Acute Kidney Injury Biomarkers and Hydration Outcomes at the Boston Marathon

The purpose of our field study was to investigate the effects of running the Boston Marathon on acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers. We hypothesized that biomarker values would be elevated immediately post-marathon but would resolve in the 24-h post-marathon. Secondarily, we sought to identify sex differences related to renal stress. Participants were 65 runners who completed the Boston Marathon (46 ± 9 years, 65.4 ± 10.8 kg). Urine samples were collected at three different time points (pre-marathon, post-marathon, and 24-h post-marathon). Blood samples were collected post-marathon and 24-h post-marathon. Urine specific gravity (USG) and AKI biomarkers were evaluated. Pre-marathon USG (1.012 ± 0.007) was significantly less than post-marathon (1.018 ± 0.008) and 24-h post-marathon (1.020 ± 0.009; P < 0.001). Male USG (1.024 ± 0.009) was significantly greater 24-h post-marathon than females (1.017 ± 0.008; P = 0.019). Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin values were significantly greater over time (P < 0.001), and there was a main effect of sex with female urinary creatinine (UCr) greater than males at all three time points (P = 0.040). Post-marathonUCr (366.24 ± 295.16 mg/dl) was significantly greater than pre-marathon (206.65 ± 145.28.56 mg/dl; p < 0.001) and 24-h post-marathon was significantly lower than other time-points (93.90 ± 125.07 mg/dl; P < 0.001). FemaleUCr values were significantly greater than males 24-h post-marathon (P < 0.001). There was no difference in serum cystatin C (SCys) values post- or 24-h post-marathon (P = 0.178). Serum creatinine (SCr) significantly decreased between post-marathon and 24-h post-marathon, (P < 0.001). We can infer that the characteristics unique to the Boston Marathon may have attributed to prolonged elevations in AKI biomarkers. Sex differences were observed during the Boston Marathon warranting further investigation.

Large Event Security - A Case Study of Spokane Events, WA

Large event security has become increasingly complex over the past 20 years. Security incidents have included headline tragedies such as the Las Vegas shooting in 2017 and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Spokane, Washington, has been no exception to the need to enhance guest security for large-scale events, as evidenced by the Hoopfest gang-related shooting in 2010 and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day bombing attempt in 2011. Balancing the interests of stakeholders has become challenging for event management professionals in both planning and operations phases. Security strategies and trainings designed for security and guest service staff are critical for the success of new protocols. Transparent communication to the public is crucial for the event's success and the guarantee of guest satisfaction. This case study aims to document the leadership decisions made to enhance security for large-scale events held in Downtown Spokane and the Spokane Arena. Focusing on several tipping points, the leadership decisions and implementation are chronicled as a case study, along with the decisions and protocols that continue to influence large event security in the Spokane area. This study will benefit other event planners and venues as they face security system upgrades, protocols, and implementation.

Increased Participation and Decreased Performance in Recreational Master Athletes in “Berlin Marathon” 1974–2019

The aspect of participation and performance trends in marathon running has been investigated mainly in marathons held in the United States of America (e.g., “New York City Marathon,” “Boston Marathon”), but not for the fastest course in the world, the “Berlin Marathon” held in Berlin, Germany. This study aimed to examine trends in participation and performance in the “Berlin Marathon” on all its previous 46 editions from 1974 to 2019, the largest dataset ever studied in this event with 696,225 finishers (after data cleaning). Athletes in all age groups increased their participation, except for male athletes aged 20–49 years and athletes of both sexes above 79 years of age. This overall increase in participation was more pronounced in women, but still, there are more men than women participating in “Berlin Marathon” nowadays. All age group athletes decreased their performance across years overall, whereas the top ten recreational athletes improved their performance over the years. Our findings improved the knowledge about the evolution of male and female marathoners across calendar years, especially for the fastest marathon race in the world, the “Berlin Marathon.”

Anger, Anxiety, and Selective Exposure to Terrorist Violence

We examine the political consequence of exposure to widely available video content of terror violence. In a two-wave survey of Americans, we assess who is exposed to, and seeks out, terror-related video content in the first wave and then observe who decides to watch raw video footage of the Boston marathon terror attack in the second. We focus centrally on anxiety and anger as differing emotional reactions to the threat of terrorism and document their influence on exposure to terror violence. Anxiety generates avoidance of violent terror content whereas anger increases its consumption. Moreover, we find that anger increases exposure to violent terror content and in addition enhances support for punitive and retaliatory anti-terrorism policy. We discuss the implications of our findings for the broader dynamics of terrorist violence and the emotional basis of selective news exposure.

From Risk to Resilience Contemporary Issues in Event Risk Management (Peter Ashwin)

In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous global risk society, national boundaries are blurred, inter-connected markets are exposed to delocalized risks with consequences that may stretch over extended or indefinite periods of time. Under these uncertain conditions, event organizers find themselves planning and delivering events in an environment characterized by disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and extant risks from home-grown violent extremism, cyber-criminal threats, supply chain disruptions and event cancellations (Beck, 2006; Hall, et al., 2019; Piekarz et al., 2015; Reid & Ritchie,2011; Rutherford Silvers, 2008; Tarlow, 2002). It is widely acknowledged that risk management should be viewed by event organizers and event professionals as a fundamental responsibility for planning and delivering a world class guest experience in a safe and secure environment (Berlonghi, 1990; Piekarz et al., 2015; Rutherford Silvers, 2008; Tarlow 2002;). However, in stark contrast, many event organizers concede that they do not have an event risk management plan (Ashwin & Wilson, 2020; Sturken, 2005 cited in Robson, 2009; Robson, 2009). In light of the recent proliferation of violent attacks on festivals and events, from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing to the recent 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival (California) shooting, there has been an increasing public discourse and emerging legislative requirements for event organizers to demonstrate an evidence-based approach to risk management decisions with the ability to explain the rationale behind those decisions in clear, objective and transparent terms (US Department of Homeland Security, 2020; UK Center for the Protection of National Infrastructure, 2020). Drawing upon the existing body of literature for event risk management, from Berlonghi (1990) to the recent 2019 event industry survey investigating event organizers approaches to risk management and resilience (Ashwin & Wilson, 2020), this chapter will explore contemporary risk issues in today’s volatile, ambiguous, complex and uncertain world. First, it will discuss the inter-related risk constructs pertaining to socio-cultural theoretical perspectives of risk and how an event organizer’s perception of risk influences their approach to risk management and decision-making. Then the chapter will address two contemporary risks, both of which present the potential for catastrophic consequences: cyber-criminals who are increasingly focusing their cyber-attacks on vulnerable, event digital eco-systems; and domestic terrorism and the threat from homegrown violent extremists, domestic violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders (‘lone wolves’). Finally, pragmatic, risk-based approaches to mitigating these risks will be discussed, specifically, preventative risk control measures and opportunities for enhancing organizational resilience to cyber-crime and terrorism.

Is courtroom discourse an ‘oral’ or ‘literate’ register? The importance of sub-register

By applying Multi-Dimensional Analysis, this study has provided a thorough description of the lexico-grammatical characteristics of courtroom discourse to see to what extent it employs both linguistic features of oral registers and literate registers. In particular, this study focuses on language used in the four public sub-registers (opening statements, direct examinations, cross-examinations, closing arguments) of courtroom discourse and analyzes how oral/literate each sub-register is, instead of characterizing courtroom discourse as oral/literate overall. Detailed interpretation of results focuses on Dimension 1 (involved and interactive vs. informational production) and 2 (narrative vs. non-narrative discourse) as these two dimensions are identified as universal parameters of register variation (Biber, 2014). A corpus of high-profile courtroom trials was compiled for this study that includes the O. J. Simpson criminal trial, the Boston Marathon bombing trial, and the Oklahoma bombing trial.