Digital volunteer networks and humanitarian crisis reporting

Digital technologies and big data are rapidly transforming humanitarian crisis response and changing the traditional roles and powers of its actors. This article looks at a particular aspect of this transformation – the appearance of digital volunteer networks – and explores their potential to act as a new source for media coverage, in addition to their already established role as emergency response supporters. I argue that digital humanitarians can offer a unique combination of speed and safe access, while escaping some of the traditional constraints of the aid-media relationship and exceeding the conventional conceptualizations of citizen journalism. Journalists can find both challenges and opportunities in the environment where multiple crisis actors are assuming some of the media roles. The article draws on interviews with humanitarian organizations, journalists, and digital volunteer networks about their understanding of digital humanitarian communication and its significance for media coverage of crises

The Ursinus Weekly, October 17, 1968

Fraternities hopeful as Homecoming approaches; Reigning Queen to be selected in regal runoff • Student teachers gain experience • Frosh elect officers; President sets goals • Curtain Club changes name to ProTheatre • Ryan Brothers highlights UC folk concert • Editorial: A matter of concern • On love and hate • Coke culture to stay Glenesk tells Forum • Letters • Dr. Byerly raps Greeks; Calls rushing degrading • Freshmen induction: Questionable success • Intruders in concert • Exchange column • Another view: Ursinus change • Opinion: Political commentary • Expansion necessitates dormitory renovations • SFARC minutes • Ursinus students to participate in TV program • U.C. students speak at pre-med meeting • Parents feted at gala event • Bear Gridders fall to Johns Hopkins and Lebanon Valley; Streaking Harriers extend undefeated string to fifteen • Grau predicts comeback for soccer squad • A little bit about everything or not much about anything • UC hockey team edges Penn, 2-1 as Cash scores decisive goal • Ursinus must stop Muhlenberg offense • Sig Rho and Apes are on top in I.T. fraternity division; Flowers down Day Study, 13-6 • Greek gleaningshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1164/thumbnail.jp

Healthcare providers' views on the acceptability of financial incentives for breastfeeding:a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Despite a gradual increase in breastfeeding rates, overall in the UK there are wide variations, with a trend towards breastfeeding rates at 6–8 weeks remaining below 40% in less affluent areas. While financial incentives have been used with varying success to encourage positive health related behaviour change, there is little research on their use in encouraging breastfeeding. In this paper, we report on healthcare providers’ views around whether using financial incentives in areas with low breastfeeding rates would be acceptable in principle. This research was part of a larger project looking at the development and feasibility testing of a financial incentive scheme for breastfeeding in preparation for a cluster randomised controlled trial. METHODS: Fifty–three healthcare providers were interviewed about their views on financial incentives for breastfeeding. Participants were purposively sampled to include a wide range of experience and roles associated with supporting mothers with infant feeding. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted. Data were analysed thematically drawing on the principles of Framework Analysis. RESULTS: The key theme emerging from healthcare providers’ views on the acceptability of financial incentives for breastfeeding was their possible impact on ‘facilitating or impeding relationships’. Within this theme several additional aspects were discussed: the mother’s relationship with her healthcare provider and services, with her baby and her family, and with the wider community. In addition, a key priority for healthcare providers was that an incentive scheme should not impact negatively on their professional integrity and responsibility towards women. CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers believe that financial incentives could have both positive and negative impacts on a mother’s relationship with her family, baby and healthcare provider. When designing a financial incentive scheme we must take care to minimise the potential negative impacts that have been highlighted, while at the same time recognising the potential positive impacts for women in areas where breastfeeding rates are low

都市で起きる地震の迅速な評価のための即時地震動推定の挑戦

We discuss the use of ShakeMap for the rapid evaluation of shaking hazards of all significant earthquakes around the globe. This global ShakeMap is used in a new U.S. Geological Survey system referred to as PAGER, for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response. PAGER is an automated alarm system, currently in prototype operation. This is being further developed to rapidly and accurately assess the severity of damage caused by an earthquake and to provide emergency relief organizations, government agencies, and the media with an estimate of the societal impact from the potential catastrophe. Although the global ShakeMaps used for PAGER are constrained in part by rapidly gathered ground motion and intensity data via the Internet and with rupture dimensions resolved with automated finite fault analyses, they are fundamentally predictive, relying on our best efforts at rapidly estimating ground motions. Such a task requires adaptation of a number of seismological tools that we discuss herein. These include the estimation of site amplification on a global basis, the automatic inclusion of strong motion data and macroseismic intensities, incorporating rupture finiteness (mainly rupture dimensions) derived from source modeling, and empirically predicting regionally specific ground motion amplitudes with corresponding instrumental intensities. Since the uncertainties the shaking hazard estimates map into uncertainties in our rapid loss estimates, we also discuss efforts to quantify the ShakeMap uncertainty as a function of spatial location on the map grid

Low-Multiplicity Burst Search At The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

Results are reported from a search for low-multiplicity neutrino bursts in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. Such bursts could indicate the detection of a nearby core-collapse supernova explosion. The data were taken from Phase I (1999 November-2001 May), when the detector was filled with heavy water, and Phase II (2001 July-2003 August), when NaCl was added to the target. The search was a blind analysis in which the potential backgrounds were estimated and analysis cuts were developed to eliminate such backgrounds with 90% confidence before the data were examined. The search maintained a greater than 50% detection probability for standard supernovae occurring at a distance of up to 60 kpc for Phase I and up to 70 kpc for Phase II. No low-multiplicity bursts were observed during the data-taking period.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, CanadaIndustry Canada, CanadaNational Research Council, CanadaNorthern Ontario Heritage Fund, CanadaAtomic Energy of Canada, Ltd., CanadaOntario Power Generation, CanadaHigh Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory, CanadaCanada Foundation for Innovation, CanadaCanada Research Chairs, CanadaDepartment of Energy, USNational Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, USAlfred P. Sloan Foundation, USScience and Technology Facilities Council, UKFundacao para a Ciencia e a Technologia, PortugalAstronom

Searches For High-Frequency Variations In The B-8 Solar Neutrino Flux At The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

We have performed three searches for high-frequency signals in the solar neutrino flux measured by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, motivated by the possibility that solar g-mode oscillations could affect the production or propagation of solar B-8 neutrinos. The first search looked for any significant peak in the frequency range 1-144 day(-1), with a sensitivity to sinusoidal signals with amplitudes of 12% or greater. The second search focused on regions in which g-mode signals have been claimed by experiments aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite, and was sensitive to signals with amplitudes of 10% or greater. The third search looked for extra power across the entire frequency band. No statistically significant signal was detected in any of the three searches.Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, CanadaIndustry Canada, CanadaNational Research Council, CanadaNorthern Ontario Heritage Fund, CanadaAtomic Energy of Canada, Ltd., CanadaOntario Power Generation, CanadaHigh Performance Computing Virtual Laboratory, CanadaCanada Foundation for InnovationDept. of Energy, USNational Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, USScience and Technologies Facilities Council, UKAstronom

G/T Substitution in Intron 1 of the UNC13B Gene Is Associated With Increased Risk of Nephropathy in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE— Genetic and environmental factors modulate the susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy, as initiating and/or progression factors. The objective of the European Rational Approach for the Genetics of Diabetic Complications (EURAGEDIC) study is to identify nephropathy susceptibility genes. We report molecular genetic studies for 127 candidate genes for nephropathy