bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intranasal Oxytocin as Add-On Treatment for Inpatients with Severe Mental Illness: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Grossman-Giron Ariella , Maoz Hagai , Nitzan Uri , Kivity Yogev , Zilcha-Mano Sigal , Bloch Yuval , Mendlovic Shlomo , Tzur Bitan Dana
Published: January 2023

Introduction: In recent years, several studies were conducted to explore the potential augmenting effect of oxytocin for the treatment of individuals with severe mental illness. Nonetheless, studies exploring its effects in routine inpatient settings using high-quality randomized controlled trials are scarce. The current study assessed the effect of oxytocin administration on treatment process and outcome among psychiatric inpatients, while employing a rigorous experimental methodology. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial was conducted at a public psychiatric hospital in Israel. Patients (N = 87, 71.3% female participants) were administered intranasal oxytocin/placebo twice daily for 4 weeks, as add-on to usual care. Patients were assessed for severity of anxiety and depression symptoms and their working alliance with their therapist after each therapy session, and treatment outcome was assessed weekly. Multilevel modeling was performed to assess the linear change from pre- to post-treatment. Results: Patients receiving OT demonstrated significantly larger symptomatic improvements (B = −0.01, t [437] = −2.36, p = 0.01). Larger gains were also observed for depression (B = −0.14, p < 0.001 in the OT group, B = −0.06, p = 0.02 in the placebo group) and general distress (B = −0.57, p < 0.001 in the OT group, B = −0.29, p = 0.02 in the placebo group). No significant effect was observed for anxiety, the working alliance, or attachment. Discussion: Oxytocin has the potential to improve treatment outcome among inpatients. Nonetheless, additional controlled research is needed to further assess its effects on therapy process, as well as to account for therapeutic, pharmacological, and neuronal intervening factors.
Clinico-Radio-Histo-Molecular and Neurocognitive Characteristics of Diffuse Gliomas in Adolescent and Young Adults: A Comprehensive Review
Authors: Roux Alexandre , Zanello Marc , Antonia Simboli Giorgia , Varlet Pascale , Tauziede-Espariat Arnault , Beccaria Kévin , Blauwblomme Thomas , Puget Stéphanie , Oppenheim Catherine , Dangouloff-Ros Volodia , Boddaert Nathalie , Dhermain Frédéric , Dufour Christelle , Grill Jacques , Chretien Fabrice , Pallud Johan
Published: January 2023

Background: Diffuse gliomas are the most frequent neoplasms in adolescent and young adults (AYAs), especially high-grade gliomas, which have the highest mortality rate. Recent histo-molecular advances are in favour of specialized therapeutic management of AYA patients, which we have analysed in this comprehensive review of the literature. Summary: A literature search was conducted to identify all studies concerning diffuse gliomas and AYAs (15–39 years). We assessed epidemiology, clinical and imaging findings, histo-molecular characteristics, neurosurgical and neuro-oncological management, prognosis, and health-related quality of life. Key Messages: Diffuse gliomas remain the most frequent brain tumours in the AYA population. Symptoms mainly depend on the tumour location, which varies due to histo-molecular profiles. Specific imaging patterns of histo-molecular subtypes of diffuse gliomas are identified; however, no specific pattern related to the age group has been identified. The literature review favours optimizing the extent of surgical resection for diffuse gliomas, whichever the grade, and suggests a dedicated management for these patients. It seems more relevant to consider the treatment according to the histo-molecular profile of the diffuse glioma rather than the age group. Clinical trials will allow AYA patients to benefit from innovative therapies that could improve their outcome. This literature review suggests the need for a close and long-term psychological follow-up for AYA patients with brain tumour during the transitional care, during adulthood, as well as for their family members. Collaborative efforts are needed between paediatric and adult neurosurgical and neuro-oncological teams, to move forward in the therapeutic management of AYA patients harbouring diffuse gliomas.
How Medication Adherence Affects Disease Management in Veterans with Glaucoma: Lessons Learned from a Clinical Trial
Authors: Buehne Kristen L. , Rosdahl Jullia A. , Hein Aaron M. , Woolson Sandra , Olsen Maren , Kirshner Miriam , Sexton Malina , Bosworth Hayden B. , Muir Kelly W.
Published: January 2023

Introduction: We conducted a secondary, real-world clinical assessment of a randomized controlled trial to determine how a glaucoma medication adherence intervention impacted the clinical outcomes of participants at 12 months post-randomization. Participants included veterans at a VA eye clinic with medically treated glaucoma who reported poor adherence and their companions, if applicable. Methods: The treatment group received a glaucoma education session with drop administration instruction and virtual reminders from a “smart bottle” (AdhereTech) for their eye drops. The control group received a general eye health class and the smart bottle with the reminder function turned off. Medical chart extraction determined if participants in each group experienced visual field progression, additional glaucoma medications, or a recommendation for surgery or laser due to inadequate intraocular pressure control over the 12 months following randomization. The main outcome measure was disease progression, defined as visual field progression or escalation of glaucoma therapy, in the 12 months following randomization. Results: Thirty-six versus 32% of the intervention (n = 100) versus control (n = 100) groups, respectively, experienced disease intensification. There was no difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of intensification (intervention vs. control group odds ratio: 1.20; 95% confidence interval: [0.67, 2.15]), including when age, race, and disease severity were accounted for in the logistic regression model. Those whose study dates included time during the COVID-19 pandemic were evenly distributed between groups. Conclusions: A multifaceted intervention that improved medication adherence for glaucoma for 6 months did not affect the clinical outcomes measured at 12 months post-randomization. Twelve months may not be long enough to see the clinical effect of this intervention or more than 6 months of intervention are needed.
Cardiac Alternans: From Bedside to Bench and Back
Authors: Qu Zhilin , Weiss James N.
Published: January 2023

Cardiac alternans arises from dynamical instabilities in the electrical and calcium cycling systems of the heart, and often precedes ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. In this review, we integrate clinical observations with theory and experiment to paint a holistic portrait of cardiac alternans: the underlying mechanisms, arrhythmic manifestations and electrocardiographic signatures. We first summarize the cellular and tissue mechanisms of alternans that have been demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally, including 3 voltage-driven and 2 calcium-driven alternans mechanisms. Based on experimental and simulation results, we describe their relevance to mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis under different disease conditions, and their link to electrocardiographic characteristics of alternans observed in patients. Our major conclusion is that alternans is not only a predictor, but also a causal mechanism of potentially lethal ventricular and atrial arrhythmias across the full spectrum of arrhythmia mechanisms that culminate in functional reentry, although less important for anatomic reentry and focal arrhythmias.
Genetically Predicted Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure and Risk of Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Diseases: A Mendelian Randomization Study in Chinese Adults
Authors: Clarke Robert , Wright Neil , Walters Robin , Gan Wei , Guo Yu , Millwood Iona Y. , Yang Ling , Chen Yiping , Lewington Sarah , Lv Jun , Yu Canqing , Avery Daniel , Lin Kuang , Wang Kang , Peto Richard , Collins Rory , Li Liming , Bennett Derrick A. , Parish Sarah , Chen Zhengming ,   on behalf of the China Kadoorie Biobank Collaborative Group‡
Published: January 2023

Background:

Mendelian randomization studies of systolic blood pressure (SBP) can assess the shape and strength of the associations of genetically predicted differences in SBP with major disease outcomes and are less constrained by biases in observational analyses. This study aimed to compare the associations of usual and genetically predicted SBP with major cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, overall and by levels of SBP, age, and sex.

Methods:

The China Kadoorie Biobank involved a 12-year follow-up of a prospective study of 489 495 adults aged 40 to 79 years with no prior CVD and 86 060 with genetic data. Outcomes included major vascular events (59 490/23 151 in observational/genetic analyses), and its components (ischemic stroke [n=39 513/12 043], intracerebral hemorrhage [7336/5243], and major coronary events [7871/4187]). Genetically predicted SBP used 460 variants obtained from European ancestry genome-wide studies. Cox regression estimated adjusted hazard ratios for incident CVD outcomes down to usual SBP levels of 120 mm Hg.

Results:

Both observational and genetic analyses demonstrated log-linear positive associations of SBP with major vascular event and other major CVD types in the range of 120 to 170 mm Hg. Consistent with the observational analyses, the hazard ratios per 10 mm Hg higher genetically predicted SBP were 2-fold greater for intracerebral hemorrhage (1.71 [95% CI, 1.58–1.87]) than for ischemic stroke (1.37 [1.30–1.45]) or major coronary event (1.29 [1.18–1.42]). Genetic analyses also demonstrated 2-fold greater hazard ratios for major vascular event in younger (1.69 [95% CI, 1.54–1.86]) than in older people (1.28 [1.18–1.38]).

Conclusions:

The findings provide support for initiation of blood pressure-lowering treatment at younger ages and below the conventional cut-offs for hypertension to maximize CVD prevention, albeit the absolute risks of CVD are far greater in older people.
Development of the Paternal Brain in Humans throughout Pregnancy
Authors: Diaz-Rojas Françoise , Matsunaga Michiko , Tanaka Yukari , Kikusui Takefumi , Mogi Kazutaka , Nagasawa Miho , Asano Kohei , Abe Nobuhito , Myowa Masako
Published: January 2023

Previous studies have demonstrated that paternal caregiving behaviors are reliant on neural pathways similar to those supporting maternal care. Interestingly, a greater variability exists in parental phenotypes in men than in women among individuals and mammalian species. However, less is known about when or how such variability emerges in men. We investigated the longitudinal changes in the neural, hormonal, and psychological bases of expression of paternal caregiving in humans throughout pregnancy and the first 4 months of the postnatal period. We measured oxytocin and testosterone, paternity-related psychological traits, and neural response to infant-interaction videos using fMRI in first-time fathers and childless men at three time points (early to mid-pregnancy, late pregnancy, and postnatal). We found that paternal-specific brain activity in prefrontal areas distinctly develops during middle-to-late pregnancy and is enhanced in the postnatal period. In addition, among fathers, the timing of the development of prefrontal brain activity was associated with specific parenting phenotypes.
The Supplementary Motor Area and Automatic Cognitive Control: Lack of Evidence from Two Neuromodulation Techniques
Authors: Guida Pasqualina , Foffani Guglielmo , Obeso Ignacio
Published: January 2023

The SMA is fundamental in planning voluntary movements and execution of some cognitive control operations. Specifically, the SMA has been known to play a dominant role in controlling goal-directed actions as well as those that are highly predicted (i.e., automatic). Yet, the essential contribution of SMA in goal-directed or automatic control of behavior is scarce. Our objective was to test the possible direct role of SMA in automatic and voluntary response inhibition. We separately applied two noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) inhibitory techniques over SMA: either continuous theta-burst stimulation using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial static magnetic field stimulation. Each NIBS technique was performed in a randomized, crossover, sham-controlled design. Before applying NIBS, participants practiced a go/no-go learning task where associations between stimulus and stopping behaviors were created (initiation and inhibition). After applying each NIBS, participants performed a go/no-go task with reversed associations (automatic control) and the stop signal task (voluntary control). Learning associations between stimuli and response initiation/inhibition was achieved by participants and therefore automatized during training. However, no significant differences between real and sham NIBS were found in either automatic (go/no-go learning task) or voluntary inhibition (stop signal task), with Bayesian statistics providing moderate evidence of absence. In conclusion, our results are compatible with a nondirect involvement of SMA in automatic control of behavior. Further studies are needed to prove a noncausal link between prior neuroimaging findings relative to SMA controlling functions and the observed behavior.
Sentimental Novels and Anti-Sentimental Heroines: Womanhood Redefined in Late Eighteenth-Century British Novels
Authors: Yap Oak Joo
Published: January 2023

Protagonists in the eighteenth-century British sentimental novel persevere in the face of extreme misery to remain chaste or to uphold their moral principles as dictated by convention. These characters excessive sentiments were viewed as highly desirable even by many men. Yet at the same time, there was considerable resistance against sentimental novels as they were increasingly denounced for encouraging women to indulge in “overstretched sensibility.” Highlighting the unjust treatment of women rather than their virtues in enduring it, novels with an anti-sentimental stance present independent heroines who question traditional female gender norms or rebel against authority in the spirit of female freedom. This paper examines how the eighteenth-century British sentimental and anti-sentimental novels reflected societal views of women in an era in which women began to resist patriarchal restrictions. It demonstrates the extent to which women and attitudes towards women evolved, and how the notions of femininity were redefined during the waning years of the eighteenth century.
“Darling, Beauty is Pain”
Authors: Singpliam Porranee
Published: January 2023

How has postfeminist media culture traveled transnationally? What contributes to the postfeminist media’s popularity in Thailand? This paper performs a content analysis of YouTube’s reality show, This is Me Vatanika. The show features gender issues and the promotion of gender equality, enhances women’s empowerment, encourages women’s leadership and rhetorically calls upon its viewers to partake in the process of self-invention. I draw upon postfeminist media culture and its sensibilities and argue that this reality show inspires a new modality of femininity endemic in Thai society and that it interpolates neoliberal women in line with the logic of wealth and class, all of which impact upon female bodies. I contend that postfeminist media is increasingly evident in Thai society and the audiences’ identification with and responses to the show underscore the structural gender arrangements within the society that can pose a hindrance to fully inventing oneself in the neoliberal culture.
Identification of vacuolar autophagic aggregates in the skeletal muscles of inbred C57BL/6NCrl mice
Authors: De Biase Davide , Pagano Teresa Bruna , Malanga Donatella , Russo Valeria , Piegari Giuseppe , d’Aquino Ilaria , Iovane Valentina , Scarfò Marzia , Papparella Serenella , Wojcik Slawomir , Paciello Orlando
Published: January 2023

A comprehensive pathological analysis of inbred strains is essential to define strain-specific spontaneous lesions and to understand whether a specific phenotype results from experimental intervention or reflects a naturally occurring disease. This study aimed to report and describe a novel condition affecting the skeletal muscles of an inbred C57BL/6NCrl mouse colony characterised by large sarcoplasmic vacuoles in the muscle fibres of male mice in the subsarcolemmal spaces and the intermyofibrillary network. There was no muscle weakness, loss of ambulation or cardiac/respiratory involvement. Post-mortem evaluation and histological analysis excluded the presence of pathological accumulations or lesions in other tissues and organs. Changes were seen in fibre size, with many hypotrophic and some slightly hypertrophic fibres. Histological, immunohistochemical and molecular analyses of the vacuolar content revealed dysregulation of the autophagy machinery while ruling out a morphologically similar condition marked by the accumulation of tubular aggregates.
Parables of our time: faith in contemporary fiction
Authors: James Graham
Published: January 2023

An influential former Bishop of Norwich explores the work of four novelists – Salley Vickers, Susan Hill, Rachel Joyce and Anne Tyler – as ‘parables of our time’.
Pride in Transformation: A Rural Tourism Stakeholder View
Authors: Soulard Joelle , Park Jeongeun , Zou Suiwen (Sharon)
Published: January 2023

While pride is identified as a multilayered and complex emotion, tourism studies primarily focus on the pride generated by the presence of tourists acknowledging the residents’ culture and do not address all the categories of pride. This research gap is important to investigate because research indicates that pride is associated with residents’ perceived well-being, empowerment, and sense of belonging. We examine this contingency through the lens of Hume’s Theory of Pride to investigate how destination stakeholders express multiple categories of pride (e.g., vicarious pride and self-pride) and the manifestations of pride (e.g., prestige and caring) in a rural tourism context. We apply a multi-method approach that combines focus group discussions and personal interviews with 51 stakeholders (i.e., public officials, residents, and tourism business owners) from four rural tourism destinations. These destination stakeholders reveal more thorough and powerful meanings of pride that expand Hume’s theory and provide insights to practitioners.
Moral Economies of Care and Women Who Use Drugs in Ukraine
Authors: Owczarzak Jill , Phillips Sarah D. , Allen Amy , Alpatova Polina , Zub Tatyana , Mazhnaya Alyona , Filippova Olga
Published: January 2023

This article analyzes interviews with women who use drugs in Ukraine to understand the care conundrum they face as members of a stigmatized group. In the interviews, the women sought to position themselves as deserving and needing care as members of a vulnerable category—sometimes as women who use drugs or people living with HIV, but also as mothers—yet also themselves capable of providing care for others. We examine how women who use drugs in Ukraine navigate a moral economy of care involving judgments about deservedness and social worth, the obligatory nature of care, and expectations for reciprocity. For programs for women who use drugs to be successful, they must acknowledge and engage with the moral economies of care in which these women operate. We offer recommendations for how health and social service providers can better meet the unique needs of women who use drugs.
Intraoperative prophylactic right ventricular assist device in prevention of postcardiotomy failure
Authors: Acuña Pais Beatriz , Varela Martínez María Á , Casais Pampín Rocío , Pita-Romero Caamaño Rafael , Legarra Calderón Juan J
Published: January 2023

Objectives

In patients at risk of developing right ventricular failure after cardiac surgery, right ventricular support with a ventricular assist device may be a promising strategy to reduce mortality. We present our experience with intraoperative right ventricular assist device implantation as a prevention strategy of right ventricular failure after cardiac surgery.

Methods

Between 2016 and 2022, we implanted four right ventricular assist devices prophylactically in a series of patients with surgical indication for valvular heart disease and high risk of postoperative right ventricular failure. Indications for the right ventricular assist device were suprasystemic pulmonary hypertension or severe right ventricular dysfunction.

Results

Externalization of the device cannulas through intercostal spaces was performed in three patients, allowing early mobilization and withdrawal without resternotomy. Removal of the device ocurred on the eighth postoperative day. ICU and hospital length of stay was 12 (±1.6) and 23 days (±4.2) respectively. Hospital mortality was null. No patient died during follow-up, mean follow-up was 32.5 months [1–72]. Patients improved their NYHA functional class up to grade II during follow-up.

Conclusions

Acute right ventricular failure after cardiac surgery remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Prophylactic strategies to prevent postoperative right ventricular dysfunction may decrease the incidence of refractory postoperative right ventricular failure. We propose a novel approach to prevent right failure after cardiac surgery with prophylactic intraoperative ventricular assist device implantation.
Self-Defining Future Projections Throughout Adulthood
Authors: Fritsch Alain , Voltzenlogel Virginie , Cuervo-Lombard Christine
Published: January 2023

Self-defining future projections (SDFPs) have never been explored across lifespan. The present study aimed to characterize those self-relevant narratives in three age groups matched for sex and education level: young (mean age = 23.0 years), middle-aged (mean age = 41.7 years), and young-old (mean age = 68.2 years) adults. All participants first completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale followed by two tests assessing executive functions : a phonemic verbal fluency task and the Similarities subtest of the WAIS-IV. Finally, participants were asked to collect three SDFPs. Results highlighted that thematic contents of SDFPs varied with advancing age: percentage of achievement events decreased whereas percentage of leisure or dependence events increased. No significant difference in specificity and meaning-making was observed between the three groups. Compared to the SDFPs of young and middle-aged adults, older participants’ SDFPs were closer to the present time. Moreover, young-old adults provided fewer words to describe their narratives than young individuals.
“We Will Make Meaning Out of This”: Women's Cultural Responses to the Red River Valley Flood
Authors: Enarson Elaine
Published: January 2023

Recent work on gender relations in disasters focuses largely on women's material experiences and vulnerabilities. This paper draws on cultural studies theory to interrogate gender symbolically in the context of a major U.S. flood. Based on analysis of cultural artifacts and “texts” as well as interviews conducted for a larger study of women's work in the 1997 Red River Valley flood, the author argues that women particularly employ grassroots popular culture to interpret disastrous events. A close reading of two flood quilts illustrates how interpersonal networks and traditional quilting skills helped women express gender-specific experiences and feelings, and convey an otherwise neglected ecofeminist critique of disaster vulnerability. The author concludes that women's cultural responses to disasters afford a neglected angle of vision on human responses to catastrophe.
Toward a Politics of Disaster: Losses, Values, Agendas, and Blame
Authors: Olson Richard Stuart
Published: January 2023

Offering exemplars from around the world, including China, Mexico, Nicaragua, and California, this paper argues that disasters must be understood and analyzed more deeply and more often as explicitly political events. The paper also argues that because politics is the “authoritative allocation of values, “ the politics-disaster nexus revolves around the allocation of several important values: life safety in the pre-event period, survival in the emergency phase, and “life chances” in the recovery and reconstruction periods. The paper concludes by suggesting that the literatures on agenda control and causal stories/blame management are particularly useful points of departure for analyzing disasters as intrinsically political events-
Household Adoption of Seismic Hazard Adjustments: A Comparison of Residents in Two States
Authors: Lindell Michael K. , Prater Carla S.
Published: January 2023

Residents of a high seismic hazard uvea were compared with those in a moderate seismic hazard area in terms of demographic characteristics, personal hazard experience, risk perception, hazard intrusiveness, and self-reported adoption of 16 hazard adjustments (preimpact actions to reduce danger to persons and property). The results show that the two locations differed substantially in hazard experience, somewhat less so in risk perceptions and hazard intrusiveness, and little in hazard adjustment. Multiple regression analyses supported a causal chain in which location and demographic characteristics cause hazard experience, hazard experience causes hazard intrusiveness, perceived risk causes hazard intrusiveness, and hazard intrusiveness causes the adoption of hazard adjustments.
Not Context—Contexts: An “Outside-in” Approach to Understanding the Vincennes Shoot-down*
Authors: Bennett Simon A.
Published: January 2023

On July 3, 1988, the U.S. warship Vincennes, on patrol in the Persian Gulf, fired two missiles at an Iranian airliner en route to Dubai. The airliner was destroyed. All on board were killed Despite being exonerated, the incident effectively terminated the career of the Vincennes's commanding officer, Captain William Rogers III. While the immediate cause of the shoot-down was the decision by the captain to fire, this paper argues—following the work of Reason, Blockley, and others— that only a systemic and holistic analysis, in which all salient historic factors are described, can provide a full and. objective explanation of the shoot-down. The paper concludes that the incident originated in a multiplicity of factors—geopolitical, technical, cognitive, and others—that, in some cases, originated decades before the shoot-down.
Can Sustainable Development Sustain Us?
Authors: Aguirre Benigno E.
Published: January 2023

This paper presents a review of Disasters by Design, the recent, influential second U.S. national assessment of research on natural and technological hazards that takes stock of the disciplinary knowledge and policy issues in the field of disasters. It identifies four analytical matters left unresolved in its central theme on the importance of sustainable development for disaster mitigation, having to do with the dual emphasis on the local and on the global, cultural change, the implicit assumptions that planners and social engineers know best, and the consensual model of politics. It also identifies some practical problems that the adoption of a sustainable development framework advocated by the report may pose for the specialty.
The Chimera of Precision: Inherent Uncertainties in Disaster Loss Assessment
Authors: Handmer John
Published: January 2023

Loss assessments are undertaken to support decisions about disaster mitigation. There is considerable pressure to use economic principles and to make such assessments a condition of funding for all mitigation. A fundamental underlying assumption is that loss assessments are accurate and comparable—and that this accuracy makes comparisons more valid. Unfortunately, it appears that this is not the case. A key question concerns whether loss assessments can be made accurate and comparable through improved knowledge and training— as implied by many critics of the approach—or whether the problems are inherent in the idea of loss assessment. Drawing primarily on Australian flood loss assessment work, these issues are examined. Results suggest that the uncertainties may be larger than generally acknowledged, that at least some are irreducible, and that comparisons may not be assisted by improved accuracy. The implication is that loss assessment methods should aim to make comparisons valid and reliable rather than chase unachievable precision.
“I Want to Barbecue bin Laden” Humor after 9/11
Authors: Couch Stephen R. , Wade Barbara A.
Published: January 2023

This paper is a preliminary examination of humor related. to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and its aftermath. Data include cartoons, caricatures, songs, video skits, and satirical essays, gathered from books, newspapers and Internet sources. We begin with a short discussion of sociological approaches to humor, noting that humor can be used either to further or to stymie social change. We suggest that theories of Bourdieu and Foucault have something to offer in studying humor's place in social discourse. Neat, we examine three themes that emerged in post-9/11 humor: A Just Revenge; The Enemy: Evil, Cowardly, Barbaric, Incompetent; and Insecurity in a Changing World. Also, we briefly consider post-9/11 humor in comparison with humor that followed the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, World War II, and humor that emerged about the Gulf War. We end by suggesting timing, place and power are important when studying the role of humor in social discourse.
Understanding the Message: Social and Cultural Constraints to Interpreting Weather Generated Natural Hazards
Authors: King David
Published: January 2023

Globally there is an increase in the social and economic impacts of all natural hazards, and especially those that are generated by weather systems. Climate change is a part of this process, but it is most likely that long-term climate change will first become evident as an increase in natural disasters, especially flooding and drought. However, a major cause of increasing natural disasters is the growth and relocation of population, concentrating into complex urban settlements that proliferate infrastructure and property in vulnerable floodplains and the coastal fringe. While Australia has experienced a decline in the loss of life from natural hazards, the loss to business, agriculture and the economy in general has increased exponentially. Weather generated natural disasters dominate the total disaster bill. Vulnerability to natural hazards may be reduced through hazard education and effective warnings.

The communication of weather information is inevitably a top down process. Understanding of information and in particular, warnings about hazardous events involves a public safety transfer of knowledge from highly specialised scientists through emergency managers, local politicians and the media, to every member of society. Research shows that selection, interpretation and expression of information and warnings occurs at institutional and societal levels. Both the media and the general public select, re-interpret, and weigh up information about weather and hazards, applying a complex set of attitudes, perceptions, experience and misinformation to the initial message. An understanding of how people interpret the message is essential to the accuracy and safety of warnings and forecasts. Examples and case studies from post-disaster and behavioural research carried out by the Centre for Disaster Studies, and hazard events illustrate the issues of understanding the message. 1
Humanitarian Assistance, 1992–99: Danida's Evaluation
Authors: Dabelstein Niels , O'Keefe Phil
Published: January 2023

Over the last decade humanitarian interventions have increased significantly. Parallel to this increase in humanitarian assistance has been the growth of evaluation of humanitarian action. This article describes the results of a global evaluation of emergency assistance from 1992 to 1999. It was undertaken by DANIDA utilizing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) methodology for humanitarian evaluation. The evaluation reports that lie behind this summary article are based on case studies in Afghanistan, Angola, the Caucasus, the Great Lakes, Sudan and the Former Yugoslavia. In addition detailed analysis was provided of the international response system, focusing on the United Nations family of humanitarian actors and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as leading international non-governmental organizations. These reports were summarized in an overall synthesis report, which is used to draw out the conclusions contained in this article. The conclusions note the significant level of change that has occurred, especially the debate about the disaster continuum and the emerging problem of internally displaced people. The article also notes the impact of the overall evaluation exercise on the reformulation of Danish humanitarian assistance.
The 1998 Floods in the Tambo Valley
Authors: Monson Rebecca
Published: January 2023

This paper examines the flood event of June 1998 and its effect on residents of the upper Tambo Valley, in Victoria south east Australia. While the concept of vulnerability has been widely employed to understand disasters, this case study is unique in that it adopts a long-term historical perspective of vulnerability. It shows that rather than being the result of a chance occurrence of a natural event, the 1998 flood disaster was in fact foreseeable, and the culmination of various social, political, economic and environmental pressures, some of which had existed for well over a century.
Flood and Psychological Well-Being: Direct, Mediating, and Moderating Effects
Authors: Stimpson Jim P.
Published: January 2023

Recent attention to terrorism and natural disasters has shifted public attention toward understanding how disasters shape our lives and affect our mental health. The major challenge of stress research is to study acute stress using prospective designs that make use of major theoretical models such as the stress process model. Using prospective, representative data (N = 1,735), this study measures the direct, mediating, and moderating impact of the 1993 Midwest floods for three major outcomes typically associated with natural disasters: depression anxiety, and PTSD. Using the stress process model as a guiding framework, regression analyses revealed that the flood significantly elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Adding social-psychological resources such as social support and sense of control into the equation reduced the impact of the flood on well-being suggesting evidence for a mediating effect. This study also found evidence that social-psychological resources modify the relationship between flood and well-being.
An Organizational and Culturally Sensitive Approach to Managing Air-Traffic Disaster: The Gulf Air Incident
Authors: Soliman Hussein H.
Published: January 2023

The Gulf-Air incident that took place in 2000 in Manama, Bahrain supported the need for adopting innovative strategies to deal with the consequences of air disaster. Due to the nature of the incident, an ad-hoc team was formulated at the Cairo Airport and its major objective was to address the critical needs for the upkeep of the regular operations at the airport, as well as considering the cultural, religious and human needs of individuals, families and communities affected by the disaster. The ad-hoc emergency team was successful in applying immediate and flexible strategies that were effective in achieving the objectives of the emergency management plan. Contrary to the belief in the need to rely solely on the Command and Control Approach in disaster management, this study provides evidence of the effectiveness of emergency management strategies that are based on the Human Relations Approach.
Cuba's Disaster Management Model: Should it be Emulated?
Authors: Aguirre B. E.
Published: January 2023

The article offers a criticism of the point of view that disaster programs in Cuba should be emulated by other countries. It shows the relationship that exists between disaster vulnerability and resilience, to shed light on the promises as well as the problems of using Cuba as a model to emulate in social development. Cuba has an excellent record when it comes to disaster preparedness and response involving warning and evacuation, in which governmental control of the population is used very effectively to minimize the potential morbidity and mortality of hurricanes and tropical storms. It nevertheless has a very poor record in dealing with disaster reconstruction, recovery, and mitigation as well as with solving slow onset chronic problems and vulnerabilities of the population.
Intergovernmental Relations in Response to the 1999 Marmara Earthquake in Turkey: A Network Analysis
Authors: Corbacioglu Sitki , Kapucu Naim
Published: January 2023

This research examines the intergovernmental coordination to reduce vulnerability of local communities to disasters. Turkey's exposure to seismic risk is very high and achieving intergovernmental coordination in response operations is a challenge. The formal bureaucratic structure of the disaster management inhibits timely collective action in complex disaster environments. The paper examines one of the most destructive regional disasters of the last century, the 1999 Marmara earthquake. The research uses data from content analyses of news reports, interviews with public and nonprofit managers, and direct field observations. This analysis was carried out using UCINET 6.0 social network analysis software program. The results of the network analysis have shown that there is a problem of communication and coordination among public agencies in response to the disaster. Moreover, the integration of organizations from different jurisdictions and other sectors was problematic in the response operations. The results of the study reveal the leverage points for improving intergovernmental collective action from the perspective of complex adaptive systems theory.
Bringing Children into Focus on the Social Science Disaster Research Agenda
Authors: Anderson William A.
Published: January 2023

Significant progress has been made in the social science disaster research field since its inception several decades ago. Despite the advances in knowledge, important areas of research have been seriously understudied, including the impact of hazards and disasters on children and youths. In this paper, it is argued that such knowledge is needed to deepen our understanding of the impacts of disasters on society and to provide a firmer basis for disaster management policy and practice. It is suggested that children should be brought into clearer focus in the disaster research field through studies, particularly those of a comparative nature, that consider (1) children's vulnerability and the outcomes they experience because of their youth, (2) actions taken by the adult society to reduce the vulnerability of children, and (3) actions children and youths undertake for themselves and others to reduce disaster impacts.
Public Perceptions about Trust in Emergency Risk Communication: Qualitative Research Findings
Authors: Wray Ricardo , Rivers Jennifer , Whitworth Amanda , Jupka Keri , Clements Bruce
Published: January 2023

Communication to the general public is a critical component of effective emergency response following terrorism events. Trust is essential to effective communication. Four Schools of Public Health conducted focus groups across the country with different ethnic groups to inform development of public messages and strategies in the event of an emergency. Secondary analysis of the transcripts was conducted to explore factors related to trust in government. General lack of confidence in the government's ability to respond was associated with concerns about preparedness, lack of disclosure and dedication. Local officials and emergency responders were more trusted than federal officials, and were associated with greater levels of disclosure and empathy. Past experience contributed to perceptions of trust. Urban groups were more concerned about officials’ honesty; whereas rural groups were concerned about resource allocation. Local organizations and agencies were most trusted, as well as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross (ARC). The findings lead to recommendations related to allocation of emergency response resources for underserved areas; integration of local and federal agencies in emergency response preparedness and communication; and an emphasis on full disclosure, action steps, and leadership in emergency response communication.
Consolidating the Role of the Fourth Estate in Disaster Work
Authors: Taylor A. J. W.
Published: January 2023

Reflections on the role and function of the press, radio, and television in times of public emergency, led to a consideration of the platform of critical independence occupied by the news media as the ‘Fourth Estate’ since its emergence as an important constitutional component of society in the late 18 th century. The result showed that while the original raison-d'être was to provide a reputable outlet for criticism of the policies and practices of the agencies of power in an emerging democratic state, vested interests have long compromised the noble purpose. The suggestion is that were the media to develop and consolidate its post-disaster work, it would improve the service it gives to the community and at the same time begin to reclaim the high standing it once had.
Risk Assessment and the Disaster Resistant University (DRU) Program: The University of Louisville Approach
Authors: Human R. Josh , Palit Manasi , Simpson David M.
Published: January 2023

While state and local governments are required to complete a Hazard Mitigation Plan under the dictates of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000), universities are not required by that law to perform a similar planning and mitigation activity. FEMA's Disaster Resistant University (DRU) program was intended to encourage and promote mitigation among institutions of higher learning. The University of Louisville received a DRU planning grant under the second, and what was to be the last round of grants, of the program, as it was phased out as a designated set-aside of planning and mitigation funding for universities.

This paper describes the University of Louisville approach to creating a University Hazard Mitigation Plan and the unique elements of conducting a risk assessment and vulnerability analysis for the campus that mirrors similar efforts in state and local hazards planning. The project has been a collaborative effort on the part of the practitioner unit on campus responsible for day-to-day emergency preparedness and safety (the Department of Environmental and Health Safety) and one of the university's research units, the Center for Hazards Research and Policy Development (CHR), an active research unit performing theoretical and applied hazards research projects at the local, regional and national level.

The project has been successful in creating a method of risk assessment and classifying the exposure of structures and population. Key challenges have been access to data from various sources within the university and the ability to assess structural integrity from existing building inventory data. This paper concludes by identifying the need for meaningful risk assessment and more robust exposure models, and further suggests research issues that if addressed, would improve university disaster resilience.
Improvements in Tornado Warnings and Tornado Casualties
Authors: Simmons Kevin M. , Sutter Daniel
Published: January 2023

Doppler radar installation by the National Weather Service (NWS) improved tornado warning performance, raising the probability of detection and mean lead time while reducing the false alarm ratio. Research on tornado casualties has established that a warning reduces tornado injuries while lead times of up to fifteen minutes also reduce tornado fatalities. In this paper we estimate the decrease in tornado casualties attributable to the observed change in the distribution of warning lead times, and thus provide evidence on the benefit to society of weather warning systems. We find that increases in warning lead times accounts for 30–50 percent of the reduction in injuries but no more than 1/4 of the reduction in fatalities which occurred with the installation of Doppler radar by the NWS. Future improvements in warning performance to further reduce tornado fatalities by 18 percent and injuries by 24 percent.
Phenomenology of Death Counts in Disasters: The Invisible Dead in the 9/11 WTC Attack
Authors: Aguirre B. E. , Quarantelli E. L.
Published: January 2023

This essay uses information from Latino immigrants who were victims in the World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 and are not included in the official list of the dead from this attack to illustrate the operation of counting as a central, theoretical issue in the construction of disaster statistics. A phenomenological approach would complement current emphases on the operation of organizations, their lack of coordination, and fraud as explanations for the lack of validity of disaster mortality statistics. The paper examines the social categories and understandings that were used to create the official New York City list of the dead, the link of the official list with receipt of money from charities, and the work of Asociación Tepeyac de New York (Tepeyac) in developing an unofficial list of Latino victims. Results show that the Mexican mass media exaggerated the number of Mexican dead by a ratio of 15 to 1. Contrary to mass media reports, Tepeyac also assisted people who were included in the official count of the dead and who were not Mexicans. The Tepeyac list is overwhelmingly a list of male names, but neither gender has a greater proportion of exclusion from the official NYC list. Exclusion from the official NYC list occurs more often to Mexican men recently arrived in the country and earning a living in the underground economy of Lower Manhattan if compared to Dominicans and Puerto Rican victims. We conclude that structural factors such as the operation of bureaucracies and systemic discrimination are not the sole causes of the social invisibility of some of these Latino victims. Nor is it solely the effect of the categories used to organize the count of the dead. It is also a function of the social behavior of Latino immigrants and of their surviving kin during the course of their immigration and incorporation into the US. The paper concludes with some suggestions to improve statistics on disaster deaths.
Emergency Information Management and Public Disaster Preparedness: Lessons from the 2004 Florida Hurricane Season
Authors: Kapucu Naim , Berman Evan M. , Wang Xiao Hu
Published: January 2023

A key task of emergency management is to ensure that the public is adequately prepared for impending disasters in order to minimize loss to life and property. The consecutive strikes of four major hurricanes during a six-week period in Florida in 2004 provide a unique opportunity to study how governments manage and deliver emergency information for this purpose. Based on a comprehensive survey of Florida county emergency managers (91.7 per cent response rate), this study finds that 1) 23.4 per cent of respondents perceive that residents in their jurisdictions were well-prepared, 50.0 per cent state that residents were somewhat prepared, and 26.6 per cent state that residents were not well prepared, and 2) counties that use GIS systems, obtain and disseminate location specific information, provide targeted information for different population groups, maintain a website about impending disasters, and provide press conferences with three hours intervals or less report higher levels of perceived public disaster preparedness. This article concludes with lessons and recommendations for further improving public disaster preparedness.