bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lactate Dehydrogenase Predicts Hemorrhagic Transformation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Chen Lingli , Xu Minjie , Huang Qiqi , Wen Caiyun , Ren Wenwei
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a severe but frequent complication of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and HT. Methods: We retrospectively included 542 AIS patients with HT and 1,091 age- and gender-matched patients without HT. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from medical records, and blood samples were obtained within 24 h after admission. The characteristics of the groups were compared. With the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, we assessed the discriminating capacity of LDH levels in predicting HT in patients with AIS. The logistic regression model was used to determine the connection between LDH and HT. Results: The HT group had considerably higher LDH levels than the non-HT group (263.0 [216.0–323.3] U/L versus 178.0 [162.0–195.0] U/L, p < 0.001). We also observed that the levels of LDH in the parenchymal hemorrhage subgroup were significantly higher than those in the hemorrhagic infarction subgroup (281.0 [230.0–340.0] U/L versus 258.0 [209.0–311.0] U/L, p < 0.001). The area under the ROC curve of LDH was 0.890 (95% confidence level [CI] 0.874–0.905, p < 0.001). Besides, logistic regression revealed that high LDH levels (LDH >215 U/L) showed a higher risk of HT (odds ratio = 10.958, 95% CI 7.964–15.078, p < 0.001). Conclusion: High LDH levels were linked with an increased risk of HT in AIS patients. Practical measures should be considered in patients with increased LDH levels (LDH >215 U/L).
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for the Treatment of Supine Hypertension and Orthostatic Hypotension in Autonomic Failure
Authors: Okamoto Luis E. , Celedonio Jorge E. , Smith Emily C. , Paranjape Sachin Y. , Black Bonnie K. , Wahba Amr , Park Jin-Woo , Shibao Cyndya A. , Diedrich André , Biaggioni Italo
Published: January 2023

Background:

Supine hypertension affects most patients with orthostatic hypotension (OH) due to autonomic failure, but it is often untreated for fear of worsening OH. We hypothesized that increasing intrathoracic pressure with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) had a Valsalva-like blood-pressure-lowering effect that could be used to treat nocturnal supine hypertension in these patients, while reducing nocturnal pressure diuresis and improving daytime OH.

Methods:

In Protocol 1, we determined the acute hemodynamic effects of increasing levels of CPAP (0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 cm H
2
O, 3 minutes each) in 26 patients with autonomic failure and supine hypertension studied while awake and supine. In Protocol 2 (n=11), we compared the effects of overnight therapy with CPAP (8–12 cm H
2
O for 8 hours) versus placebo on nocturnal supine hypertension, nocturnal diuresis and daytime OH in a 2-night crossover study.

Results:

In Protocol 1, acute CPAP (4–16 cm H
2
O) decreased systolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner (maximal drop 22±4 mmHg with CPAP 16) due to reductions in stroke volume (−16+3%) and cardiac output (−14±3%). Systemic vascular resistance and heart rate remained unchanged. In Protocol 2, overnight CPAP lowered nighttime systolic blood pressure (maximal change −23±5 versus placebo −1±7 mmHg;
P
=0.023) and was associated with lower nighttime diuresis (609±84 versus placebo 1004±160 mL;
P
=0.004) and improved morning orthostatic tolerance (AUC
upright SBP
642±121 versus placebo 410±109 mmHg*min;
P
=0.014).

Conclusions:

CPAP is a novel nonpharmacologic approach to treat the supine hypertension of autonomic failure while improving nocturia and daytime OH.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT03312556.
Role of Inflammatory Processes in Hemorrhagic Stroke
Authors: Ohashi Sarah N. , DeLong Jonathan H. , Kozberg Mariel G. , Mazur-Hart David J. , van Veluw Susanne J. , Alkayed Nabil J. , Sansing Lauren H.
Published: January 2023

Hemorrhagic stroke is the deadliest form of stroke and includes the subtypes of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. A common cause of hemorrhagic stroke in older individuals is cerebral amyloid angiopathy. Intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage both lead to the rapid collection of blood in the central nervous system and generate inflammatory immune responses that involve both brain resident and infiltrating immune cells. These responses are complex and can contribute to both tissue recovery and tissue injury. Despite the interconnectedness of these major subtypes of hemorrhagic stroke, few reviews have discussed them collectively. The present review provides an update on inflammatory processes that occur in response to intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of cerebral amyloid angiopathy–related hemorrhage. The goal is to highlight inflammatory processes that underlie disease pathology and recovery. We aim to discuss recent advances in our understanding of these conditions and identify gaps in knowledge with the potential to develop effective therapeutic strategies.
SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION OF FOREIGN USERS IN GETIR OF TURKEY'S SECOND UNICORN: TWITTER SENTIMENT ANALYSIS
Authors: KORKMAZ Adem
Published: January 2023

Social media interactions, the digital form of classical word-of-mouth marketing (AAP), used to strengthen the business-brand image, have become one of the most critical evaluation criteria today. It is known how effective social media is in maximizing brand awareness and sales. For this purpose, the social media contents of the users abroad of Getir, Turkey's largest unicorn company, were analyzed. In this direction, the contents of the tweets posted in English from July 1, 2021, when Getir was launched to the European market in general, until July 1, 2022, were analyzed. Python programming language was used for data collection, and R language was used for data analysis. Social network analysis (SAA) of the most used words in the context of positive, negative, anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, and trust of the emotional states of the tweets posted for Getir was performed. Social network analysis (SAA) was conducted in the context of positive, negative, anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, and trust of the most used words in the emotional states of tweets for Getir. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the positive emotions of the users towards Getir were higher than the negative emotions. It has been determined that the company's development performance and social media analysis results are in parallel.
How reliable are unsupervised author disambiguation algorithms in the assessment of research organization performance?
Authors: Abramo Giovanni , D’Angelo Ciriaco Andrea
Published: January 2023

Assessing the performance of universities by output to input indicators requires knowledge of the individual researchers working within them. Although in Italy the Ministry of University and Research updates a database of university professors, in all those countries where such databases are not available, measuring research performance is a formidable task. One possibility is to trace the research personnel of institutions indirectly through their publications, using bibliographic repertories together with author names disambiguation algorithms. This work evaluates the goodness-of-fit of the Caron and van Eck, CvE unsupervised algorithm by comparing the research performance of Italian universities resulting from its application for the derivation of the universities’ research staff, with that resulting from the supervised algorithm of D’Angelo, Giuffrida, and Abramo (2011), which avails of input data. Results show that the CvE algorithm overestimates the size of the research staff of organizations by 56%. Nonetheless, the performance scores and ranks recorded in the two compared modes show a significant and high correlation. Still, nine out of 69 universities show rank deviations of two quartiles. Measuring the extent of distortions inherent in any evaluation exercises using unsupervised algorithms, can inform policymakers’ decisions on building national research staff databases, instead of settling for the unsupervised approaches.
Spatialisation of Text Worlds: Contrastive Interpretations in P.L. Travers’s Mary Poppins
Authors: Vathanalaoha Kriangkrai
Published: January 2023

Fictional situations recounted by a narrator instantaneously trigger a mental representation of a text world (Gavins 2007) which aims to explicate how meaning is achieved by readers based on salient theories of stylistics. This study examines how text world creation is established while reading Mary Poppins (Travers 2014). Crucial excerpts are explored to explain how readers perceive events that constitute the narrative. As the author recounts all events through an omniscient perspective, a discourse world is established through schematic data of all participants in the discourse based on common ground information. Deictic shift (Segal 1995) is employed to demonstrate how a mental representation is spatially situated and to achieve rich presentations of the fictional world. The present study concludes that text-world approaches to Mary Poppins could explain interpretive controversies between the novel and the film, since participants, schema and ontological distance trigger spatialisation of the fictional worlds.
Framing of the Unified Examination Certificate by Malaysian Ethnic Newspapers
Authors: Lam Kai Chee , Ting Yeo Wei , Ang Lay Hoon , Hoe Foo Terng
Published: January 2023

Media framing makes an issue salient. This study attempts to determine the frequency of episodic and thematic frames in news about the Unified Examination Certificate issue and identify the framing dimensions and valence used. Textual analysis of the content and headlines was performed on 100 news articles from newspapers of two languages. Results indicate that all the articles were framed episodically, with the “attribution of responsibility” dimension used most frequently, followed by the “human interest” and “conflict” dimensions. Chinese articles tended to use neutral valance, whereas Malay articles mostly used negative valence. These findings provide insights into ethnic politically-influenced and reader-oriented presentations of an issue by different newspapers. Future studies may focus on newspapers using the same language and investigate the framing effects by mainstream and alternative media.
A new rheophilic species of Knodus Eigenmann (Characiformes: Characidae: Stevardiinae) from the upper rio Juruena, rio Tapajós basin, Chapada dos Parecis, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: FERREIRA KATIANE M. , OHARA WILLIAN MASSAHARU
Published: January 2023

Knodus ytuanama, new species, is described from the upper rio Juruena, rio Tapajós drainage, Amazon basin, Mato Grosso, Brazil. The new species differs from its congeners by presenting the interradial membranes of the caudal fin thickened, forming folds, and also differs from most congeners by the presence of a dark, wide midlateral stripe extending from the posterior margin of opercle to the middle caudal-fin rays, the absence of a humeral blotch in adults, and by having four rows of scales between the lateral line and the pelvic-fin origin, among another features. We also provide a discussion on the presence of membranous flaps on the fins as an adaptation for living in fast-water environments in Knodus ytuanama n. sp. as well as in a congener, K. tiquiensis.
Sustainable development goals in public administrations: Enabling conditions in local governments
Authors: Bisogno Marco , Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz , Rossi Francesca Manes , Peña-Miguel Noemi
Published: January 2023

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a challenge that many public administrations face in promoting sustainable growth. Local governments, as the governmental tier closest to citizens, should deliberate upon strategies and actions attuned to achieving SDGs for the benefit of their communities. Through a comparative analysis of Italian and Spanish local governments, this research investigates the conditions that can support the achievement of SDGs. The results depict the political and financial levers that can stimulate politicians and policymakers in designing appropriate strategies and action plans towards the achievement of SDGs, while opening the path for further research that can support public administrations in their efforts at achieving sustainable growth.

Points for practitioners

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are believed to play a vital role in our society. They represent the background of strategies and policies implemented at a local government level; accordingly, politicians and public managers are key actors in achieving SDGs. Our study shows that local governments tend to implement sustainable policies despite the political ideology; results also illustrate that governing in large coalitions could be a hindrance to implementing sustainable policies. Furthermore, favourable financial conditions support the achievement of SDGs.
Troubled times: Canadian social workers’ early adversities, mental health, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Alaggia Ramona , O’Connor Carolyn , Fuller-Thomson Esme , West Keri
Published: January 2023

Canadian social workers were surveyed about early adversities, mental health, and resilience. Bivariate analysis ( n = 236) was conducted to understand relationships between predictor and outcome variables; and logistic regression analyses were conducted for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and resilience. The impact of pandemic-related factors was also investigated. The results indicate that social workers are experiencing concerning levels of mental health issues, with significantly lower levels of resilience in younger social workers. A trauma and resilience informed approach to workplace policies and practices is urgently required to support social workers’ mental health needs.
Ethical Dilemmas: Current and Projected Concerns Reported by Certified Rehabilitation Counselors
Authors: Hill Julie C. , Stokes Lindsay E. , Froelich Robert J. , Emmanuel Diona , Landon Trenton J. , Hicks Simone B.
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate ethical dilemmas faced by certified rehabilitation counselors. Using a mixed-method survey approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes among responses including the ethically challenging incident, additional resources to clarify the situation or reach resolution, projecting future ethical issues, approach to resolution for current ethical issues, and additional issues to address or consider in the code of ethics. Results indicated that participants most frequently encountered ethical dilemmas related to Section B. Confidentiality, Privileged Communication and Privacy of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) Certification Code of Professional Ethics, followed by Section A. The Counseling Relationship. When addressing recognized ethical dilemmas, participants also identified consideration of the counseling relationship and maintaining confidentiality, privileged communication and privacy as the most important sections of the code to consider. Implications include topics identifying current and projected ethical dilemmas faced by CRCs, as well as the need for a variety of topics to be addressed or considered in the new revisions of the CRC Code of Ethics.
On the Highway to Hell: Slippery Slope Perceptions in Judgments of Moral Character
Authors: Anderson Rajen A. , Ruisch Benjamin C. , Pizarro David A.
Published: January 2023

Across four studies, we test the hypothesis that people exhibit “slippery slope” thinking in their judgments of moral character—that is, do observers judge that a person who behaves immorally will become increasingly immoral over time? In Study 1, we find that a person who commits an immoral act is judged as more likely to behave immorally and as having a worse character in the future than in the past. In Study 2, we find that it is the commission of an immoral act specifically—rather than merely attempting an immoral act—that drives this slippery slope effect. In Study 3, we demonstrate that observers judge the moral agent as more likely to commit acts of greater severity further in time after the initial immoral act. In Study 4, we find that this effect is driven by an anticipated corrupting of moral character, related to perceptions of the agent’s guilt.
Among psychedelic-experienced users, only past use of psilocybin reliably predicts nature relatedness
Authors: Forstmann Matthias , Kettner Hannes S , Sagioglou Christina , Irvine Alexander , Gandy Sam , Carhart-Harris Robin L , Luke David
Published: January 2023

Background:

Past research reports a positive relationship between experience with classic serotonergic psychedelics and nature relatedness (NR). However, these studies typically do not distinguish between different psychedelic compounds, which have a unique psychopharmacology and may be used in specific contexts and with different intentions. Likewise, it is not clear whether these findings can be attributed to substance use per se or unrelated variables that differentiate psychedelic users from nonusers.

Aims:

The present study was designed to determine the relative degree to which lifetime experience with different psychedelic substances is predictive of self-reported NR among psychedelic-experienced users.

Methods:

We conducted a combined reanalysis of five independent datasets ( N = 3817). Using standard and regularized regression analyses, we tested the relationship between degree of experience with various psychedelic substances (binary and continuous) and NR, both within a subsample of psychedelic-experienced participants as well as the complete sample including psychedelic-naïve participants.

Results/Outcomes:

Among people experienced with psychedelics, only past use of psilocybin (versus LSD, mescaline, Salvia divinorum, ketamine, and ibogaine) was a reliable predictor of NR and its subdimensions. Weaker, less reliable results were obtained for the pharmacologically similar N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Results replicate when including psychedelic-naïve participants. In addition, among people exclusively experience with psilocybin, use frequency positively predicted NR.

Conclusions/Interpretation:

Results suggest that experience with psilocybin is the only reliable (and strongest) predictor of NR. Future research should focus on psilocybin when investigating effects of psychedelic on NR and determine whether pharmacological attributes or differences in user expectations/use settings are responsible for this observation.
Impact of Movie Depictions of Volcanic Disaster on Risk Perception and Judgments
Authors: Bahk C. Mo , Neuwirth Kurt
Published: January 2023

This study examines how movie depletions of a volcanic disaster influence viewers’ perception and judgments concerning disaster-related experiences. A total of 162 college students watched one of three video clips: (1) the movie Volcano— a portrayal of a volcanic disaster taking place in the city of Los Angeles; (2) the documentary National Geographic's Volcano, and (3) an instructional video on gardening (control). Subjects then filed out a questionnaire that measures their perception of victimization risk, victimization apprehension, problem seriousness, and risk locus of control (RLOC). As for those who watched the movie, message involvement, perceived realism, and role attractiveness were measured as mediator variables. Overall, the results reveal that subjects in the volcanic movie (drama) and documentary conditions exhibited higher levels of fear and worry about falling victim to a volcanic disaster than did subjects in the control condition. For subjects in the drama condition, perceived realism of the presentation and role attractiveness of the characters increased the level of fear about volcanic disasters and induced heightened estimates of volcanic risk victimization. Further, increased role attractiveness was associated with greater levels of external risk locus of control.
Pattern Differences in Disaster-Induced Employee Evacuations
Authors: Drabek Thomas E.
Published: January 2023

When people are at work and they learn that disaster is imminent, what are their responses ? To what degree are there pattern differences in their response profiles because of event variations or structural features of the business firm for which they work? Interviews with employees (n = 406) of 118 businesses impacted by one of seven different recent disasters provide the first answers to these questions. While there were many interdependencies among three areas of constraint, analyses documented that many, but not all, aspects of employee evacuation behavior were patterned significantly by: (1) length of forewarning; (2) organizational size; and (3) organizational mission.
Tapping Collective Memory of Disaster: Getting “Inside” the 1985 Mexico City Earthquakes
Authors: Gawronski Vincent T. , Olson Richard Stuart
Published: January 2023

Disasters achieve an enduring place or status in the history of a society by becoming part of the collective memory of its people. Using literary-cultural production and survey research data from 1997–1998, this paper explores the place of the great September 19 and September 20, 1985 Mexico City earthquakes in the collective memory of the Mexican people. The principal finding is that, of all the traumas that affected Mexico in the latter half of the 20’ century, the earthquakes of 1985 rank—and are almost twinned in importance—with the 1968 student protests and resulting Massacre at Tlatelolco. Both events turn out to be historical markers in Mexican collective memory.
Coordinating, Integrating, and Synchronizing Disaster Response: Use of an Emergency Response Synchronization Matrix in Emergency Planning, Exercises, and Operations
Authors: Hewett Paul L. , Mitrani Jacques E. , Metz William C. , Vercellone James J.
Published: January 2023

A graphical depiction of the entire emergency response process via a synchronization matrix is an effective management too for optimizing the design, exercise, and real-life implementation of emergency plans. This system-based approach to emergency planning depicts how a community organizes its response tasks across space and time. It gives responders the opportunity to make real-time adjustments to maximizing the often limited resources in protecting area residents. An effective response to any natural or technological hazard must involve the entire community and must not be limited by individual jurisdictions and organizations acting on their own without coordination, integration, and synchronization.

An emergency response to an accidental release of chemical warfare agents from one of this nation's eight chemical weapons stockpile sites, like any other disaster response, is complex. It requires the rapid coordination, integration, and synchronization of multiple levels of governmental and nongovernmental organizations from numerous jurisdictions, each with varying response capabilities, into a unified community response. The community response actions occur in an area extending from an on-site storage location to points 25 or more miles away. Actions are directed and controlled by responding local governments and agencies situated within the response area, as well as by state and federal operations centers quite removed from the area of impact. Time is critical and the protective action decision-making process is greatly compressed. To ensure an effective response with minimal confusion, given the potential catastrophic nature of such releases, the response community must carefully synchronize response operations.
Designing a Spatial Decision Support System for Evacuation Planning
Authors: De Silva F. Nisha
Published: January 2023

Emergency planning and management profoundly depend on computer aided decision support tools which gather and analyze data on damage assessment, meteorology, demography, geography, etc., and provide decision support for prevention/mitigation, response, and recovery. Various technologies are amalgamated to provide useful functions to aid this decision-making process. Complexities arise when attempting to link two streams of technology to achieve a realistic, usable tool that emergency planners can rely on. This discussion aims to identify and analyze the challenging issues faced in using two technologies, simulation modeling and Geographical Information Systems, to design decision support tools for the evacuation planning process. The issues investigated arise from experiences in designing the prototype decision support system CEMPS. The discussion primarily focuses on issues related to the. behavioral and decision-making processes of the various players in the evacuation system, logistics, generating realistic scenarios for testing out contingency plans, the. validation of such decision support tools, and the future trends in technology and the emergency planning and management processes.
Some Contemporary Issues in Disaster Management
Authors: Buckle Philip
Published: January 2023

In this paper I want to set out some of my views on a number of contemporary issues confronting disaster management but I do not have the space to address all the issues I think are critical nor do I doubt that there are numerous other issues that have not occurred to me. My assessment of some salient current issues derives from two perspectives; until recently I had responsibility for policy development and program management of disaster recovery services in Victoria, Australia and now I have added the perspective of the academic and researcher at Cranfield Disaster Management Center in England and formerly at RMIT University, Australia; research into social impacts and community responses is an activity that links these two positions. While I am generally pessimistic about how well disaster management can keep pace with a changing global risk environment I acknowledge that our thinking has changed significantly in the past decade. In particular we have been—or were—moving away from a hazard-centric and reductionist approach to disaster management to an approach that accepted the reality of social, cultural, political and economic drivers of hazard generation, risk and vulnerability.
Vulnerability as a Measure of Change in Society
Authors: Bankoff Greg
Published: January 2023

Assessing risk and evaluating crises—be they financial, social, political or environmental—have come increasingly to preoccupy the interests and concerns of analysts around the globe. In developed countries or what until recently was usually referred to as the First World, such considerations involve the re-conceptualization of post-industrial societies as ones in which the rise of “manufactured uncertainties” have undermined the state's established safety systems and its conventional calculus of security (Giddens 1991). Yet to the billions of humanity who continue to live in the less developed countries of the Third or Fourth Worlds and whose peoples still have faith in the benefits of development or have seen that promise come and go in a single lifetime 1, these finer considerations of risk may seem less important. The threats posed by dumping industrial wastes, unsafe chemical production and the pollution of air and water, though real and graphically manifest on occasion, often pale in comparison to the daily risks posed by natural hazards and human-induced calamities that recent decades have only intensified 2. Rather than the “risk society” proposed by Ulrich Beck and others (1992), it is the need to understand the historical evolution of vulnerability and the degree to which different social classes are differently placed at risk that require more urgent consideration for most communities (Susman et al. 1983) 3.
Group Flood Insurance Program and Flood Insurance Purchase Decisions
Authors: Shaw Mary Margaret
Published: January 2023

This article describes a research project focusing on flood insurance purchase decisions of low-income residents of eastern North Carolina who are obliged to purchase an NFIP flood insurance policy as a result of having accepted a disaster assistance grant following Hurricane Floyd. A survey was sent to a random sample of these disaster assistance recipients and results show that, despite the obligation, as many as 41% do not purchase flood insurance. People say that they do not purchase flood insurance because they cannot afford it. The only significant predictor of flood insurance purchase for this population is the purchase of homeowner insurance.
Assessing the Usefulness of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Terrorism Advisory System
Authors: Major Ann Marie , Atwood L. Erwin
Published: January 2023

This study reports the results of a national survey of 1,023 U.S. adults and their evaluations of the usefulness of the color-coded U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Advisory System. The study explores the relationships among information sources, risk perception, demographics, and preparedness behaviors within the context of the social amplification of risk. Half of the respondents (48.8%) rated the advisory system as useful and half (47.0%) rated it as not useful; however, far fewer respondents reporting having made any preparations for a future attack. Strong support was found for the social amplification of risk model with 87.1 percent of the respondents reporting that terrorism was an important problem and two-thirds of those respondents reporting that news reports had influenced how important they believed the problem was. The findings also underscore that information sources were not of consequence for all respondents, and that it was the perceived utility of the advisory system, not risk perception, that impacted whether or not respondents made preparations.
A Call for Dynamic Hazard Assessment
Authors: Johnson David E. A.
Published: January 2023

This exploratory study examines the use of agent-based modeling for the dynamic assessment of the hazards associated with flooding responses. While flooding is the specific agent used, the techniques are applicable to any type of hazard. The equation upon which the model is built considers four components: geophysical, built, social environments and response organization capabilities. The development of the agent characteristics requires the quantification of the interdependencies of the environment as well as the interaction among the response agencies in a complex adaptive system. This study will develop a realistic model of the hazards and the ability of the response organizations to mitigate the incident.
Does a Rights Based Approach Make a Difference? The Role of Public Law in Vulnerability Reduction
Authors: Handmer John , Monson Rebecca
Published: January 2023

Reducing the impact of climate-related disasters can be conceptualized as being about reducing or managing ‘vulnerability’. ‘Vulnerability’ is a multi-faceted concept incorporating issues of livelihood, housing, security and gender among many others. For example, groups of people may be more or less vulnerable to climate-related disasters due to the security of their livelihoods or the quality of their housing. International and national law may regulate some of these constituents of vulnerability. In some jurisdictions, such as countries in the European Union and the Council of Europe, and countries with new constitutions, there is a range of specific rights that may be mobilized to reduce vulnerability.

Much of the work on the link between vulnerability reduction and human rights focuses on international law. However, national law is generally more accessible and enforceable than international law. We draw on three recent South African cases to illustrate the potential for citizens to mobilize public law to reduce their own vulnerability, and raise the question of whether a legal rights based approach might be useful elsewhere in the world.
Preparing For the Inevitable: Environmental Risk Perceptions and Disaster Preparedness
Authors: Kirschenbaum Alan
Published: January 2023

Do risk perceptions of environmental hazards lead to preparing for them? Employing data from a national urban household sample (814) in Israel, the link between risk perceptions and preparedness were examined for natural, industrial, technological, accidental and non/conventional war disasters. A factor analysis generated six risk components conditional on the social familiarity with the potential victim as well as disaster-specific events and four preparedness components reflecting, provisions, skills, planning and protection. The ‘risk-preparedness’ association based on this matrix of components was inconsistent having few statistically significant correlations, some even negative. Regression coefficients used to predict preparedness actions due to risk perceptions were also only partially successful. Apparently, the impact of risk perceptions on preparedness is limited to specific environmental disasters and strongest for those preparedness behaviors that are more immediate, concrete and easy to achieve. These findings have direct application for disaster managers involved in risk communication and public education of disasters.
Perceptions of Earthquake and Tsunami Issues in U.S. Pacific Northwest Port and Harbor Communities
Authors: Wood Nathan J. , Good James W.
Published: January 2023

Although there is considerable energy focused on assessing natural hazards associated with earthquakes and tsunamis in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, little has been done to understand societal vulnerability to these hazards. Part of understanding societal vulnerability includes assessing the perceptions and priorities of public sector individuals with traditional emergency management responsibilities and of private citizens who could play key roles in community recovery. In response to this knowledge gap, we examine earthquake and tsunami perceptions of stakeholders and decision makers from coastal communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, focusing on perceptions of (1) regional hazards and societal vulnerability, (2) the current state of readiness, and (3) priorities for future hazard adjustment efforts. Results of a mailed survey suggest that survey participants believe that earthquakes and tsunamis are credible community threats. Most communities are focusing on regional mitigation and response planning, with less effort devoted to recovery plans or to making individual organizations more resilient. Significant differences in expressed perceptions and priorities were observed between Oregon and Washington respondents, mainly on tsunami issues. Significant perception differences were also observed between private and public sector respondents. Our results suggest the need for further research and for outreach and planning initiatives in the Pacific Northwest to address significant gaps in earthquake and tsunami hazard awareness and readiness.
Operational Ethics for Disaster Research
Authors: Kelman Ilan
Published: January 2023

Operational ethics for disaster research is suggested as an important area for further investigation. The main questions are suggested as:

1. Could carrying out disaster research interfere with disaster and risk management activities?

2. Could publishing disaster research interfere with disaster and risk management activities?

3. Should researchers take responsibility for the operational outcomes of their research?

The example of technical rescue illustrates how these questions might be addressed in order to better understand operational ethics for disaster research. Experiences from field work on active volcanoes are presented as a research area where operational ethics have been applied, although improvements are needed. Researcher good governance is an approach which consolidates many of the issues discussed. Although disaster researchers might feel that no further governance steps are necessary, these questions should be openly debated.
Bridging the Divide from Theory to Practice
Authors: Stuart-Black Jim , Coles Eve , Norman Sarah
Published: January 2023

Increasing exposure to hazards and their associated risks coupled with escalating political, economic, social and cultural dynamics has led to a growing demand on emergency planners across the world. Historically Emergency Planning in the United Kingdom (UK) was a second or third career option, characterized by individuals with a background based in the emergency services, military or logistics (Coles, 1998), with similar attributes seen in Emergency Planners in the New Zealand (NZ) context. The UK and NZ have similar emergency planning roles however they address training and professional development needs from differing perspectives. In light of this new environment, practitioners and academics alike are faced with the challenge of ensuring today's emergency planners are suitably educated, skilled and equipped to face the challenges of the new working environment. Since 1995 when the first United Kingdom undergraduate degree in Disaster Management came on stream at Coventry University, a number of academic undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Disaster and Emergency Management have become ever increasingly popular to both mature students and school leavers in the UK. Similarly, in New Zealand the historical approach to ‘training' has in recent years been adapted into a suite of professional development activities including access to tertiary level qualifications and diplomas.

Is it still acceptable to consider professional development simply in terms of short course attendance or should we be focusing on more contemporary academic programs as delivered by a number of tertiary organizations? Is there a gap between the theoretical (academic) approach and that of the traditional practitioner and if there is, can we bridge the divide? The historical relationship between the researcher and the practitioner in the UK and NZ appears to have been ‘never the twain shall meet’ but is that still the case? The context for developing the emergency management profession is changing. The focus of job descriptions and person specifications has changed dramatically within the last five years begging the question, what cultural change has taken place between the practitioner and the researcher and what value is placed on evidence based practice?

In answering these questions, this paper will examine the legislative frameworks in the United Kingdom and New Zealand before identifying the respective approaches to training and professional development.
Louisiana State University Geographic Information System Support of Hurricane Katrina Recovery Operations
Authors: Curtis Andrew , Mills Jacqueline W. , Blackburn Jason K. , Pine John C. , Kennedy Barrett
Published: January 2023

During Hurricane Katrina a group of faculty, staff, and students at Louisiana State University voluntarily helped create, manage, and staff Geographic Information System (GIS) efforts in the Louisiana Emergency Operations Center (EOC). GIS is an integral component to decision support in all phases of emergency operations (Curtis et al 2006; Eichenbaum 2002; Gunes and Kovel 2000; Johnson and Uba 1997; Kaiser et al 2003; Kehrlein and Shreve 1995; Maniruzzaman et al 2001; Morrow 1999; Newsom and Matrani 1993; Pine 1997; Thomas et al 2002). However, for the Katrina response, no Louisiana state employees were assigned to the GIS desk at the EOC. This failure to have an established support system for all other agencies providing response could have been a devastating fault without the volunteer support provided by LSU. Most agencies looked for us in the EOC and then relied upon us throughout the operation. This paper documents the way our group utilized our academic backgrounds to expand and improve the geospatial decision support in the EOC.
Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness Activities of Canadian Universities
Authors: Friesen Kenton , Bell Doug
Published: January 2023

Preparing for emergencies and disasters has become a necessary part of daily operations of businesses, municipalities, and institutions. Furthermore, educational institutions such as universities, colleges, and schools are not immune to the impacts of disasters (FEMA 443, 2003; Kuban and MacKenzie-Carey, 2001; Miller, 2002; U.S. Department of Education, 2003). Universities are realizing they are exposed to the impact of disasters and that emergency/disaster response requires careful coordination and communication with other organizations and entities that have the resources and skills necessary to manage and respond to particular emergencies (Auf der Heide, 1989; FEMA 443, 2003; Kuban et al., 2001; Mileti, 1999). In Canada, the primary responsibility for emergency preparedness and response is that of the municipality, or local authority, within which a university is located. What then is the role of a university in preparing for and responding to emergencies or disasters?

In the absence of compulsory standards, regulations or legislation, universities, based on the survey of this project, are nevertheless reviewing risks and hazards, implementing long-term strategies, and developing relationships with the local municipality. All of these should consider the unique characteristics of the campus environment, which include an open and accessible environment, a functionally separate hierarchy of administrators and academics, a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary workforce, and a diverse student body, to name a few. After understanding the unique characteristics of the campus environment universities can address emergency preparedness and disaster management by building on the basics of existing and generally accepted standards, such as the NFPA 1600 (NFPA 2000). Additionally, many universities operate much like a municipality (i.e., infrastructure, constituents, and an incorporated government structure) making existing municipal emergency or disaster-related standards, regulations, and legislation also applicable. Further investigation into the application of these standards, regulations, and legislation to the university environment is required to validate the similarities.
Effective Response to Large-Scale Disasters: The Need for High-reliability Preparedness Networks
Authors: Ginter Peter M. , Duncan W. Jack , McCormick Lisa C. , Rucks Andrew C. , Wingate Martha S. , Abdolrasulnia Maziar
Published: January 2023

A continuing preparedness challenge concerns leading, managing, and coordinating multi-agency disaster prevention and response efforts. Effective disaster prevention and response requires a network of preparedness agencies and organizations that functions as a single, high-reliability organization (HRO). High-reliability organizations have been studied extensively; however, the lessons learned in managing HROs have not been systematically applied to the management and operations of multi-agency and private sector organization networks required to respond to large-scale disasters. This paper develops and recommends a leadership and management model for creating and leading high-reliability preparedness networks (HRPNs). The paper demonstrates that the HRPN is key to effectively preparing for and responding to rapid onset disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and mass casualty terrorist events as well as evolving disasters such as infectious disease outbreaks, famines, drought, insect infestations, social system failure, and economic depression.
Call-to-Action Statements in Tornado Warnings: Do They Reflect Recent Developments in Tornado-Safety Research?
Authors: Farley John E.
Published: January 2023

Call-to-action statements in tornado warnings are content analyzed to determine to what extent their wording has been influenced by recent research calling into question official safety guidelines and traditional advice regarding vehicles and mobile homes. While the statements do not directly contradict official guidelines and advice, there is significant variation among NWS offices regarding what advice is given and what guidelines are emphasized in call-to-action statements in tornado warnings. Some of this variation is regional, and interviews with NWS meteorologists reveal a frequent opinion that what is best to do if in a vehicle during a tornado warning may vary by region, time of day, and terrain. The interviews also reveal widespread awareness among NWS meteorologists of debates over tornado safety in vehicles and mobile homes, and strong support for local office autonomy in decisions about the wording of call-to-action statements.
The Changing Roles and Responsibilities of the Local Emergency Manager: An Empirical Study
Authors: Stehr Steven D.
Published: January 2023

A number of observers have speculated that a “new” style of emergency management has emerged in the United States in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001. To date, there has been relatively little empirical evidence marshaled to assess this claim. This article reports the results of an on-going project designed to track how the staff of an office of emergency management in a large urban region allocate their time on a routine basis. This project began in the late 1990s allowing for a year-by-year comparison of time allotted to different emergency management functions. Among the findings reported here are that prior to 2002 emergency management staff spent the majority of their time on hazard preparedness projects but this time allocation shifted dramatically when a variety of federal homeland security grants became available to state and local governments. This shift in responsibilities may be a sign that domestic security concerns have supplanted the all-hazards approach to emergency management at the local level. But this paper argues that it may also be a product of the manner in which federal homeland security grants are administered and the dynamics of the intergovernmental structure of emergency management in the U.S.
The Preparedness of Local Authorities for Crisis Communication with People who have Foreign Backgrounds – the Case of Sweden*
Authors: Olofsson Anna
Published: January 2023

One of the most important aspects of crisis communication is that of reaching the target population in a severe and often chaotic situation. Therefore, crisis communication has to be customized not only to the situation but also to the population. The aim of this study is hence to investigate the preparedness of Swedish municipalities to communicate with people who have foreign backgrounds at times of crisis. A sample of 55% (n=160) of all Swedish municipalities were questioned regarding whether their crisis communication plans are adapted to this population segment and whether any preparedness measures have been taken. The results show that Swedish municipalities do not consider people with foreign backgrounds in their crisis communication to any great extent. However, the studied municipalities can be categorized as Active, Intermediary or Passive, and one important difference between the three groups is whether they have previous experience of crises where people with foreign backgrounds have been involved.