Smart Grid Topologies Paving the Way for an Urban Resilient Continuity Management

The generation and supply of electricity is currently about to undergo a fundamental transition that includes extensive development of smart grids. Smart grids are huge and complex networks consisting of a vast number of devices and entities which are connected with each other. This opens new variations of disruption scenarios which can increase the vulnerability of a power distribution network. However, the network topology of a smart grid has significant effects on urban resilience particularly referring to the adequate provision of infrastructures. Thus, topology massively codetermines the degree of urban resilience, i.e. different topologies enable different strategies of power distribution. Therefore, this article introduces a concept of criticality adapted to a power system relying on an advanced metering infrastructure. The authors propose a two-stage operationalization of this concept that refers to the design phase of a smart grid and its operation mode, targeting at an urban resilient power flow during power shortage.

Community healthcare workers' experiences during and after COVID-19 lockdown: a qualitative study from Aotearoa New Zealand

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Aotearoa New Zealand, a stringent lockdown lasting seven weeks was introduced to manage community spread of the virus. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study examining how lockdown policies impacted upon the lives of those caring for community-based patients. The study involved nationwide surveys and ethnographic interviews with 15 registered nurses (RN) employed in community settings, two community midwives, and five personal care assistants (PCAs). During the strict lockdown levels 4 and 3, RNs and PCAs in the community showed considerable courage in answering their 'call to duty' by taking on heightened care responsibilities and going 'the extra mile' to help others. They faced significant risks to personal and professional relationships when they were required to take on additional and complex responsibilities for community-based patients. Despite, and sometimes due to the hypervigilant monitoring of their personal protective equipment (PPE), the need to safeguard family and community members generated considerable stress and anxiety. Many also faced personal isolation and loneliness as a result of lockdown restrictions. Although 'care' and 'kindness' became social expectations throughout Aotearoa New Zealand during the lockdown, RNs and PCAs who were already doing care work in patient homes had to do more. This article makes five core service delivery and policy recommendations for supporting community-based nurses and PCAs in respiratory disease pandemics: acknowledging the crucial role played by community-based carers and the associated stress and anxiety endured, through championing respect and compassion; demystifying the 'heroism' or 'self-sacrifice' projected onto care workers to facilitate boundary setting; the timely provision of adequate protective equipment; improving remuneration with adequate provision for time off; and regular counselling, peer support groups, and education on work-life balance delivered by support workers in recognition of stressors arising from these complex and isolated working conditions.

Rape crisis services ‘Standing Alone’: Policy-making as problem representation: The response to sexual violence in New Zealand 1983-89

<p>After more than 30 years of feminist activism in New Zealand the government policy response to sexual violence continues to be highly contested. This thesis draws on archival material (both official and community records) to trace the competing discourses and agendas within the early policy development process. This process involved the pākehā and Māori women’s rights movements seeking to influence the ways in which the problem of rape was represented and responded to by government within the social policy context. Using Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” methodology, the analysis of these discourses identifies the silences and assumptions, as well as the privileged government agenda that redefined, individualised and sought to professionalise the services for rape victims/survivors. I explore the perspectives of feminists involved in the movement and how tensions with the state may be seen to be reflected in the policy process, particularly through the emergence of neo-liberalism, the interplay between liberal and radical feminist views and in the highly contested area of rape education and prevention. Further, I consider how the problem of meeting cultural needs through social policy responses stalled, despite seeming state support for such responses through the 1980s and what it may be about the issue of rape itself and its connection to gender inequality that has contributed to a muted government response to the issue of sexual violence. In a postscript I briefly review current policy discourse and comment on how the focus on rehabilitation, the financial instability of services, lack of adequate provision of appropriate services for women and communities continue to be features of the sector today. I argue that a specific focus on rape education and prevention, critical for reducing the incidence of rape, continues to be severely under attended to, and that this in part reflects continued reluctance to address both the nature of rape and the need for wider structural change in addressing it.</p>

Rape crisis services ‘Standing Alone’: Policy-making as problem representation: The response to sexual violence in New Zealand 1983-89

<p>After more than 30 years of feminist activism in New Zealand the government policy response to sexual violence continues to be highly contested. This thesis draws on archival material (both official and community records) to trace the competing discourses and agendas within the early policy development process. This process involved the pākehā and Māori women’s rights movements seeking to influence the ways in which the problem of rape was represented and responded to by government within the social policy context. Using Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” methodology, the analysis of these discourses identifies the silences and assumptions, as well as the privileged government agenda that redefined, individualised and sought to professionalise the services for rape victims/survivors. I explore the perspectives of feminists involved in the movement and how tensions with the state may be seen to be reflected in the policy process, particularly through the emergence of neo-liberalism, the interplay between liberal and radical feminist views and in the highly contested area of rape education and prevention. Further, I consider how the problem of meeting cultural needs through social policy responses stalled, despite seeming state support for such responses through the 1980s and what it may be about the issue of rape itself and its connection to gender inequality that has contributed to a muted government response to the issue of sexual violence. In a postscript I briefly review current policy discourse and comment on how the focus on rehabilitation, the financial instability of services, lack of adequate provision of appropriate services for women and communities continue to be features of the sector today. I argue that a specific focus on rape education and prevention, critical for reducing the incidence of rape, continues to be severely under attended to, and that this in part reflects continued reluctance to address both the nature of rape and the need for wider structural change in addressing it.</p>

The Return of Global Asymmetries

`The last three decades have witnessed the reversal of the ‘great divergence’ between the centre and the periphery that characterized the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth. The promise of this ‘great convergence’ was a much more symmetric world where prosperity and power would be much more equally distributed, where nations would abide by a rules-based international order and where effective global institutions would help ensure an adequate provision of global public goods. Economic analysis helped foresee how such a world would function. In contrast to those in vogue in the early post-war decades, the workhorse models for international trade, money, and finance of the late twentieth century all emphasized symmetry in international relations. Countries could be big or small, developed or poor, capital exporters or importers, but the same mechanisms and rules applied to them. It was only a matter of time before they would converge, or possibly trade places. More recent models, however, have started to challenge this benign view. Asymmetries between centre and periphery do matter in the network-based models of trade, investment, and finance that have been developed to account for emerging patterns of interaction. This is even truer of data flows and the networks that structure them. Meanwhile, the centrality of the dominant global currency and the asymmetries that it entails in exchange-rate adjustment are being rediscovered. Today’s world is much more asymmetric than we thought. This change of perspectives has significant implications for international economic relations and for global governance.

Challenges of Internally Displaced Children in Makurdi Metropolis of Benue State

The study investigates the Challenges of internally displaced children in Makurdi Metropolis of Benue State, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study. The sample of the study was drawn from children between the ages of 12-18 years living in Internally Displaced Camps (IDPs) in Makurdi. Simple random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 300 for the study. Primary data were used for the study specifically obtained using well-structured questionnaire titled internally displaced children (IDC), data collected was analysed using mean and standard deviation. Findings of the study on social life of internally displaced children in Makurdi revealed that Lack of finance to celebrate social activities such as birthday parties, naming ceremonies and sports competitions (4.46), Children appear dirty and tattered due to lack of clothing (3.40), also the findings on financial challenges indicates Low level of income due to lack of business and means of livelihood (3.62), Depends on people for financial assistance (begging) (3.58). Furthermore, the study on feeding pattern of internally displaced children shows that children hardly eat twice a day (3.55), lack required food nutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals (3.40). The study therefore concludes that insecurity challenges should be tackled by government to ensure that household returns to their various communities. Finally the study recommends improvement of social life of internally displaced children should be given uppermost attention the government and non- government organisations responsible for child upbringing. The governments should make frantic effort to ensure adequate provision of basic amenities such as water, food and shelter. Emergency healthcare and education (schools) should be provided in IDPs camps. Good food should be provided for children in internally displaced camps to avoid malnutrition that leads to ill health. Causes insecurity and other crisis that leads to displacement of families should be given lasting solutions by government and communities concerned. The Children should be encouraged to adopt a good environmental sanitation which will go a long way to help prevent them from contracting some sickness and disease. Keywords: Families, Challenges, Internally, Displaced, Children,

Managing the Culture of COVID-19 "New Normal" as a Motivation for University Students in South Africa

The advent of COVID-19 and its implication on university education has been the bone of contention in recent times. The COVID-19 emergency has led to a change in knowledge inputs, processes, and outputs. This trajectory has demotivated student approaches to their learning. In response to this revolution, this study provides motivational strategies through students' perspectives to respond to the underside of new normal among South African university students. Ubuntu underpins the study within the Transformative Paradigm lens and Participatory Research as a research design. Ten students of a particular module in a selected university in South Africa were chosen to participate in the study. They were selected using the snowballing sampling technique because the participants were under level 3 lockdown with little or no access to campus at the time of the study. Online interview via phone calls, email and WhatsApp, was conducted with the students, and the data were analysed using Thematic Analysis. The study revealed a lack of visualised physical engagement between students and their lecturers and unstable internet access and lack of the internet as the major challenges. The study, therefore, recommends solutions that there should be adequate provision of effective online audio-visual sessions with enough space for student-lecturer’s interactions and low-tech online sessions and content deliveries.

Assessment of the Impact of COVID on Water and Sanitation Utilities in Latin America and the Caribbean

Due to the current health crisis caused by COVID-19, the Water Utilities that provide Water and Sanitation services have seen their financial capacity affected to ensure the adequate provision of services, linked among other factors to reductions in their operating revenues and collections related to the temporary exemption from the payment of water and sanitation services for some users, deferral of bill payments, freezing of tariffs, reduction of the collection rate and prohibition of cutting services, among others. This document provides an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on finances and operations of some Water Utilities in Latin American and the Caribbean.

Enrichment of captive environment for effective animal reproduction

Animals are kept in captivity for the purpose of recreation, experimentation, rearing, reproduction, conservation, research etc. This study reviews how adequate welfare must be provided for the animals in captivity so that they will be able to perform to their maximum capabilities. It is imperative that the animals should not suffer because of the conditions they have been subjected to. The captive environment must be adequately enriched to foster effective reproduction that will sustain the population of the endangered species. This review has identified some of the problems faced by the captive animals and how to minimize these challenges. It is mandatory that before any animal is confined, adequate provision for its welfare must be provided to reduce any form of physiological or psychological stress.