Browsing by Subject "Resilience"
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Item Open Access A Framework for Dissecting and Applying Bacterial Antibiotic Responses(2017) Meredith, Hannah Ruth BrittanyAn essential property of microbial communities is the ability to survive a disturbance. This is readily observed in bacteria, which have developed the ability to survive every antibiotic treatment at an alarming rate, considering the timescale at which new antibiotics are developed. Thus, there is a critical need to use antibiotics more effectively, extend the shelf life of existing antibiotics and minimize their side effects. This requires understanding the mechanisms underlying bacterial drug responses. Past studies have focused on survival in the presence of antibiotics by individual cells, such as genetic mutants. Also important, however, is the fact that a population of bacterial cells can collectively survive antibiotic treatments lethal to individual cells. This tolerance can arise by diverse mechanisms, including resistance-conferring enzyme production, titration-mediated bistable growth inhibition, swarming and interpopulation interactions. These strategies can enable rapid population recovery after antibiotic treatment and provide a time window during which otherwise susceptible bacteria can acquire inheritable genetic resistance.
To further explore bacterial antibiotic responses, I focused on bacteria producing β-lactamase, an enzyme that has drastically limited the use of our most commonly prescribed antibiotics: β-lactams. Through the characterization of clinical isolates and a computational model, my Ph.D. thesis has three implications:
First, survival can be achieved through resistance, the ability to absorb effects of a disturbance without a significant change, or resilience, the ability to recover after being perturbed by a disturbance. Current practices for determining the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria do not characterize a population as resistant and/or resilient, they only report whether the bacteria can survive the antibiotic exposure. As resistance and resilience often depend on different attributes, distinguishing between these two modes of survival could inform treatment strategies. These concepts have long been applied to the analysis of ecological systems, though their interpretations are often subject to debate. This framework readily lends itself to the dissection of the bacterial response to antibiotic treatment, where both terms can be unambiguously defined.
Second, the ability to tolerate the antibiotic treatment in the short term corresponds to resistance, which primarily depends on traits associated with individual cells. In contrast, the ability to recover after being perturbed by an antibiotic corresponds to resilience, which primarily depends on traits associated with the population.
And finally, understanding the temporal dynamics of an antibiotic response could guide the design of a dosing protocol to optimize treatment efficiency for any antibiotic-pathogen combination. Ultimately, optimized dosing protocols could allow reintroduction of a repertoire of first-line antibiotics with improved treatment outcomes and preserve last-resort antibiotics.
Item Open Access An Exploration of Resilience and Burnout among Healthcare Workers in the United States(2023) Rink, Lesley CHealthcare workers (HCW) have historically suffered from high rates of burnout, and these rates have continued to rise during the pandemic (Sexton et al., 2022). Burnout among healthcare workers carries significant consequences for both HCWs (Davidson et al., 2018; Stathopoulou et al., 2011) and patients (Schlak et al., 2021). National organizations have focused their attention on this issue of improving HCW well-being. Greater clarity is needed to understand how best to optimize HCW well-being and to address the challenges of HCW burnout. The purpose of this dissertation was to generate knowledge on HCW burnout and resilience. Specifically, this dissertation used existing data from the Web-based Implementation of the Science for Enhancing Resilience (WISER) data set and encompasses three studies whose purpose was: (1) to describe the stressors that HCWs experience using a summative content analysis to determine the types and total numbers of stressors; (2) to identify subgroups of nurses with distinct profiles of well-being using a latent profile analysis to identify profiles of burnout (emotional exhaustion) and resilience (emotional thriving and emotional recovery); bivariate statistics were used to identify profile differences in nurse characteristics; and (3) to identify types of well-being behaviors and the total number of well-being behaviors associated with resilience among HCWs. Bivariate statistics were used to identify the relationship of each type of well-being behavior with emotional thriving and emotional recovery, and to identify the total number of well-being behaviors with emotional thriving and emotional recovery. General Linear Models using analysis of covariance was used to examine the relationships between the well-being behaviors and the total number of well-being behaviors, respectively, with emotional thriving and emotional recovery, after adjusting for covariates. The main findings of this dissertation included those regarding stressors, the co-occurrence of burnout and resilience, and findings related to well-being behaviors. First, stressors are experienced in HCWs’ work, personal life, and in ways that intersect both work and personal life. Second, we found that nurses experienced a combination of burnout (emotional exhaustion) and resilience (emotional thriving and emotional recovery) in four distinct profiles of “exhausted,” “exhausted with thriving,” “exhausted with thriving and recovery,” and “thriving and recovery.” Each profile was associated with unique nurse characteristics. Finally, we found that the well-being behaviors of exercise, yoga, meditation, spending time with a close friend, and going on a vacation were all significantly associated with greater emotional thriving while only exercise, and spending time with a close friend were significantly associated with greater emotional recovery (Rink et al., 2021). Findings from this dissertation will inform the development and testing of interventions to reduce burnout and strengthen resilience for HCWs. Specifically, understanding the full breadth of stressors experienced by HCWs can inform the strategies used in interventions to address stress and burnout among HCWs. Additionally, this dissertation identified the co-occurrence of burnout and resilience that extend beyond the previously known dichotomous relationship and underscored the importance of increasing resilience. Finally, findings also can inform future work on enhancing HCW resilience through well-being behaviors.
Item Open Access Community Flood Assessment for Bucksport, South Carolina(2022-04-22) McLaughlin, Aislinn; Earnhardt, Rachel; Swit, Nadia; Murphy, RebeccaBucksport, South Carolina has experienced recurring high-impact flood events in the past decade that threaten local property, public health, and cultural heritage. This report aims to support the resilience of the community through a science and policy-based assessment of the factors contributing to flooding in the region. Findings from our hydrologic analyses indicate that a greater frequency of high magnitude precipitation events coupled with slower watershed drainage have led to longer standing water in the community after storm events. Results also reflect that these impacts will likely be exacerbated by climate change-attributed precipitation increases over the next century. Accordingly, our exploration of the relevant flood policy landscape highlights recommendations for the community to adapt and mitigate future flooding impacts through both state and federal-level funding for watershed-scale planning and resilience-focused investment.Item Open Access Configuring Local Resilience to Coastal Erosion in Togo(2023) Nomedji, Koffi AmegboThe West African coast is prey to an erosion washing away communities’ houses, livelihoods, and ancestral temples. By studying locals’ lived experiences and state resilience efforts my research investigates environmental and social issues and possibilities emerging from this climate disaster. I focus on Aneho, a historic town and former site of transcontinental commerce during the precolonial period, and a center of the famous African Print Textile trade since the early colonial period—which today risks disappearing into the sea. While the situation is dire, Aneho has a long history of survival and resilience to, among others, local wars, the slave trade, and colonialism. Reproduced through collective festivals and rituals, these traits are deployed today in their fight against coastal erosion. The ontological turn shows how native knowledge in the Amazonia and beyond offer alternative ways of being and knowing; however, this literature fails to answer the fundamental question of how this form of knowledge can influence our collective response to the current global climate crisis and change our ways of living. By analyzing Aneho’s biopolitical terrain where both scientific and ontological knowledge intersect, my work addresses this question through the examination of power relations underlying the way policymakers and traditional leaders address coastal erosion. The intersections I am exploring generate new possibilities for local agency and innovation in the face of climate catastrophe while also enabling my work to address the uncanny absence of West Africa’s rich cosmology in the canon of ontological literature. My research essentially pushes environmental anthropology beyond its theoretical limits by engaging the field in a pragmatic conversation with public policy on resilient development.
Item Open Access DOES PROTECTION CULTIVATE MORE RESILIENT REEFS? : ASSESSNG THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF BELIZE’S NO-TAKE MANAGEMENT ZONES ON THE POST-DISTURBANCE RECOVERY OF CORALS(2010-04-30T18:35:43Z) Fieseler, ClareCoral reefs have emerged as one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to climate variation and change. Under the current trends, disturbance events are likely to increase in rate and severity. It is critically important to create management strategies that enhance the ability of coral reefs to absorb shocks, resist phase-shifts, and regenerate after such perturbations. This project assesses the capacity of no-take management zones to foster coral resilience in Belize in the 10 years after a major disturbance. In 1998, the Belize Barrier Reef Complex (BBRC) experienced bleaching and hurricane events that effectively halved coral cover. Using video-based reef quantification, this project builds on a robust dataset describing benthic composition immediately before and at three sampling intervals after these major disturbances. The results of this Master’s Project reveal that protection offered by no-take zones (NTZ) has no detectable effect on changes to benthic composition. Coral assemblages show no long-term recovery on either NTZ or fished reefs. As a result, macroalgae cover increased significantly, perhaps past certain resiliency thresholds. Insufficient protection may be attributed to design factors related to size, proximity to other stressors, and isolation. The results make clear that Belize’s reefs are changing at an increasing rate away from desirable ecological baselines. Conservation and government leaders in Belize are thus urged to look beyond purely spatial options in crafting tools for reef resilience.Item Open Access Exploring Microgrids: Powering Resilience in Eastern North Carolina(2024-04-26) Ayyagari, Meera; Carlson, Maria; McKain, Kristy; Urbina, AlexandriaThe Upper Coastal Plain (UCP) region of North Carolina faces frequent extreme weather events which cause failures in the electrical grid system and threaten the delivery of critical emergency services when they are needed most. The council of governments for the region (UCPCOG) aims to enhance the resiliency of critical infrastructure by offering resources and recommendations for microgrid development to its member bodies. This project presents a three-tiered analysis designed to inform UCPCOG’s recommendations. First, we evaluate microgrids as a tool for improving resilience through a literature review consisting of technology descriptions, environmental justice considerations, case studies, and development trends. Second, we examine potential site locations using a spatial multi-criteria decision analysis which prioritizes community input. Finally, we offer an economic analysis resulting in optimal configurations for select sites based on economic, technology, and carbon emissions constraints.Item Open Access Feasibility, Acceptability, and Effectiveness of a Peer Youth Leader Model to Deliver a HIV Curriculum in Routine HIV Adolescent Clinic and Impact on Youth Leader Resilience: a Mixed-Methods Study(2019) Almarzooqi, Sahar AhmedBackground: Youth living with HIV have worse health outcomes compared to adults or children. Few interventions have been developed engaging youth in their care to promote resilience. Peer-led education is one potential way to boost confidence and bolster resilience while also improving HIV knowledge of youth living with HIV (YLHIV). Peer youth leaders (PYL) can be effective educators because they are seen as trustworthy and relatable to their peers. PYL themselves may also benefit from increased resilience and empowerment after taking on leadership position at their monthly adolescent HIV clinic. This study evaluated the acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness of using PYL to teach an HIV education. Methods: Seven HIV-infected youth were recruited based on their previous enrollment in a mental health intervention for HIV-infected youth. Those who demonstrated confidence, excellent adherence, and upstanding behavior were chosen to become PYL. PYLs were trained by a doctor, social worker, and previously trained group leaders of a mental health intervention to teach an HIV education curriculum adapted from the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. Trainings occurred once a week for two to three hours in preparation for teaching at the monthly adolescent HIV clinic. Two PYLs taught one-hour lessons to youth during the monthly adolescent HIV clinic. Approximately 25 clinic attendees were asked to volunteer to complete pre/post knowledge assessments and provided feedback on the PYL model. Acceptability and feasibility of using PYL to deliver an HIV curriculum to YLHIV was evaluated through attendance records, fidelity checklists and feedback notes that were documented by trained group leaders who supervised PYL curriculum delivery. In depth interviews were conducted to evaluate change in fears, motivations, and resilience among PYL before and after assuming the leadership role. PYL resilience was measured using the Connor-Davidson Scale at baseline (prior to starting the teaching role) and 6 months after initiating training. Results: A PYL model of delivering an HIV curriculum was both feasible and acceptable as reported by youth attending monthly adolescent HIV clinic and PYL. Qualitative findings showed peer education created safe discussion spaces, reduced stress of participants, and enhanced beliefs of importance in maintaining good adherence. HIV knowledge was improved as measured by self-report, and improvement did not meet statistical significant (p =0.057). PYL leaders demonstrated trends toward improved resilience as measured by Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and increased confidence, feelings of self-worth, sense of purpose, social support, and optimism and decreased internal stigma based on in-depth interviews. Conclusions: Results demonstrated the PYL model of teaching an HIV curriculum was feasible and acceptable. PYL had improved resilience as a result of taking on a leadership role at their monthly adolescent HIV clinic. Future evaluation of YLHIV retention in care and health outcomes as a result of participation in the PYL education should be explored.
Item Open Access Geometry-Based Thermodynamic Homogenization for Porous Media, with Application to Resilience Prediction and Gyroscopic Sustainability(2021) Guevel, AlexandreUnderstanding and predicting the behavior of porous media holds unexpected potential for technological advances toward resilience and sustainability. Indeed, these materials are ubiquitous and exhibit a rich palette of processes, both multiphysics and multiscales, which are potential sources of inspiration for engineering design. Along these lines, the intended outcomes of this dissertation are twofold: 1) predicting the resilience of porous media and 2) enhancing behaviors of interest in these materials that could inspire sustainable metamaterials design. Geomaterials, a particularly complex subclass of porous media, will be the primary focus.
This program starts by laying down a general theoretical framework, based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics and differential geometry. A generalized relaxation equation is derived to ensure systematic satisfaction of the second law of thermodynamics. This is associated with a variational framework, based on Fermat's principle, that generalizes that of Onsager, in order to reckon with gyroscopic forces - that is, nondissipative but nonconservative forces.
This framework is then applied to modeling the microstructure of porous media, upon which the behavior of these materials largely depends. To that aim, phase-field modeling is employed to capturing the exact microstructural geometry, in association with digital rock physics based on microtomographic imaging. This effort is required to model processes too complex to be described by a unique constitutive law, such as pressure solution, as studied first in this dissertation. Therein, a microstructural viscosity is derived to capture the kinetics of processes, which is crucial for modeling geomaterials, since the associated timescales span from the engineering to the geological times.
Upon narrowing down the complexity of porous media processes, it is possible to extract the necessary and sufficient microstructural information through morphometry. From running phase-field simulations on a large variety of synthetic microstructures, a general morphometric strength law is inferred, which builds upon seminal works on metals and ceramics. This morphometric framework is applied to predicting the strength of various porous materials, including rocks and bones, from their microstructural geometry.
Item Open Access GxE = ‘p’? Using Hierarchical Measures of Psychopathology to Capture the Effects of Environmental Stressors and Gene-Environment Interplay(2019) Schaefer, Jonathan DrewExposure to psychosocial stress is a robust predictor of subsequent psychopathology. However, only a portion of individuals with these experiences will develop psychiatric symptoms. The concept of gene-environment interaction (GxE) has provided one theoretical framework for reconciling these observations, but the empirical findings from this literature are mixed and often fail to replicate across studies. This dissertation explores the use of a relatively new approach to measuring the mental-health effects of environmental stress (the “p-factor”), and examines whether this approach has the potential to advance and consolidate studies of gene-environment interaction and psychopathology. First, I present lifetime prevalence data from The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study indicating that mental disorder is near-ubiquitous, consistent with the notion that liability to these conditions is distributed quantitatively throughout the population. Second, I present analyses from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study showing that the mental-health effects of victimization exposure (one of the most common and severe types of psychosocial stress) are both non-specific and likely causal. These data suggest that stressful life experiences increase risk of psychopathology largely through effects on general liability. Third, I examine whether victimization’s effects on general psychopathology vary as a function of multiple measures of genetic propensity. Results consistently indicate that they do not, suggesting minimal gene-environment interaction. Implications for future research that seeks to identify the genetic and non-genetic factors that determine vulnerability and resilience to the mental-health effects of environmental stress are discussed.
Item Open Access How weather shocks impact the flow of energy-related goods on the Lower Mississippi River(2019-04-23) Murnan, Gabrielle; Vanchosovych, Yuliya; Wu, FanThe Lower Mississippi River (LMR) is a pivotal transport route for American imports and exports. Disruptions on the LMR could impact the timely movement of goods up and down the river, particularly energy-related products. This study evaluates how droughts and floods impact energy barge traffic along the LMR. We examine the effect water level has on barge travel rate along various legs of the LMR and on the count of vessels at selected study regions. The results indicate a negative relationship between water level and vessel count: as water level increases, the number of vessels at specific study regions decreases; as water level decreases, the number of vessels at specific study regions increases. Additionally, water level has a greater impact on downstream travel rate for vessels in comparison to upstream travel rate. We find that these results will likely have minimal impact on the energy resiliency of counties along the LMR but could increase energy barge operating costs and thus lead to a modal switch toward less energy efficient and more costly freight alternatives.Item Open Access Individual Differences in Neural Reward and Threat Processing: Identifying Pathways of Risk and Resilience for Psychopathology(2014) Nikolova, YuliyaThe 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.
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.
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.
Item Open Access Normative Range Parenting and the Developing Brain: Investigating the Functional and Structural Neural Correlates of Parenting in the Absence of Trauma(2022) Farber, MadelineResearch on extreme deviations in early life caregiving has provided valuable insight into the effects of early adversity on brain development and risk for psychopathology. However, much remains unknown about the impact of normative range variation in parenting on these same processes. The primary aim of this dissertation is to begin to address this gap in the literature.
I first examined associations between variability in family functioning and threat-related amygdala reactivity. Analyses revealed that greater familial affective responsiveness was associated with increased amygdala reactivity to explicit, interpersonal threat. Moreover, this association was moderated by the experience of recent stressful life events such that higher affective responsiveness was associated with higher amygdala reactivity in adolescents reporting low but not high stress. I hypothesized that these paradoxical associations may suggest a mechanism through which parental overprotection manifests as psychosocial dysfunction. Centering this hypothesis as the focus of my next study, I examined more detailed aspects of both early caregiving experiences and corticolimbic circuitry. Analyses revealed that participants who reported higher maternal control exhibited increased amygdala reactivity to explicit, interpersonal threat and decreased structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus. While not a direct replication, these findings supported my hypotheses regarding parental overprotection and expanded Study 1 findings into structural connectivity between the amygdala and regulatory regions of the prefrontal cortex.
I next conducted a scoping review of the extant literature centered on the question, “Is variability in normative range parenting associated with variability in brain structure and function?” This review yielded 23 records for qualitative review and revealed not only how few studies have explored associations between brain development and normative range parenting, but also how little methodological consistency exists across published studies. In light of these limitations, I proposed recommendations for future research on normative range parenting and brain development and highlighted a path forward. Lastly, I applied these recommendations to my own empirical analyses. In the same sample of young adults used in Study 2, I examined associations among parental care and control, neural structural phenotypes, and mood and anxiety symptoms. Analyses revealed no significant associations among parenting and structural indices of interest, suggesting that neural structure is robust to more subtle variability in parenting even while neural function is not.
This dissertation provides critical first steps in empirically investigating how normative parenting shapes brain development with the data currently available. Further, it highlights the work of others similarly investigating this question and establishes an agenda for advancing future research on this topic.
Item Open Access Óscar Romero's Theological, Hermeneutical, and Pastoral Framework for Preaching to Traumatized Communities(2022) Tinoco Ruiz, Alma DeliaThis dissertation studies Monsignor Óscar Romero’s theological, hermeneutical, and pastoral approach to preaching to the suffering and wounded people of El Salvador from 1977 to 1980 while he was the Archbishop of San Salvador. At that time, the marginalization, oppression, persecution, and exploitation of the poor people of El Salvador at the hands of the government, the oligarchy, the armed forces, and paramilitary groups was unbearable. The blood of the poor people and religious leaders who defended the poor, including his friend Rutilio Grande, was running through the mountains, lakes, and beaches of El Salvador, and Archbishop Romero could no longer ignore it. Through his homilies, he gave voice to their trauma and denounced the oppressive systems and structures that were at the root of their suffering. Inspired by the Holy Spirit and guided by his sentir with God, the people, and the Magisterium of the Church, Romero became the Spirit-guided and empathetic pastor the people needed. Through his homilies, Romero provided a “sanctuary space” where these suffering and wounded people could find refuge, hope, and possibility. The dissertation examines the ways in which Romero’s theological, hermeneutical, and pastoral framework can inform sermons that speak to suffering and traumatized people, such as undocumented Hispanic/Latinx immigrants in the U.S.
Item Open Access Resilience and collapse of artisanal fisheries: a system dynamics analysis of a shellfish fishery in the Gulf of California, Mexico(SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE, 2009-10) Bueno, N; Basurto, XItem Open Access Resilience in Tanzanian Youth Living with HIV: A Longitudinal Exploration of Protective Factors and Challenges(2021) Rojas, Michelle AlyssaBackground: Adolescence is a critical risk period for the onset of mental health difficulties. Youth living with HIV (YLWH) face additional challenges navigating peer and romantic relationships due to stigma and disclosure, putting youth more at risk for mental health difficulties. This study explored changes in resilience of youth enrolled in a mental health intervention by examining development protective factors to address challenges over a six-year period. Methods: YLWH in Moshi, Tanzania were recruited who enrolled in a mental health intervention, Sauti ya Vijana (SYV) and participated in an in-depth interview as a part of a prior needs assessment study, both of which also included demographic, mental health measures, and stigma measures. The first in-depth interview took place in 2013/2014; which was paired with a subsequent interview in 2020. Both interviews explored youth experiences with mental health, protective factors, and challenges. Resilience in respondents was defined as positive adaptations made in response to challenges. Results: Five youth completed in-depth interviews. Three participants were male; mean age of was 23.4 years (SD 0.9 years). PHQ9, SDQ, and UCLA scores decreased a average of 5.8 (SD 5.9), 9.4 (SD 5.7), and 6.0 points (SD 10.0), respectively; Berger stigma scores increased an average of 4.6 points (SD 5.4). The primary challenge youth described was stigma; the primary protective factor for resilience and mental health was social support. Conclusions: YLWH face many challenges; however, protective factors improved youth resilience to face these challenges. Youth need consistent support and resources as they transition into adulthood.
Item Open Access Solarizing the Island of Culebra, Puerto Rico: Rate-Design Model and Analysis(2022-04-22) Abcug, Jeremy; Bettencourt, Allison; Khandelwal, RajatPower on the island of Puerto Rico has historically been served through a centralized generation system that has largely failed to provide reliability— ability of the grid to provide the right quantity and quality of electricity needed and operate in times of stress — and resilience— the ability of the grid to come back online quickly and for all consumers after a major disruption. This master’s project team is working with the Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico (FCPR; Puerto Rico Community Foundation) to support the Caribbean’s first community-owned solar utility in Culebra, Puerto Rico to improve grid reliability and to foster community energy independence. The idea behind Culebra’s solar utility is simple: 50 businesses, non-profits, and critical facilities will pay for the energy service provided by the utility through rooftop solar and battery systems that have been fitted to meet the individual facility energy needs. These entities that purchase this utility electricity become subscribers to the service, and these payments will allow for operation and maintenance (O&M), equipment replacement, system expansion and any other necessary services to be sustained. A SWOT analysis is provided to identity the different Strengths (S), Weaknesses (W), Opportunities (O) and Threats (T) for the project. The core objective of this project is the development of a rate-design model to evaluate the optimal rate to charge the subscribers of this solar utility. This rate-design model has three parts – Revenue, Costs and Financial Statements. For the revenue calculations, a load curve for an average subscriber was fitted based on historical consumption data. This information was used in a Monte Carlo simulation to model subscriber demand on a monthly basis. This simulated subscriber demand was compared with solar production forecasts to compute monthly revenue per subscriber. Four types of costs were considered in this analysis: Operations and Maintenance, Administrative, Insurance and Correction costs. All costs are increased annually with inflation. An analysis of the cost-breakdown results shows that correction cost is the largest cost component, however this declines over time. Operations and maintenance is the second largest component, followed by administrative and insurance costs. The results from the revenue and cost analysis were used to compute an Income Statement and Statement of Cash Flows for the solar utility. A set of sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the effect of input parameters such as inflation, PREPA electricity rate, solar utility electricity rate, and taxes on output metrics such as net income, profit margin, subscriber savings, annual revenue and costs. A combination of the rate-design model and various sensitivity analyses suggest an ideal rate of $0.19/kWh for FCPR to charge to subscribers for the solar utility project. FCPR has already submitted an electricity rate of $0.21/kWh to the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. This team’s analysis shows that the $0.21/kWh rate will help realize significant subscriber savings and ensure the viability of the solar utility project over its initial lifespan of 10 years and beyond. This project is expected to yield $2,600 of annual savings in electricity payments for subscribers and lead to the abatement of 1076 MT CO2e annually.Item Open Access Study of Land Use Impacts and Options for Innovative Stormwater Management in a Rapidly Changing Watershed: Richland Creek, Wake County, North Carolina(2023-04) Fischer, Atalie; Sheldon, Jessica; Jacob, Natasha; Jing, YikaiThe Blue Ridge Corridor (BRC) in northwest Raleigh, NC is currently being redeveloped through a partnership between the Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance (BCRA) and the City of Raleigh. However, the scope of this development is unprecedented within the region and larger watershed of Richland Creek. Rapid urbanization can degrade water quality and functionality of these ecosystems. Our team’s goal is to provide a baseline for water quality and quantity in the watershed, assess land cover changes, develop a stormwater case study, and create a green stormwater framework that would provide guidance and opportunity for ecologically minded development. We analyzed and modeled recent and projected future land use and land cover change. Development in the Richland Creek Watershed has increased by 9.22% in the past 22 years, and an additional 24% of the watershed will become urbanized in the next 20 years, largely at the expense of forested land. Accelerating urban land pressures will require well-designed development to maintain water quality and ecosystem health. The results of our water quality and quantity assessment reveal signatures of increased urban land covers in Richland and Crabtree Creeks. Although rainfall has been constant, stream flow has increased, a change that can be attributed to runoff from increased impervious surface. Additionally, we see increased total hardness attributable to the weathering of asphalt, and increased turbidity attributable to the rapid transport of urban runoff. Improved monitoring of Richland and Crabtree Creek will help assessment of the watershed under increasing development. We modeled replacement of impervious surface cover (ISC) with pervious surfaces to determine how runoff could be reduced in current and future development. Decreasing ISC for three points of interest (POI) had varying effects, but overall decreased peak flows in all storm events. Development should focus on areas where a change in land cover does not greatly impact peak flows and avoid hydrologically sensitive areas. We identified relevant examples of green stormwater infrastructure that could be implemented in the corridor, outlined their benefits, and identified possible funding programs for their construction and maintenance. A public StoryMap was a step in the final synthesis of the project, which was to create a framework for ecologically minded development in the BRC. Our ArcGIS online StoryMap provides context of the project, overview of methods, results, and recommendations. Environmental and economic success of the Blue Ridge Corridor development will be more likely if engaged stakeholders possess a shared understanding of the development and how green infrastructure and low-impact design can reduce environmental costs and maximize environmental benefits throughout the project. This framework is achievable through the implementation of the following recommendations: (1) Maximize the use of green stormwater infrastructure throughout the BRC; (2) Regular monitoring of Richland Creek through placement of USGS gage; and, (3) Inform and engage stakeholders through creation of a publicly available StoryMap. These three steps address the findings, limitations, and next steps identified in the project. Incorporation of the framework into the BRC development plans is critical to the ecosystem health and resilience of the Richland Creek watershed.Item Open Access The Effects of Redlining on Residential Energy Efficiency and Resilience in Extreme Temperature Events(2024-04-26) Clapper, HaleyResidential energy efficiency is a component of individual and community resilience during extreme temperature events, especially extreme heat. Historic and lower-quality homes are often less energy efficient, requiring more time to heat up during cold events or cool down during heat events due to gaps in building envelopes. In the 1930s, the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), a U.S. government-sponsored organization tasked with refinancing home mortgages, developed residential security maps of over 200 U.S. cities to appraise neighborhoods based on the perceived lending risk associated with demographics, a practice known as “redlining.” Over several decades, redlined neighborhoods predominantly populated by low-income and non-white residents received less investment than non-redlined neighborhoods predominantly populated by wealthier white residents. This study explores how historical redlining has left a legacy of disinvestment in housing, which may contribute to inequities in residential energy efficiency compared to non-redlined neighborhoods. Using the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s ResStock tool, we modeled indoor temperature change in various building types over time under coincident extreme temperature and power outage scenarios. Additionally, we modeled energy efficiency upgrades to identify opportunities for enhancing building envelopes. We then examined performance differences for specific building types that are notably more or less prevalent in redlined and non-redlined neighborhoods in Durham, North Carolina. We identified several building types that were more prevalent in redlined areas and performed less efficiently on average compared to home types that were more prevalent in non-redlined areas. Lastly, we found that upgrades can enhance energy efficiency in homes, but further study is needed to elucidate potential differences in upgrade benefits between homes that are more prevalent in redlined areas compared to those more prevalent in non-redlined areas. Layered with other consequences of neighborhood disinvestment, such as urban heat island effects, these inequities can threaten human health, energy affordability, and overall resilience during extreme temperature events. Overall, this analysis provides insight into potential disparities underlying residential energy efficiency associated with redlining and spatial distributions of building characteristics, which could potentially inform policies and retrofit investments to build more equitable resilience in the face of future extreme temperature events.Item Open Access The Impact of State Early Childhood Programs and Child Protective Services Policies on Resilience Following Experiences of Child Maltreatment(2013) McCourt, SandraIn the largest known investigation to date of the prevalence of resilience following experiences of child maltreatment, a statewide, longitudinal sample of maltreated children was used to measure the prevalence of resilience, defined in this study as consistent competence over time and across multiple domains of functioning within the academic setting. In response to the relative paucity of resilience research using large samples, multiple domains of functioning, and longitudinal data, the current study measured resilience in a sample of over 150,000 children who were reported to child protective services agencies for suspected maltreatment. Functioning was measured within three distinct domains (academic performance, special education, and behavioral functioning) across a time period of up to 7 years. A sample of over 450,000 children with no known maltreatment history was used to compare relative rates of consistent competence over time and examine any differential effects on competence across groups. Approximately 18% of maltreated children exhibited consistently competent functioning in all domains across all available years of data, whereas approximately 35% of nonmaltreated children demonstrated consistent competence. County-level introduction of differential response policies investigating children's reported maltreatment was found to promote higher rates of competent functioning. In addition, relative levels of government expenditures in children's counties on two popular statewide early childhood programs (Smart Start and More At Four) were found to predict competent functioning for maltreated and nonmaltreated children alike. These findings suggest that child welfare policies aimed at identifying and assisting high-risk families in need of services and support and community programs targeted at improving children's early development and school readiness hold promise for improving adaptive functioning among maltreated children at high risk for experiencing difficulties in the school environment.
Item Open Access The Psychology of Shame: A Resilience Seminar for Medical Students.(MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources, 2020-12-24) Bynum, William E; Uijtdehaage, Sebastian; Artino, Anthony R; Fox, James WIntroduction
Shame is a powerful emotion that can cause emotional distress, impaired empathy, social isolation, and unprofessional behavior in medical learners. However, interventions to help learners constructively engage with shame are rare. This module educated medical students about shame, guided them through an exploration of their shame experiences, and facilitated development of shame resilience.Methods
In this 2-hour workshop, clinical-year medical students were guided through the psychology of shame through didactic slides. Next, a small panel of volunteer students, recruited and coached prior to the workshop, shared reflections on the content, including their shame experiences during medical school. This was followed by didactic slides outlining strategies to promote shame resilience. Participants then broke into faculty-led small groups to discuss session content. The module included a small-group facilitator guide for leading discussions on shame, didactic slides, discussion prompts, an evaluation tool, and a film entitled The Shame Conversation that was created after the initial workshop.Results
A retrospective pre/postsurvey revealed statistically significant increases in: (1) importance ascribed to identifying shame in one's self or colleagues, (2) confidence in one's ability to recover from a shame reaction, and (3) comfort in reaching out to others when shame occurs. Analysis of open-ended questions showed that students felt the seminar would enhance future resilience by helping them identify and normalize shame, distinguish shame from guilt, and reach out to others for help.Discussion
This workshop appears to prepare students to more constructively engage with shame when it occurs in medical training.