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Clarke, Joseph W. "The benefits of non-structural responses to flood risk." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.683734.
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Recent economic conditions and reduced funding, combined with the threat of climate change, mean that more innovative ways of protecting people and property from the impacts of flooding are needed, with current guidance seeking 'portfolios' of responses to flood risk. This thesis explores the evolving flood risk management system and the role of non-structural approaches to reducing risk by developing a conceptual model that incorporates a broad range of structural and non-structural responses, the linkages between them and the way they contribute to managing flood risk. The model enables coherent conversations about components of the flood risk management system with a joint understanding of how different options interact, to allow better decision-making and more effective communication of those decisions and the reasons behind them. Activities with no direct benefit play a vital role in this system by enabling or increasing the effectiveness of other responses. One such activity, the visualisation of flood risk, is explored through the development of a flood incident management visualisation tool. Using the model, high- level methodologies are developed to quantify the benefits of property-level responses (including resistance and resilience measures and the movement of possessions) and of Flood Incident Management enabling asset operation. These generic approaches are applied to specific national and local case studies, which identify scale-appropriate methods for deriving input data. These methods and the wider context that the conceptual model provides provide a useful step towards a consistent approach to quantifying the benefits of non-structural responses in a way that allows future work to build on that foundation.
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Luginsland, Timothy Ray 1962. "RISK PERCEPTIONS AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSES OF ARIZONA DAIRY PRODUCERS." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/276413.
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Van, der Ross Nolan Lloyd. "Disaster risk reduction in Namibia (flooding): responses and best practices." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021114.
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This study was undertaken in order to obtain an understanding of how Namibia in general, and the education sector in particular, deal with flood emergencies. The goal of the National Policy for Disaster Risk Management in Namibia (2009) is “to contribute to the attainment of sustainable development in line with Namibia’s Vision 2030 through strengthening national capacities to significantly reduce disaster risk and built community resilience to disasters” (Republic of Namibia, 2009). This goal was the starting point for determining the extent to which the Ministry of Education complies with these national standards, and for gauging, in the light of responses to flood emergencies so far, the Ministry’s preparedness and response capacities, in line with international frameworks that Namibia has ratified. This qualitative study is situated within the theory of resilience, and sustainable resilience particularly. To obtain some of the information sought, a non-probability sampling method was used to ‘hand-pick’ subjects within the Ministry of Education to be interviewed at their respective locations, nationally and regionally. Five education officials who were intimately involved in past responses to flood emergencies were interviewed – three in Oshana and Ohangwena Regions, and two at Head Office in Windhoek – by means of a semi-structured interview. In addition, a literature review was conducted. The conclusions drawn from both the literature review and the information obtained from the respondents accord with the research problem identified: the Ministry of Education does not appear to be adequately prepared for, and does not assign the necessary priority to deal with, flood emergencies in particular. Possible recommendations for uptake within the Ministry of Education include: mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction at all decentralized levels; sensitizing all education officials, school community members and relevant stakeholders to policy frameworks and accountability structures to strengthen resilience within school communities; deeming costed contingency planning a priority, and hence strengthening links between decentralized regional structures; and continuously monitoring implementation of designed interventions.
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Harrison, Woods Paula L. "Higher education institutions' responses to risk : a critical discourse analysis." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/17531/.
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Increased concerns about students who present a risk to self or others have been documented in the literature since the 1990s. In particular, concern has been expressed about students who self-harm and students with mental health difficulties (for a thorough overview of the range of issues affecting HEIs see Rana et al., 1999; Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2003; Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011). Much of the British research has focussed on the prevalence of different types of harmful or risky behaviour. Sector bodies have published guidance documents outlining key issues for institutions to address when responding to students who present a risk to self or others (AMOSSHE; 2000; Universities UK, 2002b; Universities UK, 2002a). Whilst the literature has provided guidance to the sector, there has been no detailed examination of the discourses which underpin concerns about risk or suggested institutional responses. This thesis uses critical discourse analysis to identify these discourses and consider their impact. The data consists of seven national guidance documents which inform practice in the sector and eighteen semi-structured interviews with staff from five universities. Nine key discourses are identified which can be split into two groups with one additional discourse: discourses about the Higher Education context, professional discourses and an additional student accountability discourse. Hilgartner’s (1992) relational theory of risk predicts that valuing different objects will result in the identification of different risks. Integrating this model with critical discourse analysis provides a way of understanding how discourses place different value on objects resulting in the identification of different risks. It is intended that this understanding will enable practitioners to reflect on the discourses they and their colleagues are using and consider alternative positions when responding to complex situations where students present a risk to self or others.
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Featherstone, Helen Clare. "Risk communication of climate change: stakeholder objectives and public responses." Thesis, University of the West of England, Bristol, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.490458.
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Climate change is a pressing issue today. Drastic policy change and individual behaviour change are required to mitigate and adapt to the changes. For this to be Implemented successfully the public must be engaged. There is a shortfall in qualitative research into public engagement with climate change where engagement Is defined in terms of cognitive, affective and behavioural responses. A case study was undertaken in Bristol, UK. Focus groups were used to examine public engagement with climate change.
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Ho, Kit-wah Kitty, and 何潔華. "At-risk students: an exploratory survey of secondary school responses." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1993. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31956415.
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Hussin, Mohd Rasid. "An examination of responses to risk in ASEAN industry and commerce." Thesis, Glasgow Caledonian University, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.307493.
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Wei, Marlynn H. "University Policy and Procedural Responses to Students at Risk of Suicide." Yale University, 2008. http://ymtdl.med.yale.edu/theses/available/etd-08282007-152235/.
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Colleges and universities have recently faced several lawsuits brought by parents of students who have committed suicide or made suicide attempts. The lawsuits are based on varying claims, including negligence, breach of contact, and discrimination. In crafting policies to respond to these lawsuits, universities should not simply seek limiting institutional liability but should balance the private interest of their students, the relationship of the school to parents of the students, requirements of due process, and their commitment to antidiscrimination principles. This paper focuses on the current procedural protections in university policies handling students at risk of suicide. I argue that suicidal ideation or attempt should not be treated as if the student has committed a disciplinary infraction, but should be treated as a mental health issue that should therefore not trigger a disciplinary proceeding. However, institutions should not be so quick to dismiss using disciplinary proceedings as a last resort since such a process affords students protections of minimal due process. I propose that the objectives of procedural due process, fairness, preserving the student-institutional relationship, and fact-finding in this situation should include an intermediate mediation step before resorting to disciplinary hearings or involuntary medical withdrawal.
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Daing, N. I. "Managerial responses to risk in capital budgeting under asymmetries of information." Thesis, University of Dundee, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.259949.
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Sahi, Maryam. "Investigation of drug-induced cell cycle responses in high-risk neuroblastoma." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för kemi, bioteknologi och hälsa (CBH), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-278577.
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The childhood cancer neuroblastoma mostly affects children under the age of 2 and comprises 6% of all childhood cancers. Neuroblastoma has very diverse phenotypes caused by both inter- and intra-tumour heterogeneities. The phenotypes are classified as being either low- or high-risk. This project focuses on high-risk NB cell lines with various chemotherapy sensitivity. Titration studies with chemotherapy agents cisplatin or doxorubicin showed a proneness of p53 mutated cell lines to arrest in either the S- and/or the G2/M-phase, depending on the drug and the drug dosage, indicating on a dose-dependent cell cycle response. To potentially inhibit the cells from arresting a treatment assay with 3 cell cycle key-components, pATM, Chk1 and Wee1 inhibitors was done. An initial immunocytochemistry staining of the expression levels of pATM and Wee1 showed that pATM was upregulated for 5 out 7 tested cell lines, namely SK-N-SH, SK-N-FI, Kelly, SK-N-DZ and BE(2)-C, upon chemotherapy treatment with doxorubicin. Wee1 was however only upregulated for 3 out 7 cell lines; Kelly, SK-N-DZ and BE(2)-C. The upregulation of pATM and Wee1 showed a potential confirmation of their involvement in CT induced cell cycle arrest. Upon inhibition of pATM, Chk1 and Wee1 diverse effects were observed for each cell line (SK-N-SH, SK-N-AS, SK-N-FI, Kelly, SK-N-DZ and BE(2)-C). Wee1 showed the most promising results were the cell viability decreased for all 5 p53 mutated cell lines and the confluency over time decreased for 4 out 5 p53 mutated cell lines. The p53 wild type cell line SK-N-SH was less sensitive towards Chk1 and Wee1 inhibition indicating that cell lines with functional p53 might not be as dependent on the Chk1 and Wee1 pathways compared to cell lines with non-functional p53. Thus, targeting the cell cycle arrest might be a promising therapeutic target for high-risk neuroblastoma.Barndomscancern neuroblastom utgör 6% av all barncancer. Majoriteten av de drabbade är under 2 år. Neuroblastom har en stor mångfald av fenotypiska utryck som orsakas av dess inter- och intra-tumör heterogenitet. Fenotyperna klassificeras antigen som låg- eller högrisk. Här har 7 högrisks-neutoblastom cellinjer med varierande grad av känslighet mot kemoterapi analyserats. Titreringsstudier med kemoterapierna cisplatin och doxorubicin påvisade en benägenhet för de p53 muterade cellinjerna att arrestera i S- och/eller i G2/M-fasen, beroende på behandlingen samt behandlingsdosen, vilket indikerar på en dos-beroende cellcykel respons. En behandlingsanalys med de 3 nyckelkomponenterna fosforylerat ATM, Chk1 samt Wee1 gjordes för att potentiellt inhibera cellerna från att arrestera. Efter en initial immunocytokemi infärgning av pATM samt Wee1 visade 5 av 7 cellinjer (SK-N-SH, SK-N-FI, Kelly, SK-N-DZ samt BE(2)-C) en uppreglering av pATM-uttryck till följd av doxorubicin behandling. Däremot var Wee1 endast uppreglerat för 3 av 7 cell linjer (Kelly, SK-N-DZ samt BE(2)-C). Uppregleringen av pATM och Wee1 påvisar ett potentiellt samband mellan kemoterapi-inducerad cellcykelarrest och ökat utryck av pATM och Wee1. Vid inhibering av pATM, Chk1 samt Wee1 gav Wee1 de mest lovande resultaten där cellviabiliteten minskade för samtliga 5 p53-muterade cellinjer och där konfluensen över tid minskade för 4 av 5 p53-muterade cellinjer. SK-N-SH med funktionerande p53 var mindre känslig gentemot Chk1 och Wee1 inhibering, vilket indikerar att cellinjer med funktionerande p53 inte är lika beroende av reaktionsvägarna för Chk1 och Wee1 jämfört med cellinjer som har icke-funktionerande p53. Därmed kan riktad behandling mot cellcykelarrest vara en lovande behandling för högrisks-neuroblastom.
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Daleo, Lisa. "Relations Among Adolescent Motherhood, Caregiving Experience, and Perceptual and Caregiving Responses to Infant Cries." Diss., Virginia Tech, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/26271.
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Prospective analyses suggest that young mothers may not be capable of perceptually discriminating between different infant cry stimuli. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the perceptual and caregiving responses of adolescent mothers to different infant cry stimuli. Twenty-five primiparous adolescents and 39 nulliparous adolescents listened to segments of three different infant cry types that varied in the amount of high-pitched, hyperphonation contained in the acoustic structure. Participants rated their responses to the low- and high-risk cries on perceptual rating scales, and selected a caregiving behavior in response to these same cries. Analyses of Variance showed that both groups of participants perceived the infant cry segments as more arousing, annoying, distressing, loud, and sick-sounding as the amount of hyperphonation increased across cries. Results also showed that adolescent mothers did not perceive high-risk cries as more arousing, annoying, urgent, loud, and sick-sounding than adolescents who were not mothers. However, primiparous participants perceived hyperphonated and partially-hyperphonated cries as less annoying and less loud than nulliparous adolescents. This study did not find significant differences between primiparous adolescents' and nulliparous adolescents' caregiving experiences. Chi-square analyses indicated no significant differences between the participant groups' caregiving response choice frequencies to all three infant cry types.Ph. D.
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Nagel, Barbara Jean. "Risk Comparisons: The Role of Self-Threat vs. Self-Affirmation in Shaping Responses to Social Comparative Risk Information." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1384505067.
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Burnett, Emma Jane. "Understanding risk perceptions and responses of the public, healthcare professionals and the media : the case of Clostridium difficile." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2015. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/ce827691-9027-449b-98ae-50b32c44c14c.
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My original contribution to knowledge is the emergence of an inductively derived conceptual framework that provides a generic account of the way in which people construct and communicate risk. Within this framework, a detailed contextual understanding of how this was applied to C.difficile is developed. Furthermore, in seeking to place responses to health risks in the wider social, cultural and political context, moving beyond a standard critique of media output, an understanding of both how and why the media report health-related risks helped identify ways in which the media can influence how people can construct and communicate about risks. The incidence and severity of C.difficile infection is increasing and it is one of the most common healthcare associated infections, posing a global threat to public health. With the occurrence of major outbreaks within the UK and elsewhere, fear, confusion and unsafe infection prevention and control practices continue to exist among the public and healthcare professionals. Consequently, C.difficile is of particular interest to the media, being the focus of much media reporting. How the public perceive and respond to a health-related risk is shaped by a range of socially and contextually structured evaluations and interpretations, based on a range of factors such as availability heuristics, direct and indirect experiences and social influences, particularly those emanating from the media. Expert risk perceptions and responses on the other hand, are sometimes supposed to be more veridical than those of the public because they are based on calculations of scientific probabilities. Risk perceptions and responses however are context dependent and therefore to be understood, need to be considered within the context that they are perceived and experienced. There is currently little risk perception empirical research to draw upon within the context of C.difficile. The aim of this study was to explore risk perceptions and responses of the public and healthcare professionals within the context of C.difficile and to examine the role of the media in health-related risk reporting. This qualitative study adopted three approaches to data collection: a media coverage analysis of a major C.difficile outbreak, focus groups with the public and healthcare professionals in two geographical areas (an outbreak versus a non-outbreak area), and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with media professionals. The media coverage analysis found that the media portrayed key individuals involved in the outbreak as victims, villains and heroes. These ‘characters’ evolved as the outbreak progressed and new information became available. Such representations were frequently used as a backdrop for the public and healthcare professionals in order to support or refute their perceptions about C.difficile. For the public and healthcare professionals, the consequence of C.difficile and why it occurred was much more salient than estimations of the probability or likelihood of it occurring. Conceptual factors that were found to be important in influencing perceptions included: feelings of vulnerability; attribution of responsibility; judgements about competence; and evaluations of risk communicators. Media professionals were seen as important risk communicators in the focus groups, however they saw themselves as predominantly story tellers and entertainers, rather than ‘educators’. They also believed themselves to be advocates for the public whereby they uncover information that officialdom would seek to keep hidden. What emerged from this study was a coherent, structured and generic account of how various stakeholders construct and communicate about risk. Within this conceptual structuring, a detailed contextual understanding of how this was applied by the public and healthcare professionals around C.difficile was gained. Findings indicate that uncertainty, fear and confusion about C.difficile exist that appear to be influenced by a range of contextual factors such as indirect and direct experiences, social interaction and the media. If risk management and communication strategies are to influence the desired and effective responses towards C.difficile and wider health-related risks, those responsible for managing and communicating risk must consider already established risk perceptions in addition to the factors that have influenced such risk perceptions.
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Taylor, Kenneth. "Genetic science in the risk society : contrasting responses of government and public." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.432581.
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Sanchez, André Luís. "Ecological risk assessment in pesticide contamination scenarios: from individuals to ecosystems responses." Universidade de São Paulo, 2016. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/18/18139/tde-06102016-101708/.
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Ecological risk assessment (ERA) studies are important to assess environmental changes that have been caused by anthropogenic activities. These integration models show the estimation of adverse risk effects across the levels of biological organization potentially exposed to perturbation, including a better understanding of the ecosystems complexity. It is well known that the pesticide have severe environment effects contributing to biodiversity loss and trophic levels changes. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the ecological risk assessment in pesticide contamination scenarios for aquatic and terrestrial compartments. To attempt it direct and indirect effects on individual response for different biological organization and for multi trophic interactions responses with ecosystems models were evaluated. Thus the environmental impacts in relation to losses and changes of the ecosystems functions and services were analyzed. For this purpose, a risk scenario was designed to compare the Ivermectin contamination exposure routes, via dermal (soil) and oral (food) on Eisenia fetida reproduction tests. An experimental approach was constructed to characterise the effects of the fungicide Scala® (Pyrimethanil) in spraying application comparing to homogenous soil application on a constructed soil multi-species test system. n experiment was performed to reported the effects of the fungicide Mythos® (Pyrimethanil) with terrestrial plant test followed by elutriate test with non-targets freshwater organisms and avoidance test with soil invertebrates and quantify the ecosystems services framework. A holistic higher tier fungicide risk assessment was done with terrestrial and aquatic responses and trophic levels with multitrophic interactions in ecosystem models and supplementary with individuals\' responses. The results obtained suggest that the analyzed reproduction parameters for earthworms were affected with the increase of ivermectin concentrations with statistical significant differences between the contamination exposure routes. The fungicide pyrimethanil has adverse effect on soil invertebrates\' response for the application and spatial distribution with the habitat preferences and foraging abilities has affected directly or indirectly by the fungicide toxicity. The impacts by the runoff and leaching pesticides into adjacent water bodies and surrounding soil showed changes in the organism\'s structure with changes and loss in the provisioning, regulatory and supporting services. The integrated holistic four-tiered fungicide risk assessment showed the possible impacts and the adverse effects on the terrestrial and aquatic organisms, ecosystems and processes in the simulate scenarios. From the results, it is possible to conclude that the experiments performed crossed the multiple aspects of contaminations and show the individuals to ecosystems responses approaches using the exposure routes of contamination, multi trophic interactions of experimental ecosystems models, behavioral, individual and some comparatives responses with aquatic and terrestrial compartments in risk assessment. Furthermore, this study are an important register for the deleterious effects and responses to impacts of pesticides, prompting the possible environmental losses and changes of the ecosystems functions and services in disturbances areas.Os estudos de avaliação de risco ecológico consistem em avaliar os riscos ecológicos ocasionados pelas diversas atividades antropogênicas a um determinado sistema. Essa abordagem de integração reporta a estimativa dos efeitos de risco adverso através dos níveis de organização biológica potencialmente expostos a pertubação, incluindo assim uma melhor compreensão da complexidade dos ecossistemas. É bem conhecido que os pesticidas possuem efeitos nocivos ao meio ambiente, contribuindo para a perda de biodiversidade e mudanças nos níveis tróficos. A partir dessa análise, o objetivo geral desse estudo foi uma avaliação de risco ecológico em cenários de contaminação por pesticidas em relação aos compartimentos terrestres e aquáticos. Para tanto, foram avaliados os efeitos diretos e indiretos sobre as respostas individuais para diferentes níveis de organização biológica e para as interações multitróficas através de modelos ecossistêmicos. Assim, foram analisados os impactos ambientais em relação as perdas e mudanças das funções e serviços dos ecossistemas. Para esse propósito, foram desenvolvidos cenários de risco em relação as rotas de exposição do antiparasitário Ivermectin para a minhoca Eisenia fetida em relação a testes de reprodução, através da via dermal (solo) e oral (comida). Foi construída uma abordagem experimental para caracterizar os efeitos do fungicida Scala® (Pyrimethanil), comparando a aplicação através de pulverização por spray com a aplicação homogênea no solo em um sistema terrestre multiespécies. Experimentos foram realizados para reportar os efeitos do fungicida Mythos® (Pyrimethanil) em plantas terrestres alvo, seguidos por teste com elutriato com organismos de água doce não-alvo e testes de fuga com invertebrados terrestres não-alvo e uma quantificação dos serviços ecossistêmicos. Foi realizada uma avaliação de risco holística do fungicida pyrimethanil com respostas dos organismos terrestres e aquáticos e das interações tróficas através dos modelos ecossistêmicos e complementados com respostas individuais. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que os parâmetros de reprodução para as minhocas foram afetados com o aumento das concentrações de ivermectina com diferenças estatísticas significativas entre as rotas de exposição a contaminação. O fungicida pyrimethanil mostrou efeitos adversos sobre os invertebrados terrestres para as aplicações do pesticida e para a distribuição espacial, sendo as preferências de habitat e habilidade de forageio direta ou indiretamente afetadas pela toxicidade do fungicida. Os possíveis impactos do runoff e lixiviação nos corpos de água e solos adjacentes mostram mudanças na estrutura da comunidade com mudanças e perdas nos serviços ecossistêmicos de provisão, regulação e suporte. A avaliação de risco holística mostrou os impactos e efeitos adversos sobre os organismos terrestres e aquáticos, ecossistemas e processos nos diferentes cenários de simulação. Ao analisar os dados obtidos é possível concluir que os experimentos realizados permeiam os múltiplos aspectos da contaminação por pesticidas, mostrando respostas de indivíduos a ecossistemas através das rotas de exposição da contaminação, interações multitróficas a partir dos experimentos de modelos ecossistêmicos, respostas individuais, comportamentais e comparativas com os sistemas terrestres e aquáticos em avaliações de risco ecológico. Portanto, esse estudo se apresenta como um importante registro dos efeitos deletérios e das respostas dos impactos por pesticidas, levando a possíveis perdas e mudanças das funções e serviços ecossistêmicos em áreas com distúrbios.
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Ilesanmi, Kehinde Damilola. "Systemic risk, financial stability, and macroprudential policy responses in emerging African economies." Thesis, University of Zululand, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10530/1992.
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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law, in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Economics at the University of Zululand, 2019.The extent of the damage caused by the 2007/08 global financial crisis (GFC) has forced policymakers all over the world to respond promptly in order to mitigate its effect, a process in which they are still engaged in, particularly in advanced economies. The main objective of this study is to measure systemic risk in African emerging economies and develop a macroprudential regulatory framework to mitigate or limit the effect of such risk. More specifically, the study intends to1) Developing financial stress index (FSI) for the Emerging African economy; 2) Investigate the possibility of Early Warning Signal (EWS) helping in predicting and preventing or minimising the effects of the crisis on financial institutions; 3) Assess the resilience of individual banking companies to adverse macroeconomic and financial market conditions using stress testing technique; 4) Identify the source of fluctuation within the system; 5) Identify and measure systemic risk emanating from the capital flow (surge) as well as its effects on financial stability. This study contributed to the body of knowledge by measuring systemic risk in emerging African economies. To the best of my knowledge, there have not been any studies that have been conducted for the measure of systemic risk with the context of emerging African economies. The target economies include South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya. The first objective of the study is to construct a financial stress index (FSI) for emerging African economies. The FSI which is aimed at revealing the functionality of the financial system a single aggregate indicator that is constructed to reflect the systemic nature of financial instability and as well to measure the vulnerability of the financial system to both internal and external shocks. The result shows that both the domestic and international shocks created uncertainty in the economies under consideration. On the international scene, we have the financial crisis while on the domestic scene; we have slow growth, banking crisis, energy crisis, labour crisis, coupled with political uncertainty. The FSI is also useful and appropriate as the dependent variable in an early signal warning model, and as well be used to gauge the effectiveness of government measures to mitigate financial stress. The models forecasting performance was tested using the ordinary least square methods and it affirmed that the model is reliable and that the FSI can be used for prediction of a future crisis. v The aim of the second objective is to develop an early warning signal (EWS) model to predict the possibility of the occurrence of a financial crisis in emerging African countries. The multinomial logit model built by Bussiere and Fratzscher (2006) was adopted to afford policy makers ample time to prevent or mitigate potential financial crisis. In summary, the result suggests that emerging African economies are more likely to face financial crisis as debts continue to rise without a corresponding capacity to withstand capital flow reversal as well as excessive FX risk due to currency exposure. The result further indicates that rising debt exposure increases the probability or likelihood of the economies remaining in a state of crisis. This result confirms the significance of a financial stability framework that fits Africa’s emerging economies characteristics such as rising debt profile liquidity and currency risk exposure. The third objective is to test the resilience of the financial sector using stress testing technique. Macro stress testing is a multi-step simulation process aimed at estimating the impact of credit risk shock on macroeconomic as well as financial sectors. In this study, a two-step approach was employed in this chapter. The first step involves analyzing the determinants of credit risk in 4 Emerging African economies during the period 2006m1 to 2012m12 using the panel Auto Regressive Distribution Lag (ARDL) model. Second, the vector autoregressive (VAR) models were employed to assess the resilience of the financial system as well as the economy to adverse credit risk shocks. The result shows that all the variables under both the macro and financial model jointly determine credit risk, although when examined on an individual basis only, UMP, IBR, and INF have a significant impact on NPL in the long run. For the macro stress testing, the VAR methodology was employed to stress test the emerging African economy financial sector and the result indicated that there a significant relationship between changes in output gap (GAP) and the nonperforming loans. A significant relationship was also established between inflation and nonperforming loans. In all, South Africa and Nigeria’s financial system seems more resilient to credit losses associated with this scenario without threatening financial stability compared to Kenya and Egypt. The fourth objective examined the sources of capital flows surge and their impact on macroeconomic variables. This study employed a ��−�������� to investigate the source capital flow surge within the system. The main findings of the result indicate that capital flow, which is vi proxied by FDI, is influenced by a wide variety of macroeconomic variables such as inflation, export growth and unemployment. There is therefore need for the implementation of capital controls framework tame massive capital inflows. Nevertheless, such a mechanism should not undermine the impact of capital inflows on employment, growth and financial stability. The fifth objective of the study is aimed at identifying and measuring the sources of systematic risk and its impact on the stability of the financial system using the Conditional Value-at-Risk methodology. The main finding of the study indicates that at the normal and extreme event the banking sector contributes positively and significantly to the real economy for all the countries except for Nigeria at the extreme event or 1 percent quantile. This study, therefore, concludes that the banking sector, stock market volatility contributes greatly to systemic risk in emerging African economies. The individual bank also contributes significantly to systemic risk for all the economies although the magnitudes are relatively different across economies. This finding is of great interest to policymakers since it shows that the banking sectors as well as stock market volatility have a negative impact on the real economy. This result is plausible as the banking and financial sector for most emerging economies constitute a greater proportion of the real economy. There is, therefore, need for a regulatory framework to reduce risk emanating from the banking sector as well as the financial markets. In summary, due to huge capital flows and rising debt level in emerging African economies, there is, therefore, a need for a macroprudential policy that will fit African economies as well as the implementation of capital controls framework tame massive capital inflows. Efforts should be made to reduce the rising debts profile of most countries and that will require a greater level of commitment from their respective government and central banks. However, these should be in the interest of the growth and stability of the financial system and the real economy at large. In the case of the banking sector, since it has a great impact on triggering systemic risk, more effort should be utilized to continue to monitor its performance so that potential risk can be detected early and nip in the bud.
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Aldhous, Marian C. "T-cell mediated immune responses in children at risk of HIV infection." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/21637.
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This thesis describes the cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses in a cohort of HIV-infected (HIV+ve) children, in relation to their clinical disease progression. CTL responses are thought to be one of the major mechanisms by which primary HIV-viraemia is cleared and clinical stability maintained. CTL activity was measured against four HIV gene products (gag, tat, pol, env). Three patterns of CTL activity were seen in the HIV+ve children: (i) CTL activity against HIV-pol, -gag and/or -env; (ii) CTL activity against HIV-tat and/or -pol; (iii) No CTL activity detected. These different patterns appear to relate to different patterns of clinical disease progression. CTL activity was also detected in HIV-ve (but exposed) children, but the specificity was predominantly to HIV-env. Stimulation of PBMCs with peptides of specific CTL epitopes of HIV resulted in a change in specificity of CTL recognition. These data suggest that the specificity of the CTL response may be related to clinical progression of the child, and that different CTL responses are obtained by different methods of stimulation of PBMCs. Changes in lymphocyte surface marker expression in peripheral blood were investigated to see if any phenotype was related to CTL activity, or was indicative of the infection status of the child, or disease progression. Activated, memory, CD8+ T cell populations were markedly increased soon after birth in HIV+ve children and remained so throughout infection. An increase in the proportion of the activated or memory CD4+ T cells may indicate an imminent and accelerated CD4+ cell loss, and subsequent progression to AIDS. The results indicate that the HIV+ve children showed anti-HIV responses through different mechanisms. It is possible that these may contribute to the immunopathogenic effects seen in HIV infection and affect the clinical patterns of disease progression in individual children.
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Schry, Amie R. "Behavioral Responses and Risk Detection in Sexual Encounters: A Study on the Effects of Social Anxiety and a Brief Intervention." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/51628.
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Sexual victimization among college women is a common problem. This two-part study sought to examine social interaction anxiety as a risk factor of sexual victimization and to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a computer-based risk reduction program. A total of 1095 undergraduate females completed an online survey to assess social anxiety as a risk factor (study part I), a subsample of whom (n = 136, including 51 above the clinical cutoff on a social anxiety measure and 85 below the cutoff) completed the subsequent in-lab study (study part II). During study part II, participants were randomly assigned to either receive a computer-based risk reduction program or an educational program on campus resources (control condition), and their predicted use of resistance techniques was assessed both before and after their assigned program. Participants also responded to an audio recording of a sexual assault vignette to assess risk detection. After controlling for past victimization and depression, social interaction anxiety was not related to predicted use of assertive resistance techniques or to risk detection. However, social anxiety positively predicted use of passive resistance techniques at the lowest level of unwanted sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling) in a series of three escalating sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling, genital fondling, and rape threat). No participants dropped out of the study, and ratings on a questionnaire assessing acceptability of the risk reduction program were positive. Program condition predicted change scores for predicted use of assertive resistance at a low level of unwanted sexual advances (i.e., breast fondling) such that the control group decreased in predicted use of assertive resistance significantly more than the risk reduction program group. Additionally, the risk reduction program group had significantly better risk detection compared to the control group. Therefore, support for the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the risk reduction program was found. The finding that the control group decreased significantly more than the risk reduction program group in assertive resistance between the two story administrations is important because assertive resistance techniques tend to be the most effective in reducing risk of completed sexual victimization. Therefore, it is important that risk reduction programs encourage women to use assertive resistance. Clinical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.Ph. D.
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Eggers, Sönke. "Behaviour and life-history responses to chick provisioning under risk of nest predation." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala University, Population Biology, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-3077.
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This thesis examines risk management in breeding Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus), which is indigenous to the northern taiga. Parent behaviour and the nest are cryptic. A new nest is built each year. It is placed on spruce or pine branches close to the trunk and well insulated with lichens, feathers and reindeer hair.
Nest failure rate was the main factor driving annual variations in jay numbers. The probability for nesting attempts to be successful ranged annually between 0.08 and 0.70. Nest predation was rampant and a main cause of nest failure. Nest predators were mainly other corvids (primarily the Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius). Habitat quality was the main factor determining the risk of predation. The risk for nest failure due to predation was higher in thinned forests with an open structure and with a high abundance of man-associated corvid species (jays, crows, raven).
Siberian jay parents show several strategic adjustments in life-history and behaviour to the risk of nest predation. Parents traded reduced feeding rates for a lower predation risk and allocated feeding to low risk situations. Chick provisioning imposes a cost by drawing the attention of visually hunting predators to the location of nests, and parents adjusted their daily routines and avoided exposure by allocating provisioning to times of low activity among nest predators. These strategic adjustments of feeding efforts were estimated to reduce the exposure to nest predators by 26 percent. Also, parents adjusted their reproductive efforts to the perceived presence of predators in a playback experiment. Siberian jays reduced their reproductive investment by laying a smaller clutch size when high risk of nest predation reduced the value of current reproduction, as predicted from life-history theory.
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Huang, Jennifer C. "Sociocultural contexts of Asian American/Pacific Islander women's HIV risk enhancing/reducing responses." View online ; access limited to URI, 2004. http://0-wwwlib.umi.com.helin.uri.edu/dissertations/dlnow/3137073.
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Hashemi-Nejad, Nasser. "Responses to combined effects of physical and psychosocial risk factors associated with WRULDs." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.272761.
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Harries, Tim. "Householder responses to flood risk : the consequences of the search for ontological security." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2008. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/13589/.
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As the recent floods in the UK have shown, most householders in at-risk areas are not prepared for floods. In fact, even amongst those who know they are at risk, less than 10% have taken any practical steps to prepare for flooding. This research attempts to explain that phenomenon by examining the effects of the rhetorical strategies that lay-people employ to help them cope with household flood risk. Looking at at-risk householders who have been flooded, as well as at those who have not, it combines close textual analysis of spoken interviews with secondary analysis of survey data to identify the rationalities that structure lay-people's talk and behaviour on the issue of flood risk. The low take-up of mitigation measures, it concludes, can be explained by the fact that householders prioritise the reduction of anxiety over the reduction of the risk of physical harm. Anxiety is familiar, predictable and causes immediate harm; flooding is unfamiliar to most residents, is unpredictable and is represented as difficult to control. As a result, householders eschew mitigation measures if they are uncertain of their efficacy and if they feel they will make them more anxious. Instead, they choose to protect a representation of life that enables them to feel secure. If state agencies are to influence householder responses to flood risk, it is suggested, they need to understand this rationale and to work with it. In order to increase the take-up of mitigation measures they should minimise the anxiety associated with taking mitigation measures - avoiding messages that provoke fear responses, making flood risk mitigation seem a normal part of home security and providing householders with individually tailored advice so that they feel less anxious about making a mistake when they choose which measures to implement.
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Placier, Peggy Lou. "The meanings of "at-risk": Reform rhetoric and policy responses in U.S. education." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/184891.
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Description of students as at-risk became a trend in educational policy and programming in the late 1980s. The term at risk was originally part of the specialized discourse of medicine and psychology, and related subfields of education such as special education and educational psychology. Due to the influence of national reform reports, the term at risk became more common in the discourse of policymakers and practitioners. It was used as a descriptor of students, often low-income and/or minority students, likely to fail or drop out of school. This study employed methods from sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and policy analysis to trace the uses and meanings of at risk through national reports, state education policies in Arizona, and district policies in a medium-sized Arizona school district with both rural and suburban schools. Analysis of reports and recorded interviews with state policymakers, district administrators, principals, and teachers identified differences in the meanings of at risk at different levels of the educational system. Groups at each level had particular interests in students, as reflected in their definitions of the problems of at-risk students and their policy recommendations. The most common consequences for students of being labelled at-risk were to be removed from the mainstream for special treatment, despite arguments of some researchers and theorists that educators need to rethink such approaches.
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Elmieh, Negar. "Public health responses to West Nile virus : the role of risk perceptions and behavioral uncertainty in risk communication and policy." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/7206.
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Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases provide a challenge to public health in that the frequency, location, duration, and severity of the disease and outbreak are not always readily identifiable. In the absence of such information, the need to understand what drives risk perceptions, risk trade-offs, and heterogeneity in population behaviors becomes important in designing effective and appropriate risk communications, public health messages, and interventions. In this thesis, four studies are described that examine risk perceptions, risk trade-offs, and behavioral uncertainties as they relate to West Nile virus (WNV) prevention and control strategies. In Chapter 2, the health belief model was used to examine the influence of health beliefs and demographics on health behaviors recommended to reduce the risk of WNV. Results showed that health beliefs and subsequent behaviors varied based on the perceived risk and disease context. Respondents were more likely to engage in recommended health behaviors if they received timely information, understood the benefits of a particular behavior, and lived in areas exposed to WNV. Chapter 3 explored behavioral and demographic risk factors associated with risk perceptions of WNV and WNV interventions. Unique associations were found which merit further study to understand the extent of their relationships. In Chapter 4, risk trade-offs of WNV interventions were examined between laypeople and health experts using multi-criteria decision analyses. Laypeople perceived some WNV interventions to be more effective than health experts reported them to be. Health experts were most concerned about the effectiveness of such interventions. This showed that laypeople were more willing to make risk trade-offs given the scenario. In Chapter 5, probabilistic modeling techniques were used to characterize variability and uncertainty in population, environmental, pesticide, and exposure characteristics. By modeling a realistic mosquito abatement campaign, we found that children under 6 are potentially at risk of exposure to malathion levels that exceed standards set by Canadian and US regulatory agencies. Together, these studies highlight the importance of targeted programs and risk communications to specific sub-populations bridging knowledge gaps. Though the findings are specific to WNV, their implications are far-reaching and useful in preparing for other emerging and re-emerging diseases.
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Maina, Sandra. "Adaptation Preferences and Responses to Sea Level Rise and Land Loss Risk in Southern Louisiana: a Survey-based Analysis." FIU Digital Commons, 2014. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1424.
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Currently, southern Louisiana faces extreme land loss that could reach an alarming rate of about one football sized swath of land every hour. The combined effect of land subsidence and predicted sea level rise threaten the culture and livelihood of the residents living in this region. As the most vulnerable coastal population in Louisiana, the communities of south Terrebonne Parish are called to adapt by accommodating, protecting, or retreating from the impacts of climate change. For effective preparation planning, the state of Louisiana needs to 1) understand the adaptation preferences and responses of these residents and 2) involve these vulnerable communities in adaptation related decision making. The study uses a survey-based methodology to analyze current adaptation preferences. Findings suggest that protection is the preferred adaptation response. The present study additionally uses participatory techniques to develop a land loss awareness mobile application to illustrate the importance and benefits of community collaboration.
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Sou, Gemma. "The relationship between risk perceptions and responses in disaster-prone cities of the Global South." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2015. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-relationship-between-risk-perceptions-and-responses-in-disasterprone-cities-of-the-global-south(cdf3aeb4-f450-478b-a0a3-462ca9e3d590).html.
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This research takes a social constructivist approach to investigate the relationship between people’s perceptions of disaster risk and their responses in disaster-prone cities of the Global South. This is important because the effects of risk perceptions on the ways that people respond to disaster risk remains unclear and has been labelled ‘weak’ within the disaster studies literature. Furthermore, this lack of clarity has contributed to the marginalisation of people at risk from contributing to interventions that address disaster risk, which this research finds problematic. Therefore, a better understanding of how people perceive their risk and how this shapes their responses would help inform more effective and multi-scalar interventions to address disaster risk. The research takes place in three adjacent neighbourhoods of Cochabamba city, Bolivia. Within this ‘case site’, the house is used as a methodological tool to investigate how people’s risk perceptions shape their responses to disaster risk. In particular, the research explores how risk perceptions influence the way people design and construct self-build houses in order to reduce their risk of a disaster. The focus on housing construction represents a novel way of exploring the relationship between risk perceptions and disaster risk-reduction behaviour. The research takes place in the context of persistent, low-intensity natural hazards that are linked to disaster risk which incrementally increases over time. This marks a shift away from the many studies that investigate rapid-onset, extreme hazards that quickly overwhelm people’s capabilities and which are associated with crisis and urgency. Additionally, the research is concerned with small-scale disasters, which again marks a shift away from the disaster studies literature which principally focuses on large-scale disasters that result in many casualties, large economic loss and which affect a large geographical area. The research ultimately shows that whether a risk perception is high or low is not the most important factor; rather, it is an individual’s awareness and understanding of disaster risk that encourages long-term and anticipatory strategies that require significant investments in the house. Furthermore, the research argues that research which describes the relationship between risk perceptions and responses as ‘weak’ forecloses the nuances and complexity of human behaviour in disaster-prone contexts because it does not capture the subtle yet important ways that risk perceptions shape responses.
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Mitchell, Julia Ann. "Antibody responses to ectoparasitic arthropods as an indication of exposure history and disease risk." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.430391.
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The prevalence of human IgG antibodies able to recognise several different mosquito species salivary extracts was compared in individuals of all ages living at varying altitudes and during varying seasonal mosquito exposures. Antibody prevalence was correlated with altitude and the age of the individual, although seasonal variations of mosquito exposures did not conclusively indicate the ability to distinguish short-term increases in vector exposure. The salivary antigens of Anopheles gambiae were characterised by molecular weight some eliciting stronger more frequent host antibody recognition. Similarly, prevalence of deer IgG antibodies capable of recognising tick Ixodes recinus salivary antigens was compared in animals of all ages and of different geographical location in the UK. Deer antibody prevalence was not correlated with tick exposure or with animal age although there were differences in host responses. The salivary antigens of I. ricinus were also characterised by molecular weight and as with mosquito salivary products some antigens elicited stronger and more frequent deer antibody recognition. Thus, serological markers of host vector exposure may offer an alternative method most certainly in assessing mosquito density exposure of humans and identified I. ricinus antigens may be of use in the development of tick vaccines.
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Hawkins, Janet. "An evaluation of ethnic differences in responses to an adult abuse risk factor questionnaire." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1993. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/666.
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Kearns, Laura J. "Avian Responses to Predator Communities in Fragmented, Urbanizing Landscapes." The Ohio State University, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1338319171.
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MacDonald, Susan Hardie. "Alternative Responses to the Orange County Bankruptcy: An Inquiry into the Images Underlying Theory." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/28808.
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The bankruptcy of the government of Orange County, California in 1994 is treated as a case study depicting a potentially critical problem emerging for democracies. The analysis links finan-cial and fiduciary perspectives by re-examining the actions of Orange County officials and citi-zens through three separate analytical frames: the dynamics of economic globalization; citizen engagement through the channel of civil society; and the theory of risk--both its nature generally and its financial aspect specifically. The conclusion reached is that globalization has made con-tingency and uncertainty ubiquitous and this indicates that the practice of governance in its pub-lic administration dimension should include a return to pragmatic, process approaches to policy and implementation.Ph. D.
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Christianson, David Alan. "Risk effects in Elk (Cervus elaphus) behavioral and nutritional responses to wolves and environmental conditions /." Thesis, Montana State University, 2008. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2008/christianson/ChristiansonD0508.pdf.
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Until recently, predators have been though to regulate prey primarily through direct predation, in ecosystems where top down effects have been shown to be important. However, experiments and recent empirical observations show that the costs of antipredator responses in individuals that successfully avoid predation can exert equal or larger driving forces on population dynamics than the numerical effect of direct predation. Such a mechanism has not been explored in a large terrestrial vertebrate. I explored the antipredator responses of elk (Cervus elaphus) to wolves (Canis lupus) in the Upper Gallatin Canyon of southwest Montana, USA, December through May in the winters of 2003-2006. First I reviewed elk winter diet studies to understand what drives elk foraging behavior. Next I modeled the consequences of diet shifts in grazing and browsing on mass dynamics in wintering female elk. I also developed a new nutritional index, fecal chlorophyll, that I used primarily between winter and spring periods of nutrition as foraging constraints (and costs of antipredator response) would be quite different between these two periods. Specifically, I measured foraging behavior, diet selection, and nutrient balance in wintering elk and monitored daily predation risk as wolves moved naturally, in and out of four creek drainages that formed the primary winter range. Elk showed great sensitivity to fine-scale descriptions of wolf predation risk in nearly every response variable. In particular, adult female elk increased browsing on woody stems, sagebrush, and confers while adult males showed the opposition response and increased grazing on days when wolves were present in the same drainage. This work implies that predator may in fact play a large role in ecosystems including ecosystems where predators were deemed non-influential and bottom up effects important.
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Gunning, Melanie D. "Maternal Psychosocial Risk, Foetal Responding, Newborn Regulation and Infant Responses to Interactive Mismatch and Repair." Thesis, University of Reading, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.485350.
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Geaves, Linda Helen. "Public priorities and public goods : the drivers and responses to transitions in flood risk management." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2016. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6a5de60c-1920-403e-aaf7-0c8b8655edef.
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This thesis examines the role of the public in Flood Risk Management (FRM) service provision at a time when the perceptions of the distribution of benefits provided by FRM interventions are in flux, and the role the public should play in FRM highly contested among stakeholders. Two schemes have marked the revised role of the public in FRM - Partnership Funding and Flood Re - both of which challenge existing judgments of the excludability and rivalry of benefits delivered by FRM interventions. The Partnership Funding scheme allocates capital for FRM projects proportionately to the public benefits they provide, allowing communities to top-up grants through local contributions. In comparison, by increasing accessibility to affordable insurance through cross-subsidies and pricing signals, Flood Re highlights a growing recognition that the distribution of gains as a result of widespread insurance uptake is greater than the benefits received by the policyholder alone. Following the identification of these schemes, we tested their social feasibility, examining both the scale and distribution of benefits. Due to the different stages of implementation of each scheme at the time of writing this thesis, two distinct methods were developed. The Partnership Funding Chapter used field data to examine how public-private funding of flood defences has changed service provision and the public acceptance of this transition. Whereas the Flood Re chapter used computer-based experiments to hypothesize how Flood Re may make the purchase of insurance a more or less attractive investment for different types of consumer. We found that Partnership Funding enabled more FRM projects to go ahead, raised public awareness of flood risk, and improved collaboration between stakeholders, but encouraged lower-cost projects, which, in the longer term, could transfer the expense of managing residual risk to the householder. In comparison, Flood Re provided peace of mind to householders struggling to afford rises in insurance premiums, but disproportionately benefited those who annually purchased insurance. Combining this proposed inequity in Flood Re with increasing residual risks, we identify a gap in service provision for the public who cannot afford household mitigation measures. We propose that loss mitigation and flood defence should become increasingly collaborative in line with the complexities of flooding within a community. We seek a move away from the information asymmetry which currently exists between insurance providers and policyholders, and yet simultaneously call for local authorities to recognise the capacity of the public to participate in FRM, and sustain resilience in the face of rising flood risk.
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Kelsey, Kira Q. "Familial history of hypertension : hemodynamic responses to exercise in children." Virtual Press, 1996. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1020150.
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Hypertension afflicts one in four American adults and is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that a family history of hypertension is an important predictor of future hypertension. Two hemodynamic factors control blood pressure (BP); cardiac output (CO) and total peripheral resistance (TPR). Although children of hypertensive parents may exhibit normal levels of these hemodynamic variables at rest, the response of these variables during exercise stress may differ. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate whether children with a positive family history of hypertension exhibit an exaggerated BP response due to either an increased CO or an attenuated decrease in TPR during dynamic submaximal exercise compared to children of normotensive parents. Eleven children 12.2 ± 1.8 yr (M ± SE) of normotensive parents and 11 children 12.0 ± 2.4 yr of at least one hypertensive parent completed an orientation session, graded maximal cycle ergometer test, and a submaximal exercise bout consisting of 6 minutes of steady state cycling at 50 and 80% of maximal heart rate reserve. Blood pressure, CO and TPR were measured during the last 3 minutes of each submaximal exercise stage. An independent t-test was used to determine differences in the resting measures. The changes in TPR, BP and CO from rest through 80% intensity stage were examined using a twoway (group x intensity) ANOVA. The groups were evenly matched for age, weight, height, and body fatness. The children with a positive family history of hypertension had significantly higher resting systolic BP, diastolic BP (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) (p<0.05) compared to those children with a negative family history. Although there were no significant interactions among any of the variables studied, there was a tendency for TPR to be higher (p>0.05) at rest and throughout exercise in the positive history group. MAP and DBP were significantly higher in the positive family history group at rest and remained higher throughout exercise. In conclusion children of hypertensive parents exhibit a modest but significantly higher MAP and DBP at rest and during submaximal exercise. This subtle difference in BP control reflects an early trend toward increased TPR.School of Physical Education
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Le, Rouge Mary Frances. "How Literate Responses to Technical Communication Can Promote Practical Responses to Environmental Change." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1622204365670828.
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Zbogar, Dominik. "Cardiovascular disease risk and central and peripheral responses to exercise in individuals with spinal cord injury." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/15888.
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Introduction: Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) are often physically inactive and as such are at increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. Fortunately, exercise training in SCI can provide
improve health-related physical fitness and alleviate medical complications associated with deconditioning. To optimize health-related fitness gains of exercise in SCI and maximize the potential for chronic disease prevention it is necessary to understand the acute responses (central and peripheral) to exercise. Purposes: The primary purposes of this research were to: 1) determine the contribution of central/peripheral limitations to exercise capacity and 2) examine vascular health in SCI. Methods: Seven persons with paraplegia and seven able-bodied (AB) individuals participated in
two testing days. Testing day one consisted of incremental arm crank ergometry to exhaustion with measures of cardiac output, muscle oxygenation, and expired gas and ventilatory parameters. Testing day two involved the measurement of arterial compliance and endothelial function.
Results: There was a significant difference for small artery compliance between SCI and AB(6.9±3.7 versus 10.5±1.7ml mmHg⁻¹x100, p< 0.05). Arm total haemoglobin increased significantly throughout exercise. Arm oxygenation decreased until 60% of maximal wattage after which values did not change. Though non-significant, the large effect size (eta²=.142) suggests a trend for higher
aerobic power in AB (28.6±5.7mL.kg⁻¹min-1)than in SCI (23.7±2.77mL.kg⁻¹min⁻¹)due to a trend for higher cardiac output values in AB (18.0±5.7L.min⁻¹)than SCI (15.8±3.4L.min⁻¹)at maximal exercise.
Conclusions: Small artery compliance is lower in SCI than AB. Leveling off of deoxygenated haemoglobin with total haemoglobin increasing throughout exercise suggests a peripheral limitation to arm ergometry in both groups. A trend for higher cardiac output in AB suggests a central limitation in SCI.
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Fichera, Rita Carmel. "Rule detection after frontal lobe lesions : the role of perseveration, compulsive risk-taking and bizarre responses." Thesis, St George's, University of London, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.404671.
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Guszkowski, Andrea Jean. "Positive Patient Responses Regarding the Multidisciplinary Approach to Treatment of High Risk Pregnancies with Fetal Anomalies." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1179845686.
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Li, Shuting. "Linking Contextual Drivers, Network Responses, Risk Management Capabilities, and Sustainable Outcome: Theoretical Framework and Empirical Examination." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1467035463.
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Starbuck, Chelsea. "Player perceptions and biomechanical responses to tennis court surfaces : the implications to technique and injury risk." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/16557.
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Elite tennis players are required to perform on a variety of tennis court surfaces which differ in mechanical characteristics, such as friction and hardness, influencing their performance and risk of injury. To understand the influence of surfaces on performance and injury risk, three studies were conducted to investigate tennis players' perceptions and biomechanical responses during tennis-specific movements on different court surfaces. In study 1, tennis players perceptions of acrylic and clay courts were identified following a thematic inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 7) to develop a series of visual analogue scales (VAS) to quantify perceptions during studies 2 and 3. Perceptions of predictability of the surface and players' ability to slide and change direction emerged, in addition to anticipated perceptions of grip and hardness. Study 2 aimed to examine the influence of court surfaces and prior clay court experience on perceptions and biomechanical characteristics of tennis-specific skills. Perception, kinematic, insole pressure and mechanical data were collected on an acrylic and a clay court. In agreement with findings reported in study 1, lower mechanical friction and hardness on the clay court were perceived and accompanied by less predictability and greater difficulty to change direction whilst being easier to slide. As result of sliding, players' adopted an altered technique on the clay court compared to the acrylic leading to reductions in loading provide evidence to explain lower injury risks previously reported on clay courts. Prior clay court experience did not influence players' perceptions. However, biomechanical response to the clay surface differed, such that players with high clay court experiences contacted the ground with an everted foot, believed to contribute to controlling sliding. Differences in perception-response relationships were reported between experience groups suggesting players with greater clay court experience are better able to choose an appropriate response to improve their performance. Friction properties of the surface may change during play on clay courts due to player movements and sliding on the court. Therefore there may be areas of expected and unexpected changes to friction to which players must respond to. Study 3 aimed to examine the influence of changes in friction and players awareness of these changes on perceptions and biomechanical response. Compared with study 1 and 2, players found it more difficult to identify differences in perceived grip during study 3, possibly due the smaller mechanical friction differences reported. Unexpected reductions in friction produced greater initial ankle inversion angles compared to the expected decreases in friction, increasing players' risk of injury. Lower horizontal and vertical loading rates were reported on the lower friction conditions where further sliding was reported; suggesting a reduced injury risk by allowing longer time spent applying the forces. This thesis has identified key perception variables that enabled a holistic understanding of perceptions and their interaction with biomechanical response. Mechanical friction was an important factor influencing players' ability to slide. Sliding on clay resulted in altered loading characteristics, pressure distributions and kinematics potentially reducing players' injury risk. Tennis players' experience of clay courts does not influence their perceptions of the surface but the response that players adopt, which lower their risk of injury and increase performance. It is important when playing on a clay court that friction properties are maintained across the court during a tennis match as much as possible to reduce injury risks, due to the influence of unexpected changes to friction on perceptions and response.
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Reid, Joan A. "A Pathway to Child Sex Trafficking in Prostitution: The Impact of Strain and Risk-Inflating Responses." Scholar Commons, 2010. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1747.
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Victims of child sex trafficking in prostitution in the United States are often overlooked, misidentified, and among the most underserved type of child victim of crime. The majority of previous research on child sex trafficking has been conducted without a theoretical framework or reliable sampling methods. In this study, a schematic composed of a series of stepping-stones from childhood abuse to prostitution, which has been described by gendered pathways researchers, served as a sensitizing template for the study's development of a strain-reactive pathway into child sex trafficking. Agnew's general strain theory provided the primary theoretical basis for the proposed pathway, supplying both explanations of the generative factors of the pathway and the mechanisms operating within the life trajectory terminating in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Based on this theoretical framework, this study utilized structural equation modeling to examine the pathway by investigating the effects of caregiver strain, child maltreatment, and risk-inflating responses to strain on vulnerability to victimization in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Four structural equation models, incorporating different forms of child maltreatment, were assessed using data from a matched sample of 174 minority females who were residents of one U.S. city and participated in a longitudinal study on the effects of child sexual abuse. Findings show that the occurrence of child maltreatment including child neglect, child physical abuse, and juvenile sexual victimization increased with caregiver strain. Consequentially, neglected and abused children were more likely to have engaged in the risk-inflating responses of running away and earlier initiation of drug or alcohol use, and they also reported higher levels of relational shame. Both running away and early initiation of substance use impacted vulnerability to victimization in child sex trafficking in prostitution. Lastly, implications of the findings related to protection and intervention strategies that are projected to obstruct the progression of minors along the analytically identified pathway into child sex trafficking in prostitution are presented for criminal justice professionals, child protection investigators, and social service providers.
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Johansson, Agnes. "Airway responses to cold air exercise in junior cross-country skiers." Thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-39440.
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Gower, Claire Natasha. "Behavioral responses of elk to winter wolf predation risk in the Madison Headwaters Area, Yellowstone National Park." Thesis, Montana State University, 2009. http://etd.lib.montana.edu/etd/2009/gower/GowerC0509.pdf.
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Over the past few decades a large body of literature has provided evidence that predators can influence the ways in which prey behave. This in turn may influence prey demography and predator-prey dynamics and therefore predators may influence the structure and function of populations and communities, independent of direct killing. Using data collected from 1991 to 2007, I evaluated the behavior of elk (Cervus elaphus) in the Madison headwaters area of Yellowstone National Park in response to the colonization and establishment of wolves (Canis lupus). Changes in home range size, fidelity, group size, foraging behavior, and large-scale spatial responses were evaluated. After wolf colonization, elk movements were more dynamic as elk moved more over the landscape as they were increasingly encountered, attacked, and displaced by wolves. Home range sizes were larger, with slight decreases in fidelity. These results show that elk made modest adjustments in space use presumably to reduce their vulnerability from predators at a fine-scale within their range. More dramatic larger scale spatial shifts were also documented as radio-collared elk adopted long-distance dispersal and migratory movements away from high-density wolf areas. These apparent predator-avoidance movements were never observed prior to wolf colonization or from areas where the risk of predation was lower. Prior to wolf colonization, the grouping behavior of elk was relatively stable and predictable as elk attempted to conserve energy and decrease starvation risk in the absence of wolves. Following wolf reintroduction group size and group size variation increased. This more dynamic behavior likely reflects a strategy to minimize predation risk and maximize food acquisition. The decision to forage was heavily influenced by local snow, habitat type, and time of day but remained relatively stable with and without the presence of wolves. The lack of any substantial change in the foraging behavior of elk in the presence of wolves illustrates that elk can maintain the same level of foraging time and retain a relatively constant level of nutrition. Together these results suggest that in a harsh winter environment such as the Madison headwaters, elk can adaptively manage their behavior to cope with environmental constraints both in the presence and absence of wolves. Landscape variation such as snow pack severity and habitat types, complexity, and patch size also influences predation risk and may dictate the way in which prey behave.
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Michels, Susanne [Verfasser], and Carsten [Akademischer Betreuer] Culmsee. "The psychiatric risk gene Cacna1c regulates mitochondrial function in cellular stress responses / Susanne Michels ; Betreuer: Carsten Culmsee." Marburg : Philipps-Universität Marburg, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1193177561/34.
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Farr, Colin. "'Vascular function, body composition, cardiovascular risk and cardiovascular responses to exercise in nine and 10 year old children'." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.493642.
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Vascular dysfunction has been identified in children with obesity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and an adverse body fat distribution. However, the clinical techniques used to assess the health of the vasculature may not be suitable for large scale screening of young populations. Exercise testing has been shown to act as a potential surrogate measure of assessing vascular function. Furthermore, undesirable cardiovascular (CV) responses to maximal exercise such as low oxygen uptake (low aerobic fitness), exaggerated blood pressure (BP) responses and reduced oxygenation of muscle tissue are evident in young people with increased CV risk profiles.
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Briley, Joshua Paul. "Trauma Responses, Abuse History, and Exposure to Violence as Risk Factors in Adolescent Sex and Non-Sex Offenders." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2003. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4369/.
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Several risk factors have been identified for adolescent sex offenders and non-sex offenders. Such risk factors include physical and/or sexual abuse, and exposure to community and/or domestic violence. Additionally, the presence of disinhibitive factors, such as substance use and exposure to violent or pornographic media are also commonly reported in the backgrounds of both sex and non-sex offenders. Similarly, adolescent offenders have reported traumatic reactions to environmental factors such as abuse and violence. Similarities in exposure to the risk and disinhibitive factors described above between adolescent sex and non-sex offenders do not provide an explanation for why some adolescents commit sex offenses, whereas other adolescent offenders do not. This study investigated the discriminative ability of traumatic reactions as a risk factor between male adolescent sex and non-sex offenders. The inclusion of traumatic reactions increased the accuracy of risk factors distinguishing between sex and non-sex offenders. Thus, not only the presence of risk factors, but also the adolescent's reaction to the risk factors, are important predictors of whether he will commit a sexual offense.
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Salehe, Bajuna Rashid. "Predictive tools for the study of variations in ADP platelet responses : implications for personalised CVD risk and prevention strategies." Thesis, University of Reading, 2017. http://centaur.reading.ac.uk/74255/.
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The major aim of this project is to develop novel computational approaches for rapid identification of key omic variations, particularly SNPs that are likely to be associated with the variability of the ADP (Adenosine diphosphate) activated platelet responses. The ADP platelet response was chosen as a model system due to its distinct role during the platelet amplification and aggregation, and it is the main therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease (CVD) antiplatelet drug treatments. Based on recent studies, CVD is currently the second lethal noncommunicable disease after cancer in both developed and developing countries. Interindividual variability of the ADP platelet responses was previously reported in genetic association studies, and susceptible SNPs were identified. However, most of the standard biostatistical methods that were previously employed were found to be suboptimal, and it is assumed that other crucial SNPs might have been potentially missed. In genetics, this phenomenon is known as ‘missing heritability’ problem. Therefore, to address this issue, this study aims to employ alternative computational approaches in an integrated manner in order to identify previously unidentified key SNPs, which may underlie the ADP platelet responses variability. Additionally, the project aims to develop predictive approaches to unveil the molecular mechanisms of the identified key SNPs, which are likely to underpin the interindividual variability in the ADP platelet responses and aggregation. The molecular mechanisms underpinning these SNPs, or ‘omic variations are rarely addressed in standard genetic mapping or association studies. This may be due to the experimental hurdles related to the costs and labour that are required in pursuing such undertakings, hence our predictive approach seeks to address such inefficiencies in closing these knowledge gaps. Moreover, the project culminates in the development of a method for predicting an individuals’ ADP platelet response levels with a focus on determining the extreme cases, i.e., individuals showing high and low responses to ADP platelet activation. Predicting ADP responses levels might be suitable for determining which allelic features will contribute most to the extreme ADP platelet responses. This understanding may be useful for suggesting new drug targets or individualised treatments in the targeted CVD therapeutics or personalised medical settings for the next generation of medical practice.
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Calvo, Ester. "Effects of pharmaceuticals on fishbehavior : Oxazepam impact on social preferences and responses onpredation risk (olfactory cue mixture) in guppies." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-126098.
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Effects of oxazepam concerning on social behavior in guppies are still unknown. The purpose ofthis thesis is to investigate if the benzodiazepine oxazepam has effects on fish behavior in terms ofsocial preferences and responses to predation risk using an olfactory cue mixture. After anexposure period of 15 days to 100 μg/l of oxazepam, behavioral experiments were performed overtwo days. Results indicate that oxazepam exposed fish were more social at the beginning of theexperiment, which differ from what was expected and from previous social preferences studies.Moreover, less social behavior was found as a result of combining oxazepam treatment andolfactory cue mixture (predator cues and guppy skin extract) treatment.
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Ryder, Hannah. "Evaluation of responses to risk situations in women and its relation to the menstrual cycle from an evolutionary perspective." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/39743.
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This thesis aimed to assess the hypothesis that women have evolved a rape avoidance mechanism that is particularly active during ovulation when chance of conception is highest. It assessed whether fertility-related differences in response to risk were specific to rape risk, or generalised to all threats. This is not known from previous research. In Study 1, fertility did not influence handgrip strength or subjective responses to scenarios that varied in the risk of rape. However, in Study 2, women increased their handgrip strength when fertile compared to nonfertile in response to all potentially threatening scenarios involving men, but not the female-perpetrated assault scenario, which involved danger but no immediate risk of rape. Women also felt at higher risk of rape and male-perpetrated assault when fertile compared to nonfertile. In Studies 3 and 4, fertility influenced attention to potential reproductive threats (angry versus neutral male and female faces), but not general threats (fear-relevant versus neutral animals). Against expectations, women were faster to detect neutral faces when fertile compared to nonfertile (Study 3). In Study 4, fertile women were slower to fixate on angry compared to neutral faces, but spent a higher proportion of time fixating on angry versus neutral faces. In Study 5, women were slower to categorise rape-related stimuli when fertile compared to nonfertile, while fertility did not influence categorisation of stimuli associated with robbery or consensual sex. In Studies 6 and 7, neither fear of crime nor perceived risk of victimisation differed in relation to fertility. Therefore, overall, the findings suggest fertility does not influence responses to threats in general, with some evidence that the mechanism is specific to situations with increased possibility of rape. However, hormonal influences on responses to risk appeared to manifest in visceral responses (e.g., physiology, attention, cognitive biases) rather than conscious feelings (e.g., fear).
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Goldstein, Kirsten M. "Dry Heat Among the Red Rocks: Risk Perceptions and Behavioral Responses to Extreme Heat Among Outdoor Recreationists in Southeastern Utah." DigitalCommons@USU, 2019. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7683.
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Communicating the risks related to extreme heat is important and essential for saving lives. This study looks at how tourists think about extreme heat in a hot and dry environment. It looks at relationships between an individual’s local climate, their thoughts about the current weather conditions, and demographics. The results from this study are intended to help tourist agencies, emergency managers and emergency planners, and policymakers in creating and carrying out communication strategies for extreme heat.
Thoughts about and physical responses to weather are different for everyone and shaped by personal experiences. How one thinks and feels about the weather is influenced by a lifetime of personal experiences, unique to each person. However, the connection between an individual’s experience and that of his/her understanding of weather-related risk, more specifically risk in extremely hot conditions, has yet to be studied. From 1988 to 2017 extreme heat events have killed more people in the US than any other weather-related hazard (i.e. tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, etc.). By understanding how an individual perceives weather conditions, we can begin to better understand best practices for communicating the risks of extreme heat with the intent of saving lives.
There are three primary findings from this study. First is that visitors were likely to overestimate the temperature when it was cooler, but underestimate the temperature when it was hotter. Second, risk perceptions of visitors did not increase during hotter days. Lastly, visitors were not more likely to perform protective behaviors, such as checking the weather or carrying water, on hotter days. If extreme heat conditions do not influence visitors’ behaviors, they are placing themselves more at risk to extreme heat exposure.