scholarly journals The Cyclone As Catalyst

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ute Haring ◽  
Reesa Sorin
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Children’S Perspectives ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Far North ◽  
Spoken Text ◽  
Children’S Wellbeing ◽  
Helping Others ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
The Impact

Cyclones are endured, but often dreaded in tropical regions such as Far North Queensland. Memories, and often myth, of their destructive effects permeate written, visual and spoken text from and about this area. This paper presents findings from a qualitative research project which examined the impact of tropical north Queensland’s 2006 Cyclone Larry on children’s wellbeing, as expressed through their drawings and narratives, using Haring’s (2012) Content, Interpretive and Developmental (CID) method for analysis. This research is presented through the three stages of a cyclone: the lead up, landfall and finally the aftermath, or lessons learned. Experiences of children during these three stages, as conveyed in the publication, Cyclone Larry. Tales of survival from the children of North Queensland (Mothers Helping Others [MHO], 2006) are examined and discussed to present a broad perspective about how children express fear, resilience and hope for the future. In this study children are seen as active participants and not victims. Art and narratives give children a voice through which to express feelings, as well as being a tool for healing and encouraging children’s resilience. Findings to date suggest that children’s perspectives supply significant contributions to our understandings of natural disasters such as cyclones.

scholarly journals The Business Model of Start-Up—Structure and Consequences

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Štefan Slávik
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Distribution Channel ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Entrepreneurial Performance ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Start Ups ◽  
The Impact

A start-up already at its origin has to solve the crucial existential condition that is a viable business model. The purpose of the research is to deepen and expand the knowledge about the structure of the start-up business model and its impact on entrepreneurial performance. Field research was carried out in three stages over one and a half years. The source of knowledge about the studied start-ups has been the personal experience recorded in the questionnaire. Start-ups are small closed communities that do not sufficiently shape external partnerships, cannot reach the customers, although they can identify them well enough, try to improve the business model blocks but they do not pay attention to their coordination and perceive the monetization in a simplified way. The impact of the business model on start-up performance has been confirmed but the internal blocks affect business performance unambiguously over the three stages of the research. The best conversion of users to customers and subsequently to revenues are distinctive for the start-ups with their own simple distribution channel and partners who are experienced distributors. The lessons learned can directly improve the results of start-ups when their incompleteness and imperfection will be substituted by appropriate partners. Start-ups provide a space for the new jobs and the self-realization of ambitious people with a sense of service for society. Empirical research on start-ups identifies their weaknesses and possibilities to increase their entrepreneurial performance.

An ice-free Arctic Ocean: history, science, and scepticism

Polar Record ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon Luedtke
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Sea Ice Extent ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Far North ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Warm Spell ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTOver the last three centuries, geographers, oceanographers, geophysicists, glaciologists, climatologists, and geoengineers have shown great interest in Arctic Ocean sea ice extent. Many of these experts envisaged an ice-free Arctic Ocean. This article studies three stages of that narrative: the belief in an ice-free Arctic Ocean, the potential for one, and the threat of one. Eighteenth and nineteenth century interest in accessing navigable polar sea routes energised the belief in an iceless polar sea; an early twentieth century North Hemispheric warm spell combined with mid-century cold war geostrategy to open the potential for drastic sea ice loss; and, most recently, climate models have illuminated the threat of a seasonally ice-free future, igniting widespread concerns about the impact this might have on Earth's natural and physical systems. This long narrative of an ice-free Arctic Ocean can help to explain modern-day scepticism of human-induced environmental change in the far north.

Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Kusuma Madamala ◽  
Claudia R. Campbell ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Hsieh ◽  
James James
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Introduction: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, resulting in the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with x2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95 percent CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95 percent CI 0.13–0.42; P < .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.

Optimizing electronic capture of patient-reported outcome measures in oncology clinical trials: lessons learned from a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 1195-1204
Author(s):  
Florence D Mowlem ◽  
Brad Sanderson ◽  
Jill V Platko ◽  
Bill Byrom
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Oncology Clinical Trials ◽  
Anticancer Treatment ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Electronic Implementation

Aim: To understand the impact of anticancer treatment on oncology patients’ ability to use electronic solutions for completing patient-reported outcomes (ePRO). Materials & methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals who had experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Results: Participants reported that the following would impact the ability to interact with an ePRO solution: peripheral neuropathy of the hands (4/7), fatigue and/or concentration and memory issues (6/7), where they are in a treatment cycle (5/7). Approaches to improve usability included: larger, well-spaced buttons to deal with finger numbness, the ability to pause a survey and complete at a later point and presenting the recall period with every question to reduce reliance on memory. Conclusion: Symptoms associated with cancers and anticancer treatments can impact the use of technologies. The recommendations for optimizing the electronic implementation of patient-reported outcome instruments in this population provides the potential to improve data quality in oncology trials and places patient needs at the forefront to ensure ‘fit-for-purpose’ solutions.

scholarly journals Evaluating Forest Cover and Fragmentation in Costa Rica with a Corrected Global Tree Cover Map

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (19) ◽  
pp. 3226
Author(s):  
Daniel Cunningham ◽  
Paul Cunningham ◽  
Matthew E. Fagan
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Forest Area ◽  
Tree Cover ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Forest Change ◽  
Alos Palsar ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
The Impact

Global tree cover products face challenges in accurately predicting tree cover across biophysical gradients, such as precipitation or agricultural cover. To generate a natural forest cover map for Costa Rica, biases in tree cover estimation in the most widely used tree cover product (the Global Forest Change product (GFC) were quantified and corrected, and the impact of map biases on estimates of forest cover and fragmentation was examined. First, a forest reference dataset was developed to examine how the difference between reference and GFC-predicted tree cover estimates varied along gradients of precipitation and elevation, and nonlinear statistical models were fit to predict the bias. Next, an agricultural land cover map was generated by classifying Landsat and ALOS PalSAR imagery (overall accuracy of 97%) to allow removing six common agricultural crops from estimates of tree cover. Finally, the GFC product was corrected through an integrated process using the nonlinear predictions of precipitation and elevation biases and the agricultural crop map as inputs. The accuracy of tree cover prediction increased by ≈29% over the original global forest change product (the R2 rose from 0.416 to 0.538). Using an optimized 89% tree cover threshold to create a forest/nonforest map, we found that fragmentation declined and core forest area and connectivity increased in the corrected forest cover map, especially in dry tropical forests, protected areas, and designated habitat corridors. By contrast, the core forest area decreased locally where agricultural fields were removed from estimates of natural tree cover. This research demonstrates a simple, transferable methodology to correct for observed biases in the Global Forest Change product. The use of uncorrected tree cover products may markedly over- or underestimate forest cover and fragmentation, especially in tropical regions with low precipitation, significant topography, and/or perennial agricultural production.

scholarly journals The Impact of COVID-19 Related Lockdown on the Prevalence of Spousal Violence Against Women in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052199792
Author(s):  
Kazhan I. Mahmood ◽  
Sherzad A. Shabu ◽  
Karwan M. M-Amen ◽  
Salar S. Hussain ◽  
Diana A. Kako ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Spousal Violence ◽  
Kurdistan Region ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Impact

There is increasing concern about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown’s social and economic consequences on gender-based violence. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender-based violence by comparing the prevalence of spousal violence against women before and during the COVID-19 related lockdown periods. This study was conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a self-administered online questionnaire survey after the COVID-19 lockdown period in June 2020. Data were collected from a sample of 346 married women about the occurrence, frequency, and forms of spousal violence before and during the lockdown period. Significant increases in violence were observed from the pre-lockdown period to the lockdown period for any violence (32.1% to 38.7%, p = .001), emotional abuse (29.5% to 35.0%, p = .005), and physical violence (12.7% to 17.6%, p = .002). Regarding emotional abuse, humiliation (24.6% to 28.3%, p = .041) and scaring or intimidation (14.2% to 21.4%, p < .001) significantly increased during the lockdown. For physical violence, twisting the arm or pulling hair (9.0% to 13.0%, p = .004) and hitting (5.2% to 9.2%, p = .003) significantly increased during the lockdown. Forcing to have sexual intercourse also significantly increased during lockdown (6.6% to 9.5%., p = .021). The concerned authorities and women’s rights organizations should collaborate to enhance the prevention of violence against women. An effective prevention strategy should emphasize recognizing and acknowledging the extent of the problem, raising awareness about the problem and the available resources to address it, and ensuring social and economic stability. Lessons learned about the increased prevalence of spousal violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt appropriate strategies to prevent and address it will be valuable for similar future crises.

Evaluating and Motivating Activation in Long Term Care: Lessons From a Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
J. Jbilou ◽  
A. El Bouazaoui ◽  
B. Zhang ◽  
J.L. Henry ◽  
L McDonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Term Care ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Technological Intervention ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Research Recommendations

Older adults living in long-term care facilities typically receive insufficient exercise and have long periods of the day when they are not doing anything other than sitting or lying down, watching television, or ruminating (Wilkinson et al., 2017). We developed an intervention called the Experiential Centivizer, which provides residents with opportunities to use a driving simulator, watch world travel videos, and engage in exercise. We assessed the impact of the intervention on residents of a long-term care home in Fredericton, NB, Canada. In this paper, we report on the results observed and highlight the lessons learned from implementing a technological intervention within a long-term care setting. Practical and research recommendations are also discussed to facilitate future intervention implementation in long-term care.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Coupled Model to Predict the Impact of Adaptive Behaviour in the Thermal Sensation of Occupants of Naturally Ventilated Buildings in Warm-Humid Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Luciano C. de Faria ◽  
Marcelo A. Romero ◽  
Lúcia F. S. Pirró
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Thermal Sensation ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Adaptive Behaviour ◽  
Humid Climate ◽  
Clothing Insulation ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Naturally Ventilated Buildings ◽  
Adaptive Behaviours ◽  
The Impact

Improving indoor environment quality and making urban centres in tropical regions more sustainable has become a challenge for which computational models for the prediction of thermal sensation for naturally ventilated buildings (NVBs) have major role to play. This work performed analysis on thermal sensation for non-residential NVBs located in Brazilian tropical warm-humid climate and tested the effectiveness of suggested adaptive behaviours to mitigate warm thermal sensation. The research method utilized transient computational fluid dynamics models coupled with a dynamic model for human thermophysiology to predict thermal sensation. The calculated results were validated with comparison with benchmark values from questionnaires and from field measurements. The calculated results for dynamic thermal sensation (DTS) seven-point scale showed higher agreement with the thermal sensation vote than with the predicted mean vote. The test for the suggested adaptive behaviours considered reducing clothing insulation values from 0.18 to 0.32 clo (reducing DTS from 0.1 to 0.9), increasing the air speed in 0.9 m/s (reducing DTS from 0.1 to 0.9), and applying both suggestions together (reducing DTS from 0.1 to 1.3) for five scenarios with operative temperatures spanning 34.5–24.0 °C. Results quantified the tested adaptive behaviours’ efficiency showing applicability to improve thermal sensation from slightly-warm to neutral.

scholarly journals Enhancing Behavioral Health Competencies for Senior Center Staff: Lessons Learned From Workforce Training Efforts

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Keefe ◽  
Jennifer Tripken
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Senior Center ◽  
Senior Centers ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Center Staff ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Increases in the numbers of older adults with mental health and substance use concerns compel us to identify best practices in training to address these issues. Senior Centers are an ideal location for behavioral health education programs as they are the go-to place for many older adults. This session will describe a program funded by The Retirement Research Foundation and offered in collaboration with Center for Aging and Disability Education and Research at Boston University and NCOA to increase senior center staff knowledge and skills. Approximately 250 senior center staff in Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin completed an online certificate in Behavioral Health and Aging. Results show that 100% of respondents felt that the training was useful for their job; 93% felt that they will be a more effective worker as a result of the training; and 97% felt that the information they learned in the training will make a difference with the people they serve. We held key informant interviews to assess the impact of training and participants stated that their knowledge, skills, and behaviors were influenced by the program. At the organizational level, leaders reported new programming related to behavioral health and revised practices and protocols. This presentation will cover: (1) the extent to which training participants mastered the competencies needed for effective practice; (2) knowledge and skills gained from the training program; (3) Senior Centers’ capacity to identify and refer older adults to mental health services; and (4) organizational changes related to behavioral health programming with older adults.

scholarly journals Enacting Accountability Under Populist Pressures: Theorizing the Relationship Between Anti-Elite Rhetoric and Public Accountability

2021 ◽  
pp. 009539972110193
Author(s):  
Matthew Wood ◽  
Felicity Matthews ◽  
Sjors Overman ◽  
Thomas Schillemans
Keyword(s):  
Public Accountability ◽  
Blame Attribution ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Bureaucratic State ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Accountability Practices ◽  
The Relationship

While populism challenges the pluralism and technocratic expertise on which public bureaucracies are based, extant scholarship has overlooked its effects on accountability processes. In particular, it neglects the impact of anti-elite rhetoric, characterized by what can be regarded as “emotionalized blame attribution,” on the thinking and behavior of accountability actors. Responding to this gap, this article examines the impact of this distinctive form of populist rhetoric on accountability relationships within the bureaucratic state. It identifies three “stages” whereby these populist pressures challenge accountability relationships, threaten the reputation of accountability actors, and result in alternative accountability practices. In doing so, the article provides a roadmap for assessing the impact of anti-elite rhetoric on accountability actions.

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