Paleolimnological perspectives on the shifting geographic template of permafrost landscapes and its implications for Arctic freshwater biodiversity

Geographic context matters when trying to understand how permafrost thaw impacts northern freshwater biodiversity in a warming climate. Most risk to freshwater from thawing permafrost is associated with abrupt thaw processes known as thermokarst. Lake sediments can provide a record of thermokarst landscape development and associated biogeochemical and biodiversity trends over long timescales, providing a tool to link thermokarst geomorphology with freshwater biodiversity. We describe how paleolimnology, with its inherent emphasis on long-term perspectives, can characterize the shifting geographic template of warming thermokarst landscapes and its implications for biodiversity. We suggest aligning thermokarst lake paleolimnological research with hypothesis-testing frameworks used by permafrost hydrologists and biogeochemists and by the Freshwater Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program, and advocate for knowledge co-production with northern Indigenous communities. Lastly, we stress the importance of considering geographic context in the choice of study sites to ensure that diverse thermokarst landscapes are represented (especially those most vulnerable to warming) and that the fine-scale differences in limnological settings that influence ecosystem response to thermokarst stressors are accounted for.

Give, and it shall be given unto you? The effects of corporate philanthropy on reputation following natural disasters

<p>Conventional logic suggests that businesses should look inwards following natural disasters to ensure employee welfare, and minimise disruptions to operations. However, disasters afford the opportunity to administer corporate philanthropy to affected communities, providing a non- reciprocal gift of money or in-kind services. Philanthropic aid results in commercial benefits for firms, including strengthened financial performance, employee motivation, and reputation. While businesses are increasingly cognisant of their moral responsibilities, few studies examine consumer reactions to corporate philanthropy during a disaster. This research aims to address gaps in extant knowledge, examining the impact of non-reciprocal giving on consumer perceptions of corporate reputation. Further, it seeks to better understand the effect of consumer scepticism and ethnocentrism on evaluations of giving. Three studies were employed to satisfy the research objectives, utilising a between-subjects experimental design. Study 1A manipulates types of corporate responses after the 2016 Kaikōura 7.8-magnitude earthquake (monetary, voluntary time, forgoing giving to recover internally), and measures consumer scepticism. The results demonstrate that monetary and employee time donations have an equivalent positive impact on perceptions of reputation. Forgoing philanthropy is viewed significantly worse, leading to negative evaluations of reputation. Low scepticism consumers assess reputation more positively than those suspicious of the corporate motives for giving. Focusing on employee voluntary time, Study 1B shows that philanthropy administered by companies suffering adverse impacts to operations garner more positive evaluations of reputation than uninterrupted organisations. Study 2 compares domestic (2016 Kaikōura earthquake) and overseas relief (2018 New Caledonia earthquake), measuring the impact of ethnocentrism on preferences for giving. Interestingly, there are no differences in evaluations between high and low ethnocentrism consumers in each geographic context. The overall findings suggest that companies should look beyond their own interests following disasters, administering non-reciprocal giving to generate reputational benefits. Moreover, firms suffering direct adverse impacts are uniquely positioned to generate the strongest reputation gains from giving, fostering moral capital through selfless offerings. Although, sceptical consumer predispositions dilute such benefits, suggesting that businesses cannot simply rely on giving as a panacea to reputational concerns. A natural disaster context also suspends the influence of ethnocentrism on geographic preferences for philanthropy, meaning managers should assess the perceived needs of benefactors when determining where to give.</p>

Give, and it shall be given unto you? The effects of corporate philanthropy on reputation following natural disasters

<p>Conventional logic suggests that businesses should look inwards following natural disasters to ensure employee welfare, and minimise disruptions to operations. However, disasters afford the opportunity to administer corporate philanthropy to affected communities, providing a non- reciprocal gift of money or in-kind services. Philanthropic aid results in commercial benefits for firms, including strengthened financial performance, employee motivation, and reputation. While businesses are increasingly cognisant of their moral responsibilities, few studies examine consumer reactions to corporate philanthropy during a disaster. This research aims to address gaps in extant knowledge, examining the impact of non-reciprocal giving on consumer perceptions of corporate reputation. Further, it seeks to better understand the effect of consumer scepticism and ethnocentrism on evaluations of giving. Three studies were employed to satisfy the research objectives, utilising a between-subjects experimental design. Study 1A manipulates types of corporate responses after the 2016 Kaikōura 7.8-magnitude earthquake (monetary, voluntary time, forgoing giving to recover internally), and measures consumer scepticism. The results demonstrate that monetary and employee time donations have an equivalent positive impact on perceptions of reputation. Forgoing philanthropy is viewed significantly worse, leading to negative evaluations of reputation. Low scepticism consumers assess reputation more positively than those suspicious of the corporate motives for giving. Focusing on employee voluntary time, Study 1B shows that philanthropy administered by companies suffering adverse impacts to operations garner more positive evaluations of reputation than uninterrupted organisations. Study 2 compares domestic (2016 Kaikōura earthquake) and overseas relief (2018 New Caledonia earthquake), measuring the impact of ethnocentrism on preferences for giving. Interestingly, there are no differences in evaluations between high and low ethnocentrism consumers in each geographic context. The overall findings suggest that companies should look beyond their own interests following disasters, administering non-reciprocal giving to generate reputational benefits. Moreover, firms suffering direct adverse impacts are uniquely positioned to generate the strongest reputation gains from giving, fostering moral capital through selfless offerings. Although, sceptical consumer predispositions dilute such benefits, suggesting that businesses cannot simply rely on giving as a panacea to reputational concerns. A natural disaster context also suspends the influence of ethnocentrism on geographic preferences for philanthropy, meaning managers should assess the perceived needs of benefactors when determining where to give.</p>

ADRD Caregiving Experiences and Health by Race, Ethnicity and Care Recipient Geographic Context

Few studies have examined how the intersectionality of geographic context and race/ethnicity influences Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD) caregiving. Our aims were to determine whether 1) caregiver experiences and health differed across urban and rural areas; and 2) these links were moderated by caregiver race/ethnicity. We used data from the 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and National Study of Caregiving. The sample included caregivers (n=808) of care recipients ages 65+ with ‘probable’ ADRD (n=482). Geographic context was defined as care recipient’s residence in metro (urban) or non-metro (rural) counties. Outcomes included caregiving experiences (burden, gains, life impacts, service/resource use) and health (self-rated, anxiety, depression symptoms, chronic health conditions). Bivariate analyses indicated that non-metro ADRD caregivers were less racially/ethnically diverse (82.7% white) and more were spouses/partners (20.2%). Among racial/ethnic minority ADRD caregivers, non-metro context was associated with having more chronic conditions (p&lt;.01), providing less care (p&lt;.01), and not co-residing with care recipients (p&lt;.001). Amid white ADRD caregivers, non-metro context was associated with not reporting caregiving was more than they could handle (p&lt;.05) and finding financial assistance for caregiving (p&lt;.05). Multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that non-metro minority ADRD caregivers had 3.09 times higher odds (95% CI=1,02-9.36) of reporting anxiety in comparison to metro minority ADRD caregivers. Geographic context shapes ADRD caregiving experiences and caregiver health differently across racial/ethnic groups. Despite higher rates of ADRD and ADRD-related mortality in non-metro areas, findings suggest both positive and negative aspects of caregiving among White, Black, and Hispanic ADRD caregivers.

Nápoje na dvorech králů a knížat z dynastie Jagellonců konce 15. a počátku 16. století

This study presents an analytical probe into the field of beverage culture as it was cultivated in the late 15th and early 16th century at the courts of the descendants of the Polish‑Lithuanian ruler Casimir IV († 1492) of the Jagiellonian dynasty: the Czech and Hungarian king Vladislaus († 1516), his son, the Czech and Hungarian king Louis († 1526), and then his brothers, the Polish king John Albert († 1501), the grand duke of Lithuania and later also the Polish king Alexander († 1506) and the future Polish‑Lithuanian ruler (the then Duke of Opava and Głogów and the governor of Silesia and Lusatia) Sigismund († 1548). The starting point of the research was a comprehensive analysis of rare, preserved account books kept at the courts of these monarchs. This study describes the various types of beverages consumed (especially wine and beer) both in the social and geographic context. In addition, it also includes the sphere of consumers‘ taste preferences.

New Perspectives on the Urban–Rural Dichotomy and Dialect Contact in the Arabic gələt Dialects in Iraq and South-West Iran

This paper reevaluates the ground on which the division into urban and rural gələt dialects, as spoken in Iraq and Khuzestan (south-western Iran), is built on. Its primary aim is to describe which features found in this dialect group can be described as rural and which features tend to be modified or to emerge in urban contexts, and which tend to be retained. The author uses various methodical approaches to describe these phenomena: (i) a comparative analysis of potentially rural features; (ii) a case study of Ahvazi Arabic, a gələt dialect in an emerging urban space; and (iii) a small-scale sociolinguistic survey on overt rural features in Iraqi Arabic as perceived by native speakers themselves. In addition, previously used descriptions of urban gələt features as described for Muslim Baghdad Arabic are reevaluated and a new approach and an alternative analysis based on comparison with new data from other gәlәt dialects are proposed. The comparative analysis yields an overview of what has been previously defined as rural features and additionally discusses further features and their association with rural dialects. This contributes to our general understanding of the linguistic profile of the rural dialects in this geographic context.

Predicting Food Safety Compliance for Informed Food Outlet Inspections: A Machine Learning Approach

Consumer food environments have transformed dramatically in the last decade. Food outlet prevalence has increased, and people are eating food outside the home more than ever before. Despite these developments, national spending on food control has reduced. The National Audit Office report that only 14% of local authorities are up to date with food business inspections, exposing consumers to unknown levels of risk. Given the scarcity of local authority resources, this paper presents a data-driven approach to predict compliance for newly opened businesses and those awaiting repeat inspections. This work capitalizes on the theory that food outlet compliance is a function of its geographic context, namely the characteristics of the neighborhood within which it sits. We explore the utility of three machine learning approaches to predict non-compliant food outlets in England and Wales using openly accessible socio-demographic, business type, and urbanness features at the output area level. We find that the synthetic minority oversampling technique alongside a random forest algorithm with a 1:1 sampling strategy provides the best predictive power. Our final model retrieves and identifies 84% of total non-compliant outlets in a test set of 92,595 (sensitivity = 0.843, specificity = 0.745, precision = 0.274). The originality of this work lies in its unique and methodological approach which combines the use of machine learning with fine-grained neighborhood data to make robust predictions of compliance.

What do newspapers talk about when they talk about Muslims?

This chapter uses topic modeling analysis to show that newspapers cover Muslims differently depending on the geographic context in which the stories are set. Reporting on Muslim-majority countries varies from that on Muslim-minority countries, where stories are more likely to highlight separatism, militancy, and extremism. In contexts where Muslims have been victimized by non-Muslim groups, we see an emphasis on Muslims as a vulnerable group or simply as civilians. The inductive approach used in the chapter also reveals that approximately a third of all stories are not primarily associated with the major themes identified by previous research. While almost no topic related to Muslim coverage is positive, several of these themes are linked with far less negativity than others, suggesting pathways for journalists to pursue if they are seeking more balanced coverage of Muslims and Islam over the longer term.