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Rethinking the Origins of Transnational Humanitarian Organizations: The Curious Case of the International Shipwreck Society
By exploring the evolution of the International Shipwreck Society (ISS) – a previously neglected transnational humanitarian organization encompassing branches in every continent by the late 1830s – this article sheds new light on three key aspects of the development of global humanitarianism. First, through revealing how a secular humanitarian association with a global organizational structure was developed in the 1830s, the article challenges conventional assumptions with respect to when internationally organized humanitarian action became possible. Second, through exploring the influence of Chinese precedents in the ISS, the article reveals the importance in the development of transnational humanitarianism of previously neglected Eastern origins. Third, through evaluating the role of individuals in the evolution of the ISS, the article provides a more balanced perspective on the role of individual leadership in early transnational humanitarian organizations than has traditionally been put forward. In each of these aspects, the article provides a new perspective on the origins of global networks
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The Rise and Fall of Transnational Civil Society: The Evolution of International Non-Governmental Organisations since 1839
Examining the Relationship Between Road Structure and Burglary Risk Via Quantitative Network Analysis
OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of residential burglary is shaped by the configuration of the street network, as predicted by, for example, crime pattern theory. In particular, the study examines whether burglary risk is higher on street segments with higher usage potential.
METHODS: Residential burglary data for Birmingham (UK) are examined at the street segment level using a hierarchical linear model. Estimates of the usage of street segments are derived from the graph theoretical metric of betweenness, which measures how frequently segments feature in the shortest paths (those most likely to be used) through the network. Several variants of betweenness are considered. The geometry of street segments is also incorporated—via a measure of their linearity—as are several socio-demographic factors.
RESULTS: As anticipated by theory, the measure of betweenness was found to be a highly-significant predictor of the burglary victimization count at the street segment level for all but one of the variants considered. The non-significant result was found for the most localized measure of betweenness considered. More linear streets were generally found to be at lower risk of victimization.
CONCLUSIONS: Betweenness offers a more granular and objective means of measuring the street network than categorical classifications previously used, and its meaning links more directly to theory. The results provide support for crime pattern theory, suggesting a higher risk of burglary for streets with more potential usage. The apparent negative effect of linearity suggests the need for further research into the visual component of target choice, and the role of guardianship
Tadpole renormalization and relativistic corrections in lattice NRQCD
We make a comparison of two tadpole renormalization schemes in the context of
the quarkonium hyperfine splittings in lattice NRQCD. Improved gauge-field and
NRQCD actions are analyzed using the mean-link in Landau gauge, and
using the fourth root of the average plaquette . Simulations are done
for , , and systems. The hyperfine splittings are
computed both at leading and at next-to-leading order in the relativistic
expansion. Results are obtained at lattice spacings in the range of about
0.14~fm to 0.38~fm. A number of features emerge, all of which favor tadpole
renormalization using . This includes much better scaling behavior of
the hyperfine splittings in the three quarkonium systems when is
used. We also find that relativistic corrections to the spin splittings are
smaller when is used, particularly for the and
systems. We also see signs of a breakdown in the NRQCD expansion when the bare
quark mass falls below about one in lattice units. Simulations with
also appear to be better behaved in this context: the bare quark masses turn
out to be larger when is used, compared to when is used on
lattices with comparable spacings. These results also demonstrate the need to
go beyond tree-level tadpole improvement for precision simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures (minor changes to some phraseology and
references
Quarkonium spin structure in lattice NRQCD
Numerical simulations of the quarkonium spin splittings are done in the
framework of lattice nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics (NRQCD). At leading
order in the velocity expansion the spin splittings are of , where
is the renormalized quark mass and is the mean squared quark
velocity. A systematic analysis is done of all next-to-leading order
corrections. This includes the addition of relativistic
interactions, and the removal of discretization errors in the
leading-order interactions. Simulations are done for both S- and P-wave mesons,
with a variety of heavy quark actions and over a wide range of lattice
spacings. Two prescriptions for the tadpole improvement of the action are also
studied in detail: one using the measured value of the average plaquette, the
other using the mean link measured in Landau gauge. Next-to-leading order
interactions result in a very large reduction in the charmonium splittings,
down by about 60% from their values at leading order. There are further
indications that the velocity expansion may be poorly convergent for
charmonium. Prelimary results show a small correction to the hyperfine
splitting in the Upsilon system.Comment: 16 pages, REVTEX v3.1, 5 postscript figures include
Look right! A retrospective study of pedestrian accidents involving overseas visitors to London
Introduction: Research within the European Union has shown international visitors to have a higher injury mortality than residents. Traffic accidents are the leading cause of injury-related death among overseas visitors and evidence suggests overseas visitors are at a greater risk of being involved in road traffic accidents than the resident population. Little information looks specifically at pedestrian injuries to overseas visitors. Pedestrian deaths account for 21% of all UK road deaths.
Methods: A retrospective database review of London helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) missions was undertaken to examine the number and type of missions to overseas visitors, specifically examining pedestrian incidents.
Results: Of 121 missions to overseas visitors, 74 (61%) involved the visitor as a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Thirty-five pedestrians (47%) were struck by a bus and 20 by a car (27%). Fourteen patients (19%) had an initial Glasgow coma scale score of 3–8, suggesting severe head injury and half of all patients required prehospital intubation (38/74, 51%). Mortality was 16% (12/74%) and 62 patients (84%) survived to hospital discharge. Of 39 patients admitted to the Royal London Hospital, the average injury severity score (ISS%) was 23.0 (ISS >15 denotes severe trauma) with a mean inpatient stay of 17.9 days.
Conclusion: During the 7-year period studied, 61% of HEMS missions to overseas visitors involved a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle, compared with 16% of missions to UK residents. For HEMS missions, serious trauma to pedestrians is disproportionally more common among the visitor population to London
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