenstraße and Schiffgraben, the project unifies the area and creates a more attractive public realm network. The introduction of vegetation and water elements in urban areas was found beneficial to reduce the heat island effect significantly. The paper further emphasises the importance of a comprehensive urban governance-oriented implementation process and recommends the introduction of a resilience-focused action programme to achieving sustainable urban development in and around Hanover

Introduction to Social Media: Culture, Identity, and Inclusion Minitrack

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Coping with Flooding and Urban Heat Island: Resilience Strategies for the City of Hanover developed during the Summer School

Global climate change, as well as economic and social changes, pose new challenges to urban and regional development worldwide. Rapidly changing climate, economic and social trends require adaptation and address several uncertainties and complexities to enable proactive action. Therefore, cities and regions around the world face the challenge of exploring flexible and innovative forms of governance that address specific local vulnerabilities and commit to development of capacity for future change - the resilient city as a planning goal

The Effects of Team Dynamics Training on Conceptual Data Modeling Task Performance

Database modeling is a complex conceptual topic often taught through the use of project-based teams. One of the problems with the use of project-based teams in university courses is the determination of whether this is the most effective use of instructor and student time involvement and effort level. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of providing team dynamics training prior to the commencement of short-duration project-based team conceptual data modeling projects on individual data modeling task performance (DMTP) outcomes and team cohesiveness. The literature review encompassed conceptual data design modeling, the use of a project-based team approach, team dynamics and cohesion, self-efficacy, gender, and diversity. The research population consisted of 75 university students at a North American University (Canadian) pursuing a business program requiring an information systems course in which database design components are taught. Analysis of the collected data revealed that there was a statistically significant inverse relationship found between the provision of team dynamics training and individual DMTP. However, no statistically significant relationship was found between team dynamics training and team cohesion. Therefore, this study calls into question the value of team dynamics training on learning outcomes in the case of very short duration project-based teams involved in conceptual data modeling tasks. Additional research in this area would need to clarify what about this particular experiment might have contributed to these results

Late-glacial and Holocene Vegetation and Climate Variability, Including Major Droughts, in the Sky Lakes Region of Southeastern New York State

Sediment cores from Lakes Minnewaska and Mohonk in the Shawangunk Mountains of southeastern New York were analyzed for pollen, plantmacrofossils, macroscopic charcoal, organic carbon content, carbon isotopic composition, carbon/nitrogen ratio, and lithologic changes to determine the vegetation and landscape history of the greater Catskill Mountain region since deglaciation. Pollen stratigraphy generally matches the New England pollen zones identified by Deevey (1939) and Davis (1969), with boreal genera (Picea, Abies) present during the late Pleistocene yielding to a mixed Pinus, Quercus and Tsuga forest in the early Holocene. Lake Minnewaska sediments record the Younger Dryas and possibly the 8.2 cal kyr BP climatic events in pollen and sediment chemistry along with an ~1400 cal yr interval of wet conditions (increasing Tsuga and declining Quercus) centered about 6400 cal yr BP. BothMinnewaska andMohonk reveal a protracted drought interval in themiddle Holocene, ~5700-4100 cal yr BP, during which Pinus rigida colonized the watershed, lake levels fell, and frequent fires led to enhanced hillslope erosion. Together, the records show at least three wet-dry cycles throughout the Holocene and both similarities and differences to climate records in New England and central New York. Drought intervals raise concerns for water resources in the New York City metropolitan area and may reflect a combination of enhanced La Nia, negative phase NAO, and positive phase PNA climatic patterns and/or northward shifts of storm tracks

Stable Isotope Constraints on Carbon Dioxide and Nitrous Oxide Variations at the Onset of the Last Glacial Period: New Ice Cores from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

New ice cores retrieved from the Taylor Glacier (Antarctica) blue ice area contain ice and air spanning the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5/4 transition, a period of global cooling and ice sheet expansion. Chronologies were determined for the ice and air bubbles in the new ice cores by visually matching variations in gas and ice phase tracers to preexisting ice core records. The chronologies reveal an ice age gas age difference (Δage) approaching 10 ka during MIS 4, implying very low snow accumulation in the Taylor Glacier accumulation zone. A revised chronology for the analogous section of the Taylor Dome ice core (84 to 55 ka), located to the south of the Taylor Glacier accumulation zone, shows that Δage did not exceed 3 ka. The difference in Δ age between the two records during MIS 4 is similar magnitude but opposite direction of what is observed at the last glacial maximum. This relationship implies that a spatial gradient in snow accumulation existed across the Taylor Dome region during MIS 4 that was oriented in the opposite direction of the accumulation gradient during the last glacial maximum. An enduring problem in paleoclimatology is to mechanistically explain the full 80 ppm change in atmospheric CO₂ concentration that accompanied glacial-interglacial climate cycles in the past. A record of the stable isotopic composition of atmospheric CO₂ (δ¹³ C-CO₂) was developed that spans the interval 74- 59.5 ka, including the period of global cooling and ice sheet growth known as the marine isotope stage (MIS) 5/4 transition. The interval contains small (~ 10 ppm) variability in CO₂ concentration associated with Dangaard-Oeschger (DO) event 19, the 40 ppm drop in CO₂ across the MIS 5/4 transition, and the 35 ppm rise in CO₂ associated with the MIS 4/3 transition. The δ¹³ C-CO₂ record reveals large and fast changes at specific time intervals, implying that different carbon cycle mechanisms controlled the atmospheric CO₂ concentration at distinct times. The isotope data are generally consistent with proxy data in suggesting that the marine carbon cycle evolved toward more efficient nutrient utilization and carbon storage in the deep ocean during MIS 4. Model experiments suggest that the biological pump may not be the only mechanism responsible for lowering atmospheric CO₂, possibly implicating changes in Southern Ocean air-sea gas exchange and/or the extent of Antarctic sea ice. Large depletions in δ¹³ C-CO₂ observed in the new data, including an enigmatic decrease in δ¹³ C-CCO₂ of - 0.8 ‰ at the MIS 4/3 transition, may highlight times when carbon was transferred from the terrestrial biosphere to the atmospheric and oceanic reservoirs. Glacial-interglacial cycles in N₂O concentration have received far less scientific attention than CO₂, but they signify a strong coupling between climate and natural N₂O emissions that is presently poorly understood. High-resolution records of the stable isotopic composition of N₂O (δ¹⁵ N-N₂O and δ¹⁸ O-N₂O) were developed from a new Taylor Glacier ice core spanning the interval 74-59.5 ka. The interval includes a 40 ppb rise in N₂O concentration associated with DO 19, a 60 ppb decrease across the MIS 5/4 transition, and a 50 ppb increase at the onset of the MIS 4/3 transition. The new isotope data reveal large changes (1.65 ‰ for δ¹⁵ N-N₂O and 3.4 ‰ for δ¹⁸ O-N₂O) associated with the N₂O concentration variations that occurred at DO 19. The isotopic composition of N₂O also changed significantly across the MIS 4/3 transition (1.4 ‰ for δ¹⁵ N-N₂O and 2.3 ‰ for δ¹⁸ O-N₂O). The new data were used to reconstruct marine versus terrestrial N₂O emissions histories. Both terrestrial and marine sources were approximately equally responsible for controlling atmospheric N₂O through most of the onset of the last glacial period, and marine emissions dominated the rapid N₂O increase observed at the MIS 4/3 transition. The relative dominance of marine versus terrestrial N₂O sources provides insight into (and fuels speculation about) how global climate changes impacted nitrogen cycling in the past