Environmental degradation and the progression of inequality between urban and rural China: A literature review

Research has found that the inequality gap throughout China has been perpetuated by environmental degradation that has maintained and contributed to the various factors influencing inequality between urban and rural residents. In order to promote economic growth, institutions meant to regulate corporate enterprises have had less authority. This research focuses on the consequences and contributing factors of environmental degradation as well as its impact on the inequality gap between rural and urban the rise in infertility, the population burden, access to healthcare, access to education, the gender gap, political participation, occupational perceptions, and the international response. Secondary sources suggest that through the establishment of township enterprises and industrialization, the economy grew significantly in accordance with pollution, exploitation of the environment, and the inequality gap between urban and rural residents. The prospect of economic growth has given financial incentive to ignore environmental regulations and maintain inequality within China and worldwide. Seeing as the inequality gap is widening between the rural and urban areas globally while the environment worsens, China\u27s influence and position on the environment is having a significant impact throughout the world

MIDWIFERY AND MEDICINE IN BRITAIN: A COMPARATIVE VIEW OF MIDWIFERY AND CHILDBEARING IN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND, 1650-1780

In this dissertation I contend the female midwives and childbearing women did not passively accept the alteration of the experience of birth and the ideology surrounding it in eighteenth-century Britain. While the imposition of the man-midwife and the reframing of birth as a disease to be cured in some ways forced childbearing to shift to a medicalized event, many practices persisted from the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, illustrating a vein of consistency in a seemingly tumultuous period. Furthermore, the changes that did take root were not solely the purview of the male medical community, but were influenced by women who found their own ways to operate within and shape the male-dominated sphere of medicalized birth. By refocusing the center of a British study on Scotland we are able to interrogate this shift in midwifery at its core, in the medical epicenter of Edinburgh. This change in geographic focus also expands our understanding across space, but also time as we explore links between the eighteenth-century shift from ritual to disease and the impact of that shift on modern birth practices in Britain and America

Smith, Charles

Co H, 371st Infantry; Kappa Alpha Psihttps://dh.howard.edu/prom_members/1074/thumbnail.jp

Successfully Implementing Common Core Literacy Standards in the Science Classroom: A Phenomenological Investigation

The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to understand how veteran sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade science teachers in Northeast Georgia implemented the Literacy Common Core Performance Standards into their discipline. Legislation introduced many standards reforms in the past 15 years, and this newest change directly corresponded with achievement expectations in the content areas. This study looked at experienced teachers who integrated the Common Core Literacy Standards into their science curriculum and explored their experiences in this implementation. A transcendental phenomenological method was used for 12 teacher interviews over a six-month period. In addition, student work samples, science literacy assignments, and teacher planning documents were analyzed. Upon bracketing personal understandings, I sought a thick, rich description of self-efficacy and motivation of science teachers as they integrated the Common Core Literacy Standards into the content area. The phenomenological analysis determined three themes across the co-researcher participants that centered upon professional development, teacher collaboration efforts, and time management with literacy standards in the content area. Implications for the research suggested specified in-depth professional development, nurturing collaboration time between peer teachers, and ongoing school- or system-level support with integrating literacy standards in science. Recommendations for future research could branch out to other geographic locations, focus upon specific professional learning designs or literacy resources, and concentrate in-depth on professional learning communities’ practices

Spatial Analysis of U.S. Terrorism Incidents

This research brief represents an overview of basic spatial patterns across a sample of terrorism incidents in the United States. While research concerning characteristics of incidents has received some study, the geospatial patterns of these incidents remains largely unexamined. Logically, different ideological categories of terrorism may lend themselves to different spatial patterns and preferences for target distance. In addition, the distance required to perpetrate an incident may affect the success rate of an attack. Terrorists who must travel further to engage in preparatory activity such as surveillance or transporting weapons may stand an increased chance of failure due to human intervention. Previous research from the American Terrorism Study (ATS) has examined these ideas and generally suggests terrorists favor targets closer to their place of residence; this research brief builds upon that previous work. The findings suggest that in recent years, terrorists have lived closer to the intended target. This is primarily related to the increase in ISIS-affiliated incidents

Family Literacy in Prisons: Fathers' engagement with their young children

This paper reports an original approach to family literacy in two UK men’s prisons. Brief consideration of family literacy research precedes consideration of specific issues of imprisonment and literacy, and recent initiatives for incarcerated fathers. The significance of the study lies in the demonstration that theories of early literacy development can successfully be shared with imprisoned fathers, and related practices incorporated into the literacy-oriented family visits. A rigorous interpretivist approach highlights the importance of prisoners learning about children’s early literacy development. Although the opportunity to see their children provides a strong motivation to enrol on the programme, the paper argues that the men’s manifest engagement with the ideas and activities in the workshops and the literacy-oriented family visits indicate successful programme adaptation: primary success lies in influencing fathers’ concern to support their children whilst incarcerated, though impact on their resolve to desist from crime and re-establish their fathering roles is also notable. Implications for policy and practices to enhance incarcerated parents’ involvement with their children’s developing literacy are discussed

Temporal Sequencing, Incident Sophistication, and Terrorist Outcomes

There have been few efforts to examine how the planning process affects the outcome of a terrorist plot. This research brief provides some preliminary findings from an examination of the impact of the length of the planning process, the impact of multiple participants, and the volume of precursor activity on the success or failure of terrorist plots in the United States. While conventional wisdom holds true that a shorter planning process and fewer preparatory activities reduces perpetrators chances of getting caught therefore increases success rate, the new findings show that the more people involved in the planning process also increases the probability of success

Predictors of Cardiac Mortality in the CCU: A Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Center

Background: Although prior studies have linked troponin I (TnI) elevation, serum sodium (Na) fluctuation, and reduced ejection fraction (EF) with an increased mortality in the medical/surgical critical care units, this has not been validated in the CCU. We aim to identify clinical and laboratory factors to predict cardiac related length of survival (LOS) in the CCU. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 134 consecutive patients who were admitted to the CCU from December 2012 to March 2015, and who died during that admission. We used student T-test, correlation matrices, and Framingham risk factors adjusted multivariable logistic regression models to examine the role of TnI, serum Na, EF and other clinical covariates on LOS in cardiac death (CD) and non- cardiac death (NCD) group. Results: The average age of the study population was 70.0 ±14.3 (39.0% women). The prevalence of CD and NCD were 63% and 59%. LOS was statistically shorter in the CD vs. NCD group (5.3 days vs. 8.2 days, p=0.012). LOS negatively correlated with initial TnI (p= 0.05). LOS was not statistically affected by EF or Na level. Our regression models identified BMI and diabetes mellitus (DM) as strong predictors of CD (p= 0.04 and p=0.01). Conclusion: Our results validate prior studies showing that TnI, BMI, and DM are predictors of cardiac related mortality in the CCU. Patients with a cardiac etiology had a higher mortality rate and a shorter LOS. Future studies are needed to develop a scoring system specific for predicting mortality in the CCU

A systematic review of validity of US survey measures for assessing substance use and substance use disorders

Background: The steep rise in substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) shows an urgency to assess its prevalence using valid measures. This systematic review summarizes the validity of measures to assess the prevalence of substance use and SUD in the US estimated in population and sub-population-based surveys. Methods: A literature search was performed using nine online databases. Studies were included in the review if they were published in English and tested the validity of substance use and SUD measures among US adults at the general or sub-population level. Independent reviews were conducted by the authors to complete data synthesis and assess the risk of bias. Results: Overall, 46 studies validating substance use/SUD (n = 46) measures were included in this review, in which 63% were conducted in clinical settings and 89% assessed the validity of SUD measures. Among the studies that assessed SUD screening measures, 78% examined a generic SUD measure, and the rest screened for specific disorders. Almost every study used a different survey measure. Overall, sensitivity and specificity tests were conducted in over a third of the studies for validation, and 10 studies used receiver operating characteristics curve. Conclusion: Findings suggest a lack of standardized methods in surveys measuring and reporting prevalence of substance use/SUD among US adults. It highlights a critical need to develop short measures for assessing SUD that do not require lengthy, time-consuming data collection that would be difficult to incorporate into population-based surveys assessing a multitude of health dimensions. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022298280.</p

Simple guide to starting a research group

Conducting cutting-edge research and scholarship becomes more complicated with each passing year; forming a collaborative research group offers a way to navigate this increasing complexity. Yet many individuals whose work might benefit from the formation of a collaborative team may feel overwhelmed by the prospect of attempting to build and maintain a research group. We propose this simple guide for starting and maintaining such an enterprise