Avoiding Damage Costs from Urban Floods with Nature-Based Solutions : Dublin Case Study

This thesis studies the economic benefits that the installation of nature-based solutions can have as a flood risk management tool. The effects of a changing climate often accumulate in urbanised areas and can translate into an increased likelihood and heightened damage potential of precipitation-induced flood events. One way to reduce the devastating flood impact is the use of nature-based solutions, which are management tools relying on natural processes and ecosystem services (EC, 2018). Green roofs are one example of nature-based solutions. To date, little research is available in the academic literature on the economic profitability and cost-efficiency of such alternative approaches (Palmer et al., 2015). The thesis aims to contribute to the scare literature on the topic by conducting a flood damage assessment for a case study site. It is devel-oped from a research contribution to the EU OPERANDUM project, which evaluates nature-based solutions as tool to alleviate hydro-meteorological risks as well as their cost-efficiency on a broader scale (OPERANDUM Project, 2018). The thesis conducts a flood dam-age assessment for green roofs hypothetically installed in Dublin, Ireland. It estimates the expected damage costs from flood scenarios with a recurrence period of 10, 100 and 1000 years. To this end it relies methodologically on a flood damage assessment, specifically the Joint Research Centre model developed by Huizinga, de Moel & Szewczyk (2017), as well as on value transfer. The assessment is re-stricted to the calculation of direct, tangible flood damages. To provide more robust results, the assessment also draws on the analytical insights from the cost-benefit analysis literature and incorporates aspects such as discounting and a partial sensitivity analysis. In terms of software, the majority of the research is carried out in QGIS and Excel. Comparing the flood impacts with and without the installation of nature-based solutions, it assesses the size of the avoided damage costs and finds a noticeable positive impact of green roofs. The green roofs cannot only reduce the size of the flooded areas by up to 19% as well as decrease the water depth in the still inundated parts, but also noteworthily curtails the height of the direct, tangible flood damage costs. The thesis cannot extract definite conclusions on the profitability of green roofs in the sense of providing a net present value, because it does not study costs nor other benefits of green roofs for reasons of scope. It does, however, show that the installation of green roofs can lower the flood damage costs in Dublin by up to 36%. As additional conclusion, this thesis calls for research into more nuanced flood damage assessment methods, since the selected model excluded many factors. A methodological refining could increase the precision of monetary damage estimates. Altogether, the thesis observes that green roofs can be a useful tool to reduce the devastating impact of urban floods. However, green roofs should be combined with other flood management tools, since they can be insufficient if applied on their own

Chamber Music with Double Bass: A New Approach to Function and Pedagogy.

The first part of the paper states the problem of the double bass not being incorporated into the chamber music program at many universities and the resulting lack of skills that can only be developed through this discipline. The double bass is trying to catch up with the other string instruments as it has been historically ignored, misunderstood and not as developed musically and technically. The historical background and current state of research are being examined to understand why this problem occurred in the first place, noting the vast amount of chamber music repertoire that is unknown and identifying some important but underperformed works. Further the pedagogical benefits of playing chamber music are discussed in order to realize the vital importance of integrating the double bass into the curriculum at major universities. Specific examples from the four major style periods are discussed in detail to show the benefits of studying this repertoire. Finally an implementation process is suggested to help change the current state of chamber music neglect as it pertains to the double bass

Celebrating Diversity & Inclusion: The Evolution of Gender-Neutral Pronouns

When the Supreme Court of the United States guaranteed the right to marry for same-sex couples in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015, the issue of integrating the LGBTQ community into society was propelled into the national spotlight. While many same-sex partners, many of whom identify as cisgender (those who identify with the sex they were assigned at birth), are able to enjoy the tangible and psychological benefits of the ruling, the transgender and genderqueer communities continue to wait on a Supreme Court ruling in which they are able to celebrate with as much fervor. Thus, the acceptance of gender-neutral pronouns has become an important stepping stone for achieving equality for the transgender and genderqueer communities. In order to achieve this goal, it is important to determine how to convince society of embracing the concept of pronoun introductions. Therefore, this thesis will be analyzing trends in the use of gender-neutral pronouns in the English language, since gender-neutral pronouns help break down systems inherent in language in order to form new ones. I will first discuss the histories and challenges of integrating gender-neutral pronouns into the English vernacular. Then, I will explore the physical and virtual spaces in which gender-neutral pronouns are used, especially as introductions. Finally, I will examine Internet slang in virtual spaces in order to suggest the Internet as a medium of linguistic transformation that can affect physical spaces as well

Costs and Risk Assessment of the Health Effects of the Food System

The project Costs and Risk Assessment of the Health Effects of the Food System employed biological, chemical and nutritional examples to investigate the health and economic risks of food and nutrition in Finland and the cost effectiveness of controls. The project explored the causes and consequences of the health risks associated with food in Finland and sought appropriate risk-management measures. The onset of foodborne health hazards can be slow, and therefore even strong efforts to control them at the population level may take years or decades. Based on the project results, several proposals for action were presented, the most important of which are to: 1. deepen and broaden the risk assessment of the public health impact of the food system to compare different health risks, 2. undertake cost–benefit analyses of food control and health care and 3. to study policy instruments for change. Food contributes significantly to the health of the population, which can be influenced by nutrition and food safety. According to the project results, the main burden of disease (BoD) was caused by the inadequate consumption of fruit and vegetables and the excessive intake of salt and saturated fats, resulting in disease burdens of 36,000, 29,000, 32,000 and 9,200 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)/year, respectively. Reducing the intake of salt and saturated fats in particular would be a cost-effective way to reduce the BoD. Despite the relatively high level of food hygiene achieved in Finland, up to thousands of foodborne infections occur every year, and food contaminants increase the BoD on consumers. Of the biological food hazards, Listeria caused the largest BoD, about 670 DALYs annually. Of the chemical hazards, lead caused the largest BoD, about 570 DALYs annually. Most of the control costs are borne by food businesses. Therefore, the scenarios that most affect businesses also have the greatest financial impact.This publication is part of the implementation of the Government Plan for Analysis, Assessment and Research. (tietokayttoon.fi) The content is the responsibility of the producers of the information and does not necessarily represent the view of the Government

Ruokajärjestelmän kansanterveydellisten vaikutusten kustannukset ja riskinarviointi

Ruokajärjestelmän kansanterveydellisten vaikutusten kustannukset ja riskinarviointi -hankkeessa tutkittiin biologisten, kemiallisten ja ravitsemuksellisten esimerkkien avulla ruokaan ja ravitsemukseen liittyviä terveydellisiä ja taloudellisia riskejä Suomessa sekä valvonnan kustannusvaikuttavuutta. Hankkeessa avattiin esimerkinomaisesti suomalaiseen ruokaan liittyvien terveyshaittojen syitä ja seurauksia ja etsimään niille soveltuvia riskinhallintakeinoja. Ruoasta johtuvien terveyshaittojen ilmeneminen vie aikaa, siten vahvakin panostus niiden hallintaan ilmenee väestötasolla vasta vuosien tai vuosikymmenien kuluessa. Hankkeen tulosten perusteella esitetään useita toimenpide-ehdotuksia, joista tärkeimpinä 1. ruokajärjestelmän kansanterveydellisten vaikutusten riskien arvioinnin syventäminen ja laajentaminen erilaisten terveyshaittojen vertaamiseksi, 2. elintarvikevalvonnan ja terveydenhoidon kustannus-hyöty-analyysit ja 3. ohjauskeinojen tutkimus muutosten suunnittelua varten. Ravinto on tärkein väestön terveyteen vaikuttava tekijä, ja terveyteen voidaan vaikuttaa ravitsemuksella ja elintarvikkeiden turvallisuudella. Hankkeessa tehdyn selvityksen perusteella tarkastelluista tekijöistä suurinta tautitaakkaa aiheuttivat hedelmien ja kasvisten riittämätön kulutus ja liiallisen suolan ja tyydyttyneen rasvan saanti, joista aiheutui vuodessa 36 000, 29 000, 32 000 ja 9 200 haittapainotetun elinvuoden (DALY) verran tautitaakkaa. Erityisesti suolan ja tyydyttyneen rasvan saannin vähentäminen on kustannusvaikuttava tapa vähentää tautitaakkaa. Suomessa saavutetusta suhteellisen korkeasta elintarvikehygienian tasosta huolimatta vuosittain ilmenee jopa tuhansia elintarvikevälitteisiä infektioita, minkä lisäksi elintarvikkeiden vierasaineet lisäävät kuluttajien tautitaakkaa. Biologisista elintarvikevaaroista listeria-bakteerin aiheuttama tautitaakka oli suurin, noin 670 DALYa vuodessa, kemiallisista suurin taakka aiheutui lyijystä, noin 570 DALYa vuodessa. Suurin osa valvontakustannuksista kohdistuu yrityksille. Sen vuoksi skenaarioilla, jotka vaikuttavat eniten yrityksiin on myös suurimmat taloudelliset vaikutukset.Tämä julkaisu on toteutettu osana valtioneuvoston selvitys- ja tutkimussuunnitelman toimeenpanoa. (tietokayttoon.fi) Julkaisun sisällöstä vastaavat tiedon tuottajat, eikä tekstisisältö välttämättä edusta valtioneuvoston näkemystä

Doctoral Recitals

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degre

El magisterio español : Revista General de la Enseñanza: Año LXIII Número 8410 - 1929 Septiembre 24

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 200