Crisis and Human Biology

2015 ◽  
pp. 51-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Bharadwaj ◽  
Tom Vogl
Keyword(s):  
Social Economic ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Environmental Disasters ◽  
Biological Outcomes

This chapter reviews the literature on the effects of aggregate crises on human biological outcomes. The crises considered are acute, severe, and unexpected negative events occurring at the population level: recessions, famines, epidemics, natural and environmental disasters, and wars. A review of the literature suggests that the effects of aggregate crises on human biology are pervasive and long-lasting. More broadly, however, the literature highlights the lasting effects that social, economic, political, environmental, and pathological crises have on the human body. Children, who are never complicit in creating crises, carry the burden of exposure for the rest of their lives. Although advances in methodology and data availability have allowed researchers to uncover these nuanced but powerful effects, much work remains in improving crisis response, especially in poor countries. Such improvements would have beneficial effects long after the acute period of a crisis subsides, on outcomes far beyond its most obvious sequelae.

Overcoming the Paradox of Conflict Prevention

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Newman ◽  
Eamon Aloyo
Keyword(s):  
Violence Prevention ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Crisis Response ◽  
Warning Signs ◽  
Violent Conflict ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Conflict Prevention ◽  
Political Factors ◽  
Structural Conflict

Progress in conflict prevention depends upon a better understanding of the underlying circumstances that give rise to violent conflict and mass atrocities, and of the warning signs that a crisis is imminent. While a substantial amount of empirical research on the driving forces of conflict exists, its policy implications must be exploited more effectively, so that the enabling conditions for violence can be addressed before it occurs. Violence prevention involves a range of social, economic, and political factors; the chapter highlights challenges—many of them international—relating to deprivation, inequality, governance, and environmental management. Prevention also requires overcoming a number of acute political obstacles embedded within the values and institutions of global governance. The chapter concludes with a range of proposals for structural conflict prevention and crisis response, as well as the prevention of mass atrocities.

scholarly journals Data safe havens to combine health and genomic data: benefits and challenges

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerina H Jones ◽  
Arron S Lacey ◽  
Brian L Perkins ◽  
Mark I Rees
Keyword(s):  
Association Studies ◽  
Genomic Data ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Individual Privacy ◽  
Access Controls ◽  
Health Related

ABSTRACTObjectivesData safe havens can bring together and combine a rich array of anonymised person-based data for research and policy evaluation within a secure setting. To date, the majority of available datasets have been structured micro-data derived from routine health-related records. Possibilities are opening up for the greater reuse of genomic data such as Genome Wide Association studies (GWAS) and Whole Exome/Genome Sequencing (WES or WGS). However, there are considerable challenges to be addressed if the benefits of using these data in combination with health-related data are to be realized safely. ApproachWe explore the benefits and challenges of using genomic datasets with health-related data, and using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) system as a case study, the implications and way forward for Data Safe Havens in seeking to incorporate genomic data for use with health-related data. ResultsThe benefits of using GWAS, WES and WGS data in conjunction with health-related data include the potential to explore genetics at a population level and open up novel research areas. These include the ability to increasingly stratify and personalize how medical indications are detected and treated through precision medicine by understanding rare conditions and adding socioeconomic and environmental context to genomic data. Among the challenges are: data availability, computing capacity, technical solutions, legal and regulatory frameworks, public perceptions, individual privacy and organizational risk. Many of the challenges within these areas are common to person-based data in general, and often Data Safe Havens have been designed to address these. But there are also aspects of these challenges, and other challenges, specific to genomic data. These include issues due to the unknown clinical significance of genomic information now or in the future, with corresponding risks for privacy and impact on individuals. ConclusionGenomic data sets contain vast amounts of valuable information, some of which is currently undefined, but which may have direct bearing on individual health at some point. The use of these data in combination with health-related data has the potential to bring great benefits, better clinical trial stratification, epidemiology project design and clinical improvements. It is, therefore, essential that such data are surrounded by a properly-designed, robust governance framework including technical and procedural access controls that enable the data to be used safely.

scholarly journals Indicators of Electric Power Instability from Satellite Observed Nighttime Lights

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3194
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Elvidge ◽  
Feng-Chi Hsu ◽  
Mikhail Zhizhin ◽  
Tilottama Ghosh ◽  
Jay Taneja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Power ◽  
Infrared Imaging ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Residual Variance ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Northern India ◽  
Temporal Profiles ◽  
Power Instability

Electric power services are fundamental to prosperity and economic development. Disruptions in the electricity power service can range from minutes to days. Such events are common in many developing economies, where the power generation and delivery infrastructure is often insufficient to meet demand and operational challenges. Yet, despite the large impacts, poor data availability has meant that relatively little is known about the spatial and temporal patterns of electric power reliability. Here, we explore the expressions of electric power instability recorded in temporal profiles of satellite observed surface lighting collected by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) low light imaging day/night band (DNB). The nightly temporal profiles span from 2012 through to mid-2020 and contain more than 3000 observations, each from a total of 16 test sites from Africa, Asia, and North America. We present our findings in terms of various novel indicators. The preprocessing steps included radiometric adjustments designed to reduce variance due to the view angle and lunar illumination differences. The residual variance after the radiometric adjustments suggests the presence of a previously unidentified source of variability in the DNB observations of surface lighting. We believe that the short dwell time of the DNB pixel collections results in the vast under-sampling of the alternating current lighting flicker cycles. We tested 12 separate indices and looked for evidence of power instability. The key characteristic of lights in cities with developing electric power services is that they are quite dim, typically 5 to 10 times dimmer for the same population level as in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. In fact, the radiances for developing cities are just slightly above the detection limit, in the range of 1 to 10 nanowatts. The clearest indicator for power loss is the percent outage. Indicators for supply adequacy include the radiance per person and the percent of population with detectable lights. The best indicator for load-shedding is annual cycling, which was found in more than half of the grid cells in two Northern India cities. Cities with frequent upward or downward radiance spikes can have anomalously high levels of variance, skew, and kurtosis. A final observation is that, barring war or catastrophic events, the year-on-year changes in lighting are quite small. Most cities are either largely stable over time, or are gradually increasing in indices such as the mean, variance, and lift, indicating a trajectory that proceeds across multiple years.

Introduction

2016 ◽  
pp. 2-8
Author(s):  
Inas R. Kelly ◽  
John Komlos
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Economic Developments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Biological Outcomes

The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology introduces the scholarly community to the relationship between economic processes and human biology. A society’s biological well-being is important if one is to understand numerous aspects of political and economic developments: the outbreak of revolutions; the effect of industrialization and modernization on a population’s well-being; the demographic transition; and changes in the degree of social inequality by gender, social class, and geographic location. The contributions in this Handbook examine the various ways the economy affects human biological outcomes and, reciprocally, the impact of the latter on the former both over time and cross-sectionally. Another focus is on biological measures as inputs, such as how height and weight affect labor market outcomes and the role of genetic markers on economic variables. A third purpose is to introduce the reader to developmental aspects and policy, particularly correlates of malnutrition and poverty across the world.

scholarly journals E-cigarette Use for Smoking Reduction and Cessation in a Four-year Follow-up Study Among Young Swiss Men: Some may Benefit, but they are Few.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerhard Gmel ◽  
Matthias Wicki ◽  
Simon Marmet ◽  
Joseph Studer
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Good Prognosis ◽  
Smoking Reduction ◽  
Beneficial Effects

Abstract BackgroundRandomised controlled trials have shown some benefits to using e-cigarettes (ECs) to facilitate smoking reduction and cessation, but real-world observational studies have rarely confirmed this. The present study looked at EC use and smoking during a four-year longitudinal study of young men. It compares general population findings with a subgroup of individuals with a good prognosis for quitting smoking. MethodsThe smoking habits of 5353 young men at t1 (average 21.3 years old) were defined as either never-smoker, ex-smoker, initiates, relapsed smoker or persistent smoker. At follow-up (t2), smoking status was analysed using logistic regression, differences in the number of cigarettes smoked by persistent t1/t2 smokers were analysed using mixed linear models and the number of quit attempts was analysed using negative binomial models. ResultsAt the general population level, EC use had no beneficial effects on reducing or ceasing smoking. Non-smokers (never- and ex-) and smokers at t1 were more likely to be smokers at t2 if they had begun to use ECs (e.g. among persistent smokers OR=4.56, 95% CI [2.75, 7.58]), but not-significantly so if they had already used ECs at t1. Among smokers at t1, almost daily EC use at t1 was associated with a non-significant reduction in smoking at t2 (OR=0.74, 95% CI [0.33, 1.65]), but occasional EC use significantly increased smoking at t2 (OR=3.05, 95% CI [2.29, 4.06]). Both daily and occasional EC use increased smoking at t2 among t1 non-smokers. T2 smokers made more attempts to quit when using ECs at t2 (IRR=1.53, 95% CI [1.26, 1.85]). Beneficial effects were found among a subgroup of EC users with a good prognosis for quitting (using nicotine liquids and at least 2nd generation ECs, motivation to quit and daily EC use at t2, but not t1). ConclusionSome smokers may have benefitted from using ECs, but they were few. At the general population level, ECs are not predominantly used in a way, which might optimise reducing or ceasing smoking. Therefore, the public health effect on the general population of using ECs may be questionable, as may policy measures to facilitate EC use.

scholarly journals Exploring the Vital Worker Over Time – A Week-Level Study on How Positive and Negative Work Events Contribute to Affect and Sustain Work Engagement

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Weigelt ◽  
Antje Schmitt ◽  
Christine J. Syrek ◽  
Sandra Ohly
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Organizational Life ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
High Frequencies ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Work Events ◽  
Job Demands And Resources ◽  
Over Time

Although work events can be regarded as pivotal elements of organizational life, only a few studies have examined how positive and negative events relate to and combine to affect work engagement over time. Theory suggests that to better understand how current events affect work engagement (WE), we have to account for recent events that have preceded these current events. We present competing theoretical views on how recent and current work events may affect employees (e.g., getting used to a high frequency of negative events or becoming more sensitive to negative events). Although the occurrence of events implies discrete changes in the experience of work, prior research has not considered whether work events actually accumulate to sustained mid-term changes in WE. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a week-level longitudinal study across a period of 15 consecutive weeks among 135 employees, which yielded 849 weekly observations. While positive events were associated with higher levels of WE within the same week, negative events were not. Our results support neither satiation nor sensitization processes. However, high frequencies of negative events in the preceding week amplified the beneficial effects of positive events on WE in the current week. Growth curve analyses show that the benefits of positive events accumulate to sustain high levels of WE. WE dissipates in the absence of continuous experience of positive events. Our study adds a temporal component and informs research that has taken a feature-oriented perspective on the dynamic interplay of job demands and resources.

scholarly journals Dexamethasone modulates immature neutrophils and interferon programming in severe COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarthak Sinha ◽  
Nicole L. Rosin ◽  
Rohit Arora ◽  
Elodie Labit ◽  
Arzina Jaffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Respiratory Pathogens ◽  
Cellular Interactions ◽  
Interferon Stimulated Genes ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Information Providers

AbstractAlthough critical for host defense, innate immune cells are also pathologic drivers of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Innate immune dynamics during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) ARDS, compared to ARDS from other respiratory pathogens, is unclear. Moreover, mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of dexamethasone during severe COVID-19 remain elusive. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and plasma proteomics, we discovered that, compared to bacterial ARDS, COVID-19 was associated with expansion of distinct neutrophil states characterized by interferon (IFN) and prostaglandin signaling. Dexamethasone during severe COVID-19 affected circulating neutrophils, altered IFNactive neutrophils, downregulated interferon-stimulated genes and activated IL-1R2+ neutrophils. Dexamethasone also expanded immunosuppressive immature neutrophils and remodeled cellular interactions by changing neutrophils from information receivers into information providers. Male patients had higher proportions of IFNactive neutrophils and preferential steroid-induced immature neutrophil expansion, potentially affecting outcomes. Our single-cell atlas (see ‘Data availability’ section) defines COVID-19-enriched neutrophil states and molecular mechanisms of dexamethasone action to develop targeted immunotherapies for severe COVID-19.

Book Reviews

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-230
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Biological Markers ◽  
Labor Market Outcomes ◽  
Human Biology ◽  
Regional Studies ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
University Of Oslo ◽  
Biological Outcomes

Jonas Minet Kinge Norwegian Institute of Public Health and University of Oslo reviews “The Oxford Handbook of Economics and Human Biology,” edited by John Komlos and Inas R. Kelly. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Thirty-eight papers explain how economic processes and biological outcomes affect one another, presenting research on biological outcomes of historical and contemporary populations, addressing both biological markers as inputs and labor-market outcomes, and introducing developmental aspects and policy. Papers focus on an introduction to economics and human biology; biological measures as an outcome; biological measures as an input to monetary outcomes, productivity, and welfare; and regional studies.”

scholarly journals Exploring the Engaged Worker over Time—A Week-Level Study of How Positive and Negative Work Events Affect Work Engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 6699
Author(s):  
Oliver Weigelt ◽  
Antje Schmitt ◽  
Christine J. Syrek ◽  
Sandra Ohly
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
Organizational Life ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Current Events ◽  
Work Events ◽  
Job Demands And Resources ◽  
Over Time

Although work events can be regarded as pivotal elements of organizational life, only a few studies have examined how positive and negative events relate to and combine to affect work engagement over time. Theory suggests that, to better understand how current events affect work engagement (WE), we have to account for recent events that have preceded these current events. We present competing theoretical views on how recent and current work events may affect employees (e.g., getting used to a high frequency of negative events or becoming more sensitive to negative events). Although the occurrence of events implies discrete changes in the experience of work, prior research has not considered whether work events actually accumulate to sustained mid-term changes in WE. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a week-level longitudinal study across a period of 15 consecutive weeks among 135 employees, which yielded 849 weekly observations. While positive events were associated with higher levels of WE within the same week, negative events were not. Our results support neither satiation nor sensitization processes. However, a high frequency of negative events in the preceding week amplified the beneficial effects of positive events on WE in the current week. Growth curve analyses show that the benefits of positive events accumulate to sustain high levels of WE. WE dissipates in the absence of a continuous experience of positive events. Our study adds a temporal component by highlighting that positive events affect work engagement, particularly in light of recent negative events. Our study informs research that has taken a feature-oriented perspective on the dynamic interplay of job demands and resources.

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