bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Demonstrating the Need to Integrate City Planning and Emergency Preparedness: Two Case Studies
Authors: Britton Neil R. , Lindsay John
Published: January 2023

City planners need to consider aspects of emergency management, risk assessment and hazard vulnerability in their planning and development deliberations. Planners need to recognise that urban hazards, especially from technological sources, are more prevalent than may at first be apparent. An emergency management focus is particularly necessary when urban renewal and redevelopment is being considered Of special importance is the need for planners to understand that projects like this can exacerbate the plight of existing “at-risk” groups, and may even create a more hazardous social environment. Planners also need to be made aware that their professional actions have a direct impact on both the task-set and performance capabilities of disaster managers and emergency services operatives. In this paper two case studies are presented to demonstrate how these issues translate into practice. The first explores the consequences of a “classic” medium-scale technological emergency in Australia. The second study, from Canada, illustrates the ubiquity of small-scale industrial hazards in the modern city, and epitomises the extent to which city-dwellers are vulnerable.
Studying Disaster: A Review of the Main Conceptual Tools
Authors: Gilbert Claude
Published: January 2023

The numerous theoretical approaches to disasters can be classified into three ma in paradigms. We present their content, chronological developments and cleavages. The first is disaster as a duplication of war (catastrophe can be imputed to an external agent; human communities are entities that react globally against an aggression). The second is disaster as an expression of social vulnerabilities (disaster is the result of underlying community logic, of an inward and social precess.) The third is disaster as an entrance into a state of uncertainly (disaster is tightly tied into the impossibility of defining real or supposed dangers, especially after the upsetting of the mental frameworks we use to know and understand reality).
Again and Again: Is a Disaster What We Call “Disaster”? Some Conceptual Notes on Conceptualizing the Object of Disaster Sociology
Authors: Dombrowsky Wolf R.
Published: January 2023

Following Carr who defined disaster as the collapse of cultural protections, this paper develops a sociological approach 10 processes commonly called a “disaster. “ Epistemologically, the definitions used in science and practice are classified and redefined as “programmatic declarations. “ Definers declare what they perceive as a problem and how they intend to solve it. Given the fact that neither “problem and perception” nor “solution and exigency” necessarily match, the probability of mismatches increases when inconsistent conceptions prestructure the view one has of reality. Still, the transformation of nature into culture is interpreted within “premodern” expression and false causal attractions: “Des Astro.” “evil star,” “bad luck” and “blind faith.” In contrast, this paper suggests a conception that defines disaster as an empirical falsification of human action, as a proof of the correctness of human insight into both nature and culture.
Disaster as Systemic Event and Social Catalyst: A Clarification of Subject Matter
Authors: Kreps Gary A.
Published: January 2023

For over three decades disasters have been interpreted as systemic events and social catalysts. This means that certain kinds of actual or potential historical circumstances fit neatly within the boundaries of disaster research, while others do not. Such exclusiveness is probably a good thing because the boundaries of disaster research include a wide range of environmental, technical, and sociopolitical events. The events themselves involve social definitions of physical harm and disruption of routine activities in societies or their larger subsystems. The first section of the paper provides a formal conception of disasters that builds on ideas expressed by Fritz, Dubin, and Barton. The second section illustrates this conception with life history studies of the Mexico City earthquake (1985) and Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident (1986). The third section shows how these two events can readily be compared using the conceptual tools provided earlier. The paper closes with a brief for how sociological knowledge should advance within the exclusive but broad boundaries of disaster research.
Hurricane Andrew through Women's Eyes: Issues and Recommendations
Authors: Morrow Betty Hearn , Enarson Elaine
Published: January 2023

While gender is a central organizing principle in social systems, limited attention has been paid to differences in the disaster-related experiences of women and men. To address some gender-related issues we conducted a qualitative sociological analysis of women's experiences in the most heavily impacted areas of Dade County, Florida after Hurricane Andrew. Through interviews, focus groups, surveys, secondary data analysis, and fieldwork we document ways in which the private and public caregiving responsibilities of women expanded, often under very difficult and stressful circumstances. Being particularly interested in the intersection of gender with race/ethnicity and class, much of our work focused on minority groups having particular problems with recovery, including migrant workers, recent immigrants, single mothers, and battered women. The effects of household and community losses tended to be different for women and in many respects more profound. Being female was an important dimension which appeared to increase the negative effects of being a victim and to retard personal and family recovery, especially when compounded with poverty and minority status. Based on issues which emerged from the experiences of women victims and careproviders, we offer a series of recommendations to disaster planners to increase the involvement of women at every level of disaster response.
Effects of the AVIANCA Aircrash on Disaster Workers
Authors: Gibbs Margaret , Lachenmeyer Juliana R. , Broska Arlene , Deucher Richard
Published: January 2023

Seventy-eight emergency workers at the AVIANCA aircrash at Cove Neck, New York, filled out questionnaires dealing with their reactions to the disaster, The number of fatalities witnessed was strongly predictive of number of symptoms, while the proportion of injured dealt with who survived was negatively correlated with number of symptoms. Cognitive variables were related to the distress measures. Contrary to hypothesis, disaster training was unrelated to the distress measures, even when training was rated as effective.
A Social Explanation of Urban Relocation after Earthquakes
Authors: Mileti Dennis S. , Passerini Eve
Published: January 2023

This paper synthesizes the research record regarding urban relocation after earthquakes. Three alternative relocation responses after earthquakes are identified, the range of factors that have been documented to influence them are presented, and identified human impacts of relocation after earthquakes are discussed. The conclusion is drawn that predisaster planning for rebuilding cities after earthquakes is central to enhancing risk reduction effectivenss.
Disasters are Nonroutine Social Problems
Authors: Kreps Gary A. , Drabek Thomas E.
Published: January 2023

The United Nations proclaimed the 1990s as the International Decade for Disaster Reduction. This proclamation, and the activities it generates, highlights the necessity of exploring the conceptualization of disasters. We propose that disasters are best conceptualized as nonroutine social problems: social problems because they involve conjunctions of historical conditions and social definitions; nonroutine because they usually are ignored by the public until articulated as dramatic events. We begin by linking the origins of disaster research to social problems theory and, in particular, the functionalist tradition. We explicate how functionalism has provided the implicit assumptions for most sociologically focussed disaster studies, but not an analytical treatment of disasters as social problems. Rather that treatment has been stimulated by the social constructionist tradition within social problems theory. We propose that social constructionism informs rather than undermines the conceptualization of disasters as nonroutine social problems.
The Common Disaster and the Unexpected Education: Delta Flight 1141 and the Discourse of Aviation Safety
Authors: Garner Ana C.
Published: January 2023

News coverage of transportation disasters, such as the crash of Delta Flight 1141, reveal the disaster behavior of passengers, flight personnel and rescue workers. Within a mystery framework, the Flight 1141 discourse provides clues that readers can use to construct their own disaster behavior awareness. The media must expand their pedagogical role beyond natural and technological disasters and begin providing basic airplane safety behavior information.
Reflecting the Hazard or Restating Old Views: Newspapers and Bushfires in Australia
Authors: McKay Jennifer M.
Published: January 2023

This paper illustrates that in the response and recovery phases of the 1994 Bushfire disaster in New South Wales, Australian and overseas newspaper reporting of the causes of bushfires focussed on scapegoating. The popular scapegoats were arsonists or failure of a public authority to provide fire-breaks. Thus two items were featured whereas the causes of most bushfires are multidimensional and official reports rarely attribute a cause.

This paper applies an existing seven-theme classification of the content of newspaper reports to the 1994 event. Newspapers from the local community were examined and two other papers from fire-prone communities in Australia. In addition, reports in two international papers were examined for accuracy. This paper establishes that causes are scapegoated but that accuracy of impact figures is preserved despite the distance.
The Disaster Research Center Field Studies of Organized Behavior in the Crisis Time Period of Disasters
Authors: Quarantelli E. L.
Published: January 2023

Between its formation in 1963 and until 1989, the Disaster Research Center (DRC) conducted more than 450 field studies of community crises, the great bulk of them involving natural or technological disaster agents. The major focus was on organized behavior whether informal organizations or informal and emergent groups, and usually about the social entities involved in the preparedness and response activities in the crisis. After noting the background context within which the center operated, this paper summarizes the general methodological approach taken in the work. It depicts the substantial attention DRC paid to the prefield training that was given to the graduate students who did most of the field work. Also described are the in-field procedures followed, particularly the open-ended type of interviewing conducted, the kinds of participant observations made, and the systematic document collecting that was done. Finally, we note certain postfield procedures systematized by the center to measure the quantity and to insure the quality of the data gathered.
Survey Research
Authors: Bourque Linda B. , Shoaf Kimberley I. , Nguyen Loc H.
Published: January 2023

We examine the kinds of information that can be obtained from well-designed, standardized, population-based surveys and demonstrate that some things which, in the past, have been considered barriers to the use of surveys following disasters provide insights into postdisaster behavior and may be advantageous. In specific, we examine: the use of standardized surveys to compare community behavior across time, events, and locations; the extent to which surveys represent the population of interest in the aftermath of a disaster; the receptivity of respondents to being interviewed after a disaster; the ability to utilize telephones for interviews after a disaster; the extent to which the data collected in a survey are perishable and subject to memory decay; the use of surveys as quasi-experimental designs for obtaining information on “control groups”; the use of surveys as a source of baseline or denominator data for ascertaining what other, more specialized datasets represent; the maintenance of verbal data collected within the context of a survey for later postcoding and analysis; and the storage of surveys in archives for use in secondary analyses by other researchers. Overall, we conclude that well-designed, standardized, population-based surveys can provide an accurate picture of a community's behaviors and attitudes with regard to disasters as well as describe the impact of a disaster on a population.
Cross-national and Comparative Disaster Research
Authors: Peacock Walter Gillis
Published: January 2023

Distinguishing characteristics and issues of comparative and cross-cultural research, problems and opportunities, and an assessment of future prospects are offered and related to disaster research. No single approach is advocated; rather, various approaches—case study to cross-national, contemporary to historical, and qualitative to quantitative—are recommended. Methodological issues including model specification, problems of aggregation, intra- versus international variation, and secondary versus primary data collection are addressed. Particular attention is devoted to issues of equivalence related to conceptualization, data comparability, operationalization and measurement, conversion, standardization, and units of observation. The need for systematic efforts to develop research tools that can be utilized to measure critical concepts such as recovery, restoration, risk, and mitigation is identified. Finally, discipline-based, yet disaster-relevant, cross-national and comparative research addenda consistent with a broader ecological perspective targeting disasters, development, and the social production of vulnerability are advocated.
Technology, Structure, and Culture in Disaster Management: Coping with Uncertainty
Authors: Denis Helene
Published: January 2023

This paper will concentrate on three aspects of disasters which are often interwoven, but that require careful refinement and elaboration to understand how they interact in disaster situations. These are the technological, structural, and cultural dimensions of disaster events. These three dimensions will be superimposed and illustrated with respect to technical, sociopolitical, and scientific issues which have been identified as important components of disaster management. It is argued that the notion of uncertainty, when present in the management context, is related to the dimensions of technology, structure, and culture. The framework developed draws upon and is used to conceptually interconnect studies of Canadian disasters, as well as disaster events from other parts of the world.
Munitions Ships and Meteors: Plus c'est change …
Authors: Scanlon T. Joseph
Published: January 2023

Those who cannot remember history are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana
The Effect of a Natural Disaster on Social Cohesion: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Sweet Stephen
Published: January 2023

On January 8, 1998, a severe ice storm devastated electrical power grids and caused extensive environmental damage in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. This study examines the effect this natural disaster had on perceptions of social relations in the village of Potsdam, a rural community in northern New York State. Residents (N = 88) were surveyed on their perceptions of their community one month following the disaster. These data are compared with a survey (N = 127) of community perceptions conducted three. years prior to the disaster. These two surveys provide a rare opportunity to perform a longitudinal study of the effects of the disaster on social cohesion. Findings indicate that social cohesion increases in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. However, one month after the disaster, perceptions of the community return to predisaster levels. This study indicates that there are few lasting effects on social cohesion resulting from a natural disaster.
“But She is a Woman and this is a Man's Job”: Lessons for Participatory Research and Participatory Recovery
Authors: Krajeski Richard L. , Peterson Kristina J.
Published: January 2023

“If ‘Anne’ thinks she is going to get the position of director of the Interfaith Recovery just because she has been doing it for the last six weeks, she is mistaken. She is not a professional and she does not have the education. As a board member I can't support her.” This was spoken not at a board meeting but along the banks of a river. Dick was fishing for salmon (and having no luck). Kris was doing a different kind of fishing — and they were biting. The ‘bait’ had been taken and the fight was to begin…. “They have just left us black folks out,” said ‘Beatrice’ about the white interfaith recovery organization. ‘Beatrice’ and women from the black community told Kris, “Can you help us?” Kris who carries a community organizing tackle box with everything in it said…
Psychological Reactions and Experiences among Swedish Citizens Resident in Kobe during the 1995 Earthquake
Authors: Enander Ann , Wallenius Claes
Published: January 2023

This paper discusses reactions and experiences of temporary residents and transients in a community struck by a major natural disaster. A retrospective questionnaire study was conducted among a group of Swedish citizens who were resident in Kobe during the Great Hanshin-Awaji earthquake. Respondents describe aspects of their behavior before, during, and after the earthquake. The findings indicate that, as a group, the Swedes appear to have coped well, even though they were not well-prepared for this type of situation. One factor found to be related to the behavioral responses was ability to speak the local language, in this case Japanese. On the basis of the study results, some particular needs and resources of foreign residents are discussed.
Victimization after a Natural Disaster: Social Disorganization or Community Cohesion?
Authors: Siegel Judith M. , Bourque Linda B. , Shoaf Kimberley T.
Published: January 2023

Contrasting notions of social disorganization and social cohesion have been offered to describe community interaction after a natural disaster. Data were collected frow three independent community samples, beginning seven months after the 1994 Nortbridge, California, earthquake and following in one year intervals for the two subsequent samples. Exposure to traumatic stress (Norris 1990)-including criminal victimization-in the 12 months prior to the interview was assessed in each sample. For all traumatic stress/victimization and for each of seven individual events, rates remain flat over time (3 data points), suggesting that neither social disorganization nor social cohesion occurred after the earthquake. Owing to the timing of the survey, respondents interviewed in the first sample only could report on pre-disaster events. For these respondents, post-earthquake rates of traumatic stress and victimization were compared with pre-earthquake rates. In contrast to the trend data, reduction in rates of robbery and, to a lesser extent, major life changes suggest that an altruistic community (social cohesion) may have arisen. A third set of analyses show that severity of exposure to the earthquake does not make a contribution to traumatic stress or victimization beyond that explained by the demographic variables repeatedly found to predict vulnerability to victimization. Last, rates of criminal victimization within Los Angeles County are compared to rates for households in the United States, using the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) for the latter. Victimization rates are elevated in Los Angeles County but not necessarily above what might be expected if exactly equivalent definitions of crimes had been used in our study and the national data set, and if comparable breakdowns by demographic characteristics were available in the NCVS for metropolitan areas of one million and more. In sum, there is no indication that social disorganization follows a natural disaster, and there is minor support for the emergence of an altruistic community.
Paradigmatic Disaster?: The Crash of Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800
Authors: Bennett Simon A.
Published: January 2023

This paper uses two discourses—Kuhn's (1962) formulation of the paradigm and cognitive theory (specifically that of social schemas)—to deconstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Transportation Safely Board's (NTSB's) investigation info the 1996 TWA Flight 800 disaster. Following the disaster, concerns were expressed in the media that the FBI and NTSB might not he approaching the investigation with an entirely open mind. Certainly a number of statements were made by FBI and NTSB managers that seemed to indicate a preferred conclusion as to the cause(s) of the disaster. This paper uses social schema theory and Kuhn's discourse on the paradigm to ascertain, on the basis of widely reported statements, the degree to which FBI and NTSB investigators stated a preference expressed either overtly in statements, or covertly through investigative method—in the matter of causation.
Race and U.S. Foreign Disaster Aid
Authors: Van Belle Douglas A.
Published: January 2023

While foreign aid allocation has been shown to be highly political, disaster aid specifically has not. Generally, one would assume that aid aimed at assisting victims of natural disasters would not be politically motivated. Race, however, perhaps the most volatile and disputed of political variables, is often suggested in various forums as a possibly significant factor in disaster aid allocations. This article aims to make two contributions. First, the issue of race and U.S. disaster aid allocations is addressed by coding each recipient state according to its predominant ethnic group and using that as an independent variable in the analysis of U.S. disaster assistance allocations from 1964–1995. Second, the possibility that different results might be produced by using location, specifically sub-Saharan Africa, is evaluated by substituting a geographical measure for the actual population characteristics as a coding for race. Though it was initially expected that there would be a racial bias, the findings indicate that race is not a statistically significant factor.
The gender-based facing bias in 3-D biological motion perception
Authors: Chen Congying , Mitsudo Hiroyuki
Published: January 2023

In biological motion perception, movements of several point lights can evoke a vivid impression of living animals, including humans. Recent studies have reported that male point-light walkers tend to be perceived as facing toward the viewer more than female walkers, and have hypothesized that the gender-based facing bias arises from motion signals. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis under experimental conditions where binocular disparity was added to biological motion stimuli. In the two experiments reported here, participants were presented with disparity-defined female and male point-light figures facing toward or away from the viewer. In Experiment 1, we measured “facing-the-viewer” responses in upright and inverted walker configurations. It was found that the facing bias was greater for the male walker than for the female walker in most disparity magnitudes, regardless of walker inversion. In Experiment 2, the walker stimuli were replaced by static snapshots of the walkers. The results showed that the facing bias did not differ between the female and male static figures. These results suggest that motion signals play an important role in producing the gender-based facing bias, even when binocular disparity is added to biological motion stimuli.
Properties of blends from pregelatinized starch with poly (vinyl alcohol) for hygienic-purposed disposable laundry bags
Authors: Phattarateera Supanut , Sangthongdee Montree , Threepopnatkul Poonsub
Published: January 2023

This research was focused on the properties of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) blended with pregelatinized starch (PSt) as a suitable material to make laundry bags for infected clothes application. PVOH and PSt (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt.%) with glycerol 20 phr were melt-blended by twin-screw extruders. The samples were processed into the film by single layer-blown film extrusion. From the results, it was found that PVOH, glycerol, and pregelatinized starch had intermolecular interactions with each other, forming hydrogen bonding interactions between PVOH/pregelatinized starch and glycerol. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of a blend was shifted to a higher temperature by increasing the pregelatinized starch content leading to a reduction in the percent crystallinity. The presence of pregelatinized starch slightly increased the melt flow rate (MFI)/melt volume rate (MVR), apparent viscosity, and viscosity average molecular weight (Mv) of the blends due to the chain entanglement but it decreased the water solubility time and the moisture content. A co-continuous phase with small coalescence was found when 30% pregelatinized starch was added, increasing the elongation at break to 171%. On the other hand, the pregelatinized starch content was 40%, the elongation at break reduced to 154%.
Does Misery Love Company? Multilevel Relationships between Perceived Age Discrimination and Happiness among Older Europeans
Authors: Jung Jong Hyun , Kim Harris Hyun-soo
Published: January 2023

The present study examines how contextual age discrimination moderates the individual-level association between perceived age discrimination and happiness among older Europeans. In this endeavor, we test two opposing views: 1) the “social norm” hypothesis that predicts the association between perceived age discrimination and happiness to become weaker in areas with a higher average level of age discrimination; and 2) conversely the “contagion effect” hypothesis that predicts the association to grow stronger in such areas. Using data from the European Social Survey (2008), we estimate two- and three-level mixed effects models to test these opposing hypotheses. Our findings from multilevel analysis lend support to the social norm hypothesis. Specifically, the negative link between perceived age discrimination and happiness is weaker in subnational regions where the proportion of victims of age discrimination is higher.
Comprehensive Review of Current Pain Management in Rib Fractures With Practical Guidelines for Clinicians
Authors: Rogers Frederick B. , Larson Nicholas J. , Rhone Abigail , Amaya Dalila , Olson-Bullis Barbara A. , Blondeau Benoît X.
Published: January 2023

Rib fractures are present in 15% of all traumas and 60% of patients with chest traumas. Rib fractures are not life-threatening in isolation, but they can be quite painful which leads to splinting and compromise of respiratory function. Splinting limits the ability of a patient to take a deep breath, which leads to atelectasis, atelectasis to poor secretion removal, and poor secretion removal leads to pneumonia. Pneumonia is the common pathway to respiratory failure in patients with rib fractures. It is noted that in the elderly, each rib fracture increases developing pneumonia by 27% and the risk of dying by 19%. From a public health perspective, rib fractures have long-term implications with only 59% of patients returning to work at 6 months. In this review we will examine the state of art as it currently exists with regard to the management of pain associated with rib fractures. Included in this overview will be a brief review of the anatomy of the thorax and some important physiologic concepts, the latest trends in pharmacologic and noninvasive means of managing rib pain, a special section on epidural anesthesia, some other alternative invasive methods of pain control, and a review of the recent literature on rib plating. Finally, a practical, easy to follow guideline, to manage the patient with pain from rib fractures will be presented.
The fabrication and evaluation of silver nanoparticle-based keratin scaffolds
Authors: Lei Tongda , Fan Jie , Wang Yongheng , Cao Fuyuan , Yang Qingqi , Tian Faming , Li Bo , Su Zhibo , Chen Rouxi , Liu Yong
Published: January 2023

The biotoxicity caused by focus releasing of Ag, which associated with the Ag loading mode, is a problematic issue that need to be solved for practical utilization of the keratin based wound dressing. In this study, keratin/AgNPs blend scaffolds (Ker/Ag) and keratin scaffolds with AgNPs attached on the scaffold’s wall surface (Ag@Ker) were prepared. Structure and physical properties of the scaffolds were tested and investigated. In comparison to the Ag@Ker scaffolds, the Ker/Ag scaffolds with uniform dispersion of AgNPs have larger tensile strength and slower degradation rate. Both kind of scaffolds present excellent antibacterial property with 10 μg mL−1 AgNPs addition, while the Ker/Ag displayed a linear Ag releasing ratio in the first 5–7 days, which is beneficial for obtaining a continuous antibacterial property and avoiding the biotoxicity caused by focus release of Ag. Correspondingly, cytotoxicity assay further reveals that the continuously slow release of Ag of the Ker/Ag scaffolds accelerated the proliferation of cell. Infectious animal models and histological studies showed that the Ker/Ag scaffolds can effectively inhibit the inflammatory response and accelerate epithelialization. Thus, it can be concluded that the Ker/Ag scaffolds with uniform dispersion of AgNPs are more attractive as wound repair materials.
Reasons for kidney transplant refusal among patients receiving peritoneal dialysis: A qualitative study
Authors: Biabani Fateme , Rahmani Azad , MahmudiRad Gholamhossein , Hassankhani Hadi , Azadi Arman
Published: January 2023

Background:

Even though kidney transplantation has better outcomes compared to dialysis therapies, some patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) refuse to consider kidney transplantation. Identification of the underlying reason for patient refusal may improve patients’ acceptance of kidney transplantation.

Aim:

The aim of this study was to describe the reasons given by Iranian PD patients for refusing kidney transplantation.

Method:

Eighteen patients undergoing PD participated. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were analysed using conventional qualitative content analysis.

Results:

The analysis leads to the emergence of two categories and six subcategories: negative outcomes of kidney transplantation (financial burden, psychosocial problems and physical complications) and doubtful factors for kidney transplantation (negative attitudes towards kidney transplantation, long waiting time for kidney transplantation and compatibility of PD with daily life). The financial burden and long waiting time for kidney transplantation were the most important factors in the reluctance of kidney transplantation by PD patients.

Implication for practice:

Patients undergoing PD declined kidney transplantation for several reasons, such as financial burden, fear of post-transplantation side effects, long waiting time for kidney transplantation. Reducing the time of kidney transplantation and insurance coverage of transplant costs can change the attitude of PD patients towards transplant.
A diagrammatics of race: Samuel George Morton's ‘American Golgotha’ and the contest for the definition of the young field of anthropology
Authors: Sommer Marianne
Published: January 2023

Between the last decades of the 18th century and the middle of the 19th century, something of paramount importance happened in the history of anthropology. This was the advent of a physical anthropology that was about the classification of ‘human races’ through comparative measurement. A central tool of the new trade was diagrams. Being inherently about relations in and between objects, diagrams became the means of defining human groups and their relations to each other – the last point being disputed between the monogenists and the polygenists. James Cowles Prichard, a proponent of the comparative historical approach, was able to do without images in his pioneering Researches Into the Physical History of Man of 1813, but the third edition, which appeared in five volumes between 1836 and 1847, was richly illustrated with ‘ethnic types’ and skulls, including diagrams. What was happening is a process I engage with in detail for Samuel George Morton, who collected and distributed human skulls as lithographs in Crania americana (1839) and Crania aegyptiaca (1844). Along with the paper skulls travelled detailed instructions of how to look at them through a set of lines and to set their individual parts in relation to each other as well as to those of other types. Drawing on Johann Friedrich Blumenbach and Peter Camper, the Crania thus played a pivotal role in establishing what I call a diagrammatics of race – a diagrammatics that became overtly political with Types of Mankind (1854), which was written in Morton's honour by Josiah Nott and George Gliddon.
Calvin and Covenant Marriage: A Critical Genealogy
Authors: Guth Charles
Published: January 2023

Many Christians treat marriage as a covenant. An influential group of contemporary Christians argues that covenant marriage provides a response to what they regard as the social ills of high divorce rates and the ‘breakdown’ of the traditional family. These Christians often look to John Calvin's marriage theology for inspiration because he linked treating marriage as a covenant to regarding marriage as sacred and indissoluble. In this article I cast doubt on the wisdom of treating marriage as a covenant. I develop a critical genealogy that shows Calvin's marriage theology oppressed women by reinforcing their subordination to men and trapping women in abusive marriages. I then argue that recent social science suggests covenant marriage functions similarly among contemporary Christians. I consider whether a non-oppressive form of covenant marriage can be developed, before suggesting that we cannot yet know whether covenant marriage is salvageable.
Well-preserved Norway spruce needle phytoliths in sediments can be a new paleoenvironmental indicator
Authors: Lisztes-Szabó Zsuzsa , Tóth Albert , Buró Botond , Braun Ádám , Csík Attila , Filep Anna F , Kuneš Petr , Braun Mihály
Published: January 2023

Analysis of phytoliths (plant silica bodies) still may have an unrevealed potential in paleoenvironmental reconstruction studies. This can provide novel findings in research on environmental change as phytoliths play an important role in the silicon biogeochemical cycle. In favorable environmental conditions, Picea abies [L.] H. Karst (Norway spruce) needles develop a phytolith layer consisting of more or less cubical or cuboid (blocky) phytoliths in their transfusion tissue that becomes continuous toward the apex of the needle. This can be studied in situ in fossil (subfossil) needles under a stereomicroscope. This study reports the blocky-type phytolith preservation in fossil spruce needles in sediment sections of the lake Černé jezero (Bohemian Forest, Czech Republic). The oldest needle containing phytoliths was 7.8 cal ka BP. Despite differences in the Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra of different age phytoliths, the studied subfossil phytoliths did not lose their globular ultrastructure in the needle tissue, proving the stability of this phytolith morphotype. As the tissue of the needle fossils can preserve phytoliths in situ, further micro-analytical measurements will make these needles promising tools for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. The most favorable period for spruce phytolith formation for the studied region appears to be the period 6.0–4.5 cal ka BP, within the Holocene Climate Optimum period. In order to use these phytoliths as a terrestrial climate proxy, the next step is to refine their sensitivity to environmental changes.
A novel power prior approach for borrowing historical control data in clinical trials
Authors: Shi Yaru , Li Wen , Liu Guanghan (Frank)
Published: January 2023

There has been an increased interest in borrowing information from historical control data to improve the statistical power for hypothesis testing, therefore reducing the required sample sizes in clinical trials. To account for the heterogeneity between the historical and current trials, power priors are often considered to discount the information borrowed from the historical data. However, it can be challenging to choose a fixed power prior parameter in the application. The modified power prior approach, which defines a random power parameter with initial prior to control the amount of historical information borrowed, may not directly account for heterogeneity between the trials. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to pick a power prior based on some direct measures of distributional differences between historical control data and current control data under normal assumptions. Simulations are conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed approach compared with current approaches (e.g. commensurate prior, meta-analytic-predictive, and modified power prior). The results show that the proposed power prior improves the study power while controlling the type I error within a tolerable limit when the distribution of the historical control data is similar to that of the current control data. The method is developed for both superiority and non-inferiority trials and is illustrated with an example from vaccine clinical trials.
‘Do know harm’: Examining the intersecting capabilities of young people from refugee backgrounds through community sport and leisure programmes
Authors: Smith Robyn , Mansfield Louise , Wainwright Emma
Published: January 2023

Young people from refugee backgrounds have been repeatedly denied the ability to lead a life that they value. Community sport and leisure has been positioned as a tool to foster positive wellbeing experiences for these young people living in Western resettlement countries. Drawing on qualitative data from a Participatory Action Research project in London, England, we apply Nussbaum's Capabilities Approach to examine how the young people made sense of and negotiated their interconnecting capabilities through the sport and leisure programme. We examine three key interconnections between the capabilities of (a) life, bodily health and play; (b) affiliation and emotion and (c) bodily integrity and control over the environment. The findings are significant in ensuring sport and leisure provides opportunities for young people from refugee backgrounds to engage in positive wellbeing experiences and for enabling them and those supporting them to know and challenge harmful practices that may restrict capabilities.
The invasive pentastome Raillietiella orientalis in a banded water snake from the pet trade
Authors: Farrell Terence M. , Walden Heather D. S. , Ossiboff Robert J.
Published: January 2023

Raillietiella orientalis is established in Florida and rapidly spreading both geographically and in known host species. A banded water snake ( Nerodia fasciata), purchased in Michigan at a regional reptile show, expectorated a pentastome whose morphology and DNA sequence indicated that it was R. orientalis. This event indicates that, through the pet trade, R. orientalis has been spread 1,500 km from its previously known distribution limit. Fecal sample analyses indicated that the snake was shedding large numbers of embryonated eggs for at least several months. The diversity of reptile species that are both known hosts of R. orientalis in Florida and are commonly sold in the pet trade indicates that this invasive pentastome may become a widespread health concern for pet owners and veterinarians.
Evaluation of a Parenting Program for Disadvantaged Families in the Czech Republic
Authors: Koutná Martina , Havrdová Egle , Netík Jan , Pour Marek
Published: January 2023

Purpose: This impact evaluation report describes the effects of the “Parenting Program for Disadvantaged Families” in the Czech Republic. We provide a detailed look at the quantitative data on treatment and control families in a program delivered by social workers to reduce the risk of children's misconduct. Method: The study specifies the results of two waves of quantitative research based on Parenting Young Children (PARYC), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and items measuring parents’ attitudes toward punishment of their children. Results: The results of parental self-reported competencies and parent-reported children's behavior indicate that there was a statistically significant impact of the intervention. Discussion: There was a large effect on Supporting Positive Behavior (PARYC), and Prosocial Behavior and Peer Relationship dimensions of the SDQ. Parental practices and attitudes toward punishment are further explored, although the conclusions remain ambiguous.
Rapid Response Systems at a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital
Authors: Dunn Heather , Dukes Kimberly , Wendt Linder , Bunch Jacinda
Published: January 2023

Rapid Response Systems (RRS) improve patient outcomes at large medical centers. Little is known about how RRS are used in other medical settings. The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe RRS events at a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH). We conducted a retrospective review of 71 RRS event records at an urban 50-bed Midwestern LTACH. Measures included demographic data, triggering mechanisms, contextual factors, mechanism factors, and clinical outcomes. Of patients who experienced a RRS event, median age was 71 (62, 80) years; 52.1% were female; most ( n = 49, 69%) were “full code.” Most ( n = 41, 58%) events occurred during the daytime. The most common trigger was “mental status changes/unresponsiveness.” Registered nurses were the most frequent activator ( n = 19, 26.8%) and responders ( n = 63, 60.6%). Median duration of RRS events was 14 (6, 25) minutes. Most patients stabilized and their condition improved ( n = 54, 76.1%). RRS can be expanded and modified to the LTACH population.
Daridorexant: Comprehensive Review of A New Oral Agent for the Treatment of Insomnia
Authors: Park Juliane , Render, PharmD Kandon P. , Cates, PharmD Drew W.
Published: January 2023

Objective:

To review the current pharmacology, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, safety, and efficacy of daridorexant in patients with insomnia.

Data Sources:

A literature search of PubMed (March 1, 2018, to October 19, 2022) and ClinicalTrials.gov search was conducted using the following terms: daridorexant and ACT-541468. Additional articles were identified by hand from references.

Study selection and data extraction:

We included English-language articles evaluating daridorexant pharmacology, efficacy, or safety in humans for the management of insomnia.

Data synthesis:

Daridorexant has a peak plasma concentration of 1-2 hours, terminal half-life of 8 hours, and absolute bioavailability of 61%. Wake after sleep onset (WASO) significantly decreased from baseline to months 1 and 3 in daridorexant 25 (–18.40 and –22.97 min, P < 0.0001) and 50 mg (–28.98 and –29.41 min, P < 0.0001) groups compared with placebo. Latency to persistent sleep (LPS) significantly decreased from baseline to months 1 and 3 for daridorexant 25 mg (–28.17 and –30.73 min, P = 0.0005 and P = 0.0015) and 50 mg (–31.20 and –34.80 min, P < 0.0001).

Relevance to patient care and clinical practice in comparison to existing agents:

Daridorexant can be administered in diverse patient populations because of its tolerability and favorable safety profile. However, due to the lack of large scale studies that directly compare dual orexin receptor antagonists (DORAs), there is not enough data to recommend 1 DORA over another.

Conclusions:

Daridorexant is well tolerated and has demonstrated significant reductions in LPS and WASO in the treatment of insomnia in adult patients.
Applying Design-Thinking Principles to Practice-Based Pharmacy Research
Authors: Smith Marie A. , Nigro Stefanie
Published: January 2023

Design thinking is an approach to problem solving that focuses on a solution to a problem. This systematic approach can be applied to practice-based research or implementation projects in your practice setting. It may be useful for starting new projects as well as revisiting past projects that may not have yielded meaningful results. The design-thinking process begins with identifying a problem or knowledge gap and then the steps include: (1) understanding the problem, (2) observing the problem, (3) defining the problem, (4) brainstorming possible solutions, (5) prototyping the best solution, and (6) testing the solution.
Scientists and Journalists and Communicating Uncertainty: Collaborating With Sharon Dunwoody
Authors: Friedman Sharon M. , Rogers Carol L.
Published: January 2023

This commentary honors Sharon Dunwoody’s scholarship and collaboration by focusing on two co-edited books on science communication. It explores the development of these two seminal publications that influenced the early development of the science communication field. In addition to placing the books in their respective time periods, the commentary highlights Dunwoody’s specific contributions as described by her two co-editors and long-time collaborators.
Solving distributed-order fractional optimal control problems via the Fibonacci wavelet method
Authors: Sabermahani Sedigheh , Ordokhani Yadollah
Published: January 2023

A new approach to finding the approximate solution of distributed-order fractional optimal control problems (D-O FOCPs) is proposed. This method is based on Fibonacci wavelets (FWs). We present a new Riemann–Liouville operational matrix for FWs using the hypergeometric function. Using this, an operational matrix of the distributed-order fractional derivative is presented. Implementing the mentioned operational matrix with the help of the Gauss–Legendre numerical integration, the problem converts to a system of algebraic equations. Error analysis is proposed. Finally, the validation of the present technique is checked by solving some numerical examples.
Prediction Performance of Feature Selectors and Classifiers on Highly Dimensional Transcriptomic Data for Prediction of Weight Loss in Filipino Americans at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Chang Lisa , Fukuoka Yoshimi , Aouizerat Bradley E. , Zhang Li , Flowers Elena
Published: January 2023

Background: Accurate prediction of risk for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes (T2D) is challenging due to the complex underlying etiology. Integration of more complex data types from sensors and leveraging technologies for collection of -omics datasets may provide greater insights into the specific risk profile for complex diseases.

Methods: We performed a literature review to identify feature selection methods and machine learning models for prediction of weight loss in a previously completed clinical trial (NCT02278939) of a behavioral intervention for weight loss in Filipinos at risk for T2D. Features included demographic and clinical characteristics, dietary factors, physical activity, and transcriptomics.

Results: We identified four feature selection methods: Correlation-based Feature Subset Selection (CfsSubsetEval) with BestFirst, Kolmogorov–Smirnov (KS) test with correlation featureselection (CFS), DESeq2, and max-relevance-min-relevance (MRMR) with linear forward search and mutual information (MI) and four machine learning algorithms: support vector machine, decision tree, random forest, and extra trees that are applicable to prediction of weight loss using the specified feature types.

Conclusion: More accurate prediction of risk for T2D and other complex conditions may be possible by leveraging complex data types from sensors and -omics datasets. Emerging methods for feature selection and machine learning algorithms make this type of modeling feasible.