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Eco-Virtue Ethics And Anthropological Commitments Of Laudato Si’ And Laudate Deum: Towards A Renewed Integral Ecology, Ugochukwu Stophynus Anyanwu

The Journal of Social Encounters

The Fourth Chapter of Laudato Si’ (LS) of Pope Francis deals with the theme of ‘Integral Ecology’ from a religious tradition. This chapter can be interpreted as the fulcrum of the encyclical because of the density of its anthropological and ethical considerations. The theme of this chapter has informed a more emphatic presentation in the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum (LD) on the climatic challenges confronting humanity. Both documents, with incomparable courage and novelty, offer enriching ethical discourses for advancing social, cultural, and human ecology in consonance with social justice, common good, solidarity, and subsidiarity. They contain the magisterial appeal that …

Guns, Bombs, And Pollution: Unraveling The Nexus Between Warfare, Terrorism, And Ecological Devastation In Iraq, Hogr Tarkhani

The Journal of Social Encounters

Iraq's environment has experienced significant pollution and degradation, earning it the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluted and degraded regions globally, according to the Globe Pollution Review. The past three decades of armed conflict have exacted a heavy toll on the country, resulting in widespread human suffering, including countless fatalities, injuries, and a massive displacement of people. Amidst this death and destruction, the ecosystem has also endured severe damage, and its decline carries long-lasting implications.

The environmental crisis in Iraq has been worsened by the presence of extremist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS) and various …

On Dialogue And Beyond: Positive Environmental Peacebuilding In Palestine, Elsa Barron

The Journal of Social Encounters

In Palestine, environmental management has been used as a tool of military occupation and oppression. Yet even within that context, many community-based organizations have established programs relating to environmental peacebuilding. Of these initiatives, environmental dialogue programs have received significant attention and resources, even more so since the war in Gaza began in October, 2023. However, a deeper interrogation of these programs reveals the danger that dialogue and collaboration devoid of a critical analysis of power and injustice further perpetuates systemic oppression. Moving these programs into the realm of positive environmental peacebuilding requires a willingness to engage in this structural analysis. …

Environmental Peacebuilding: Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow, Ken Conca

The Journal of Social Encounters

The field of environmental peacebuilding emerged as a counter to the idea that violent conflict was an inevitable byproduct of environmental change. Two decades ago, my colleague Geoffrey Dabelko and I published a book, Environmental Peacemaking, sketching the argument that ecological interdependencies could be instrumentalized as a force for peace (Conca & Dabelko, 2002). Other early works from this period focused on the peace opportunities in biodiversity conservation (Matthew et al., 2002) and transboundary protected areas (Brock, 1991; Ali, 2007). Since that time, a substantial community of research and practice has emerged around these ideas. In this essay I discuss …

How To Develop A Qualitative Evaluation Plan For A Complex National Intervention: Key Steps And Reflections From The Radx-Up Program, Shelly A. Maras, Josephine Mckelvy, Kelley Milligan, Allyson Kelley, Valerie A. Lucas, Tara Carr, Abisola Osinuga, Leah Frerichs, Gaurav Dave

The Qualitative Report

This article describes the formative process of developing and implementing a Qualitative Evaluation Plan (QEP) for a large-scale, National Institute of Health (NIH) supported program: Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics — Underserved Populations (RADx-UP). RADx-UP includes over 137 projects in the United States that aim to ensure that all Americans have access to timely, accurate diagnostics for COVID-19, with a specific focus on populations the pandemic disproportionately affects. As part of a comprehensive, mixed-methods strategic evaluation plan, our team developed the QEP. We employed qualitative methods to understand RADx-UP academic and community partners’ experiences implementing community-engaged research strategies, and to understand …

How Can Generative Ai (Genai) Enhance Or Hinder Qualitative Studies? A Critical Appraisal From South Asia, Nepal, Niroj Dahal

The Qualitative Report

Qualitative researchers can benefit from using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), such as different versions of ChatGPT—GPT-3.5 or GPT-4, Google Bard—now renamed as a Gemini, and Bing Chat—now renamed as a Copilot, in their studies. The scientific community has used artificial intelligence (AI) tools in various ways. However, using GenAI has generated concerns regarding potential research unreliability, bias, and unethical outcomes in GenAI-generated research results. Considering these concerns, the purpose of this commentary is to review the current use of GenAI in qualitative research, including its strengths, limitations, and ethical dilemmas from the perspective of critical appraisal from South Asia, Nepal. …

Visualizing Voices: Exploring The Use Of Architectural Visualization To Present Complex Qualitative Findings, Oriana Abboud Armaly

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I discuss the promising use of visual architectural drawings to present findings of qualitative studies, particularly when dealing with a complex, multidimensional human experience. I examine an interdisciplinary integration between qualitative research and architecture that embraces visual elements. I propose using visual drawings borrowed from architecture as a tool to present deep meanings of human experience within a social phenomenon and make the findings visually transparent. The architectural drawings offer distinct views: one provides an overall view of the building, while the other exposes its hidden layers. I employ this visual means to highlight deep meanings obtained …

Impact Of Race And Culture Assessments (Ircas) In Combatting Anti-Black Racism And Reducing Recidivism, Ardavan Eizadirad, Greg Leslie

Education Faculty Publications

The Gladue report, named after R. v. Gladue, is a landmark Supreme Court of Canada case which emphasizes the need to consider unique circumstances faced by Indigenous individuals when determining appropriate sentences. Given the overrepresentation of Black identities at all levels in the justice system, it is argued that the use of pre-sentencing reports referred to as Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs), also needs to be comprehensively implemented for Black offenders in Canada. IRCAs are pre-sentencing reports that help sentencing judges better understand the effect of poverty, marginalization, racism, and social exclusion on the offender and their life …

Cross-Institutional Collaboration And Exhibit Making: “On The Gold Mountain: Chinese Mining History And Heritage Of Idaho” At The Idaho Museum Of Mining And Geology, Jordan Kathleen Bennett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Gold Rush, which brought many new immigrant communities to the American West, made a permanent impact on American culture by prompting the development of many Western towns. However, the Chinese immigrant mining population in the Boise, Idaho area has had little museum representation despite the more than 300,000 Chinese people who emigrated to the US between the 1840s and 1880. To rectify this, the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology (IMMG), in collaboration with members of the Payette National Forest, the Asian American Comparative Collection, Boise State University/US Army Corps of Engineers, and the University of Denver, developed an …

Invisible Inequalities: Barriers, Challenges, And Opportunities, Hari Bapuji, Gokhan Ertug, Vivek Soundarajan, Jason D. Shaw

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Inequality is a grand challenge of our times, and management researchers have responded by examining the relationship between business and societal economic inequalities. This research has enhanced our understanding of the nature, sources, and consequences of inequalities, as well as identified actions to address them. However, this effort has predominantly revolved around visible inequalities. We seek to direct greater scholarly attention to invisible inequalities – uneven possession of and access to resources and opportunities to engage in value creation, appropriation, and distribution based on attributes and characteristics that are not readily apparent or noticeable. Expanding the scope of investigations to …

Feminist Policy Analysis On Gender Mainstreaming Policy In Indonesian International Peacekeeping Forces, Zahra Ayu Kusuma Ricarvy, Sri Lestari Wahyuningroem

Jurnal Politik

This study analyzes the implementation of gender mainstreaming policies within the Garuda troops using the Feminist Policy Analysis (FPA) approach in the context of Indonesia's commitment to gender equality in peacekeeping operations. Gender mainstreaming policies are expected to ensure equal access, participation, control, and benefits for both women and men within the defense system, as well as minimize gender discrimination. The method used in this research involves policy analysis as regulated in Presidential Instruction No. 9/2000, with a focus on its application in Peacekeeping Missions (IPM). Data were collected through interviews with relevant officials from the Ministry of Defense and …

Full Issue

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Health Facility Assessment Of Small And Sick Newborn Care In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Tool Development And Operationalisation With Nest360 And Unicef, Rebecca Penzias, Christine Bohne, Samuel K. Ngwala, Evelyn Zimba, Norman Lufesi, Ekran Rashid, Edith Gicheha, Opeyemi Odedere, Olabisi Dosunmu, Robert Tillya

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Each year an estimated 2.3 million newborns die in the frst 28 days of life. Most of these deaths are pre‑ ventable, and high-quality neonatal care is fundamental for surviving and thriving. Service readiness is used to assess the capacity of hospitals to provide care, but current health facility assessment (HFA) tools do not fully evaluate inpa‑ tient small and sick newborn care (SSNC).

Methods: Health systems ingredients for SSNC were identifed from international guidelines, notably World Health Organization (WHO), and other standards for SSNC. Existing global and national service readiness tools were identifed and mapped against this ingredients …

Apotheosis Of The State And The Decline Of Civilization: A Systems Approach, Robert Bedeski

Comparative Civilizations Review

Humanity is undergoing a second Axial Age. The first, as described by Karl Jaspers, brought transcendence into the vision and self-understanding of humans and the world. The rise of secularism and “Death of God” is dissolving and fragmenting that transcendence — a vital subsystem of the civilization system. Economy, knowledge and government comprise three additional subsystems and have coalesced to form the modern sovereign state, diminishing the traditional place of religion, art and philosophy in civilizations. An example of a state lacking common institutions of transcendence was the Mongol empire. Ruling Russia for a quarter millennium, its state form was …

Aging In The City Of Melrose: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin E. Coyle, Katherine Burnes, Mark Krebs, Ceara Somerville

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the City of Melrose. The goals of this project were to investigate the interests, preferences, and opinions of Melrose’s residents aged 55 or older by engaging the community regarding their experiences and needs relevant to the Council on Aging’s (COA’s) objective to identify and serve the needs of all Melrose citizens 55 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the City of Melrose, the Melrose COA, Milano …

Aging In North Andover: A Community Needs Assessment, Claire Wickersham, Caitlin E. Coyle, Ceara Somerville, Holly Stockdale

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of North Andover. The goal of this project was to identify, describe, and prioritize the needs and preferences of North Andover residents age 60 and older as they relate to aging well in the community. In 2023, North Andover opened a new Senior Community Center. The contents of this report are intended to be used for planning for the new Senior Community Center space and to inform strategic planning …

The Adverse Childhood Experiences Identification Gap In Speech Language Pathology, Mallory Prior

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Children exposed to adverse childhood experiences, a variety of potentially traumatic events occurring within the first 18 years of life, are at increased risk for speech and language disorders. Due to the high prevalence of trauma and its lasting effects, it is almost guaranteed that children who are experiencing the ongoing effects from adversity will be found on practicing Speech Language Pathologists’ caseloads. This scoping review was designed to identify current screening practices of Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) in comparison to other professionals (e.g., allied health and education), as well as additional information related to screening procedures for SLPs. The …

The Great Resignation: Narratives Of Mid-Career Teacher Burnout And Attrition, Nicole Burton

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the issues of teacher attrition. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, from January to November 2021, there was a 40% increase in the quit levels of teachers within the state and local education agencies (John, 2022). While prior research has examined early-career teachers leaving the profession, mid-career teachers have largely been left out of the conversation. This narrative inquiry investigates the reasons that mid-career teachers are leaving the profession. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four mid-career teachers hailing from the Midwest region. Interviews focused on understanding how teachers have experienced stress and …

Early Life Experiences As Later Life Predictors For Criminality: Examination Of Public Criminal Records., Juliana S. Bastien

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Crime's detrimental impact on society, victims, families, and the justice system is undeniable. Thus, identifying factors that contribute to the perpetration of crime is essential to reduce the public health impact of crime. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are frequently found in community samples and are consistently associated with physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences. Research suggests that negative childhood experiences contribute to maladaptive behaviors, including delinquency and perpetration of crime later in life (Perez et al., 2018). The present study's purpose is to identify specific childhood experiences associated with criminality. The data presented on criminality and ACEs was collected from recruited …

President's Message, Lynn Rhodes

Comparative Civilizations Review

Throughout 2023 and into 2024, the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations has been extremely busy in the furtherance of our vision. Here are some of the highlights.

From Compromise To Confrontation: The American Secretary Of State James F. Byrnes And His Attempts To Mitigate Disagreements With The Soviet Union As The Cold War Began, John Karl

Comparative Civilizations Review

James F. Byrnes as United States Secretary of State pursued a policy based on compromise with the Soviet Union during the first year following the end of the Second World War. He was determined to use his political skill for engineering compromise in order to bring about an agreement with the Soviet Union which would lead to an era of peace. While the crucial question facing American policymakers in the wake of World War II was the creation of a new world order, a most important part of this question was the future of American-Soviet relations, the two nations that …

End Matter

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Racialization, Individualism, And Denial: How The American And Australian Dreams Uphold The Homelessness And Poverty Crises Of Today, Emily Rose Andrews

Social Sciences

Inspired by my lived experience of immersion in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, California, for two weeks; studying abroad in Adelaide, South Australia, for two months; and my current internship at the Department of Social Services in San Luis Obispo, California, I plan on formulating a research paper on the topic of homelessness for my senior project. Specifically, through an extensive literature review and analysis, I will investigate: How does the culture of poverty ideology influence public opinions and policy responses to homelessness in the United States and Australia? To answer this question, I will first introduce the concept …

Religious Stewardship And Pro-Environmental Action: The Mediating Roles Of Environmental Guilt And Anger, Shu Tian Ng, Kimin Eom

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Past research has found that stewardship belief can motivate pro-environmentalism among religious individuals. The present study investigates the emotional pathways linking religious stewardship belief and pro-environmental policy support. In an online experiment conducted with Christians in the United States (N = 604), we experimentally primed stewardship belief (N = 195) using a video that highlighted the human responsibility to care for God’s creations. We also included a control condition (N = 206) and a religion condition (N = 203), which presented a more generic religious message. As demonstrated in a mediation model, the stewardship manipulation (vs. …

The Accuracy Of Anal Self- And Companion Exams Among Sexual Minority Men And Transgender Women: A Prospective Analysis, Alan G Nyitray, Timothy L Mcauliffe, Cameron Liebert, Michael D Swartz, Ashish A Deshmukh, Elizabeth Y Chiao, Lou Weaver, Ellen Almirol, Jared Kerman, John A Schneider, J Michael Wilkerson, Lu-Yu Hwang, Derek Smith, Aniruddha Hazra

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus (SCCA) annual incidence among sexual minority men with and without HIV is 85/100,000 and 19/100,000 persons, respectively, which is significantly higher than the overall incidence (2/100,000). Incidence may also be higher in transgender women. Since SCCA tumours average ≥30 mm at diagnosis, we assessed the accuracy of individuals to self-detect smaller anal abnormalities.

METHODS: Using convenience sampling, the study enrolled sexual minority men and transgender women, aged 25-81 years, in Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas, USA, during 2020-2022. Individuals were taught the anal self-examination and anal companion examination (ASE/ACE). Then, a clinician performed …

Quality Indicators In Surgical Oncology: Systematic Review Of Measures Used To Compare Quality Across Hospitals, Megan Mcleod, Kari Leung, C S. Pramesh, Peter Kingham, Miriam Mutebi, Julie Torode, Andre Ilbawi, Jade Chakowa, Richard Sullivan, Ajay Aggarwal

General Surgery, East Africa

Background: Measurement and reporting of quality indicators at the hospital level has been shown to improve outcomes and support patient choice. Although there are many studies validating individual quality indicators, there has been no systematic approach to understanding what quality indicators exist for surgical oncology and no standardization for their use. The aim of this study was to review quality indicators used to assess variation in quality in surgical oncology care across hospitals or regions. It also sought to describe the aims of these studies and what, if any, feedback was offered to the analysed groups.

Methods: A literature search …

Trends In Sleep Duration In The Us From 2004 To 2018: A Decomposition Analysis, Jiahui Xu, Liying Luo, Alyssa Gamaldo, Ashton Verdery, Melissa Hardy, Orfeu M Buxton, Qian Xiao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Average sleep duration in the United States declined in recent years, and the decline may be linked with many biopsychosocial factors. We examine how a set of biopsychosocial factors have differentially contributed to the temporal trends in self-reported sleep duration across racial groups between 2004-2005 and 2017-2018. Using repeated nationally representative cross-sections from the National Health Interview Survey, we decompose the influence of biopsychosocial factors on sleep duration trends into two components. One component corresponds to coefficient changes (i.e., changes in the associations between behaviors or exposures and sleep duration) of key biopsychosocial factors, and the other part accounts for …

Rural Student-Home Community Engagement Impact As A Result Of Study Abroad Experiences: From Preparation Through Return, Todd M. Karr

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This qualitative study utilized a constructivist grounded theory approach to understand how rural students engaged with people in their home community as it related to before, during, and after their study abroad experience and what impact that engagement had on their experiences. Participants included 15 students who self-identified as being from a rural background that studied abroad for a minimum of one semester. Participants included students from one of two large, public universities in the state of New Mexico. Data collection included two semi-structured, in-depth interviews with each participant.

The study used a constant comparison method to generate a theory …

Age And Ideology: The Emergence Of New Political Cleavages In Thailand’S 2566 (2023) Election, Napon Jatusripitak, Jacob Ricks

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Move Forward Party’s victory in Thailand’s 14 May 2566 (2023 CE) election surprised most observers, defying widespread predictions of a Pheu Thai win. Departing from traditional vote-mobilization strategies, Move Forward’s campaign focused largely on social media and broad calls for political reform while eschewing the vote-canvassing networks and economic policy promises that had delivered victory after victory for Pheu Thai. Does Move Forward’s win indicate changes in Thai voting behaviour? Relying on data from an original survey collected the week before and the week after the election, as well as observations from fieldwork, we identify two political cleavages that …

Negative Work-To-Family Spillover Stress And Heightened Cardiovascular Risk Biomarkers In Midlife And Older Adults, Andree Hartanto, K.T.A.Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Meilan Hu, Shu Fen Diong, Verity Y. Q. Lua

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the health implications of negative work-to-family spillover on cardiovascular risk biomarkers. Methods: In a large-scale cross-sectional dataset of working or self-employed midlife and older adults in the United States (N = 1179), we examined five biomarkers linked to cardiovascular risk, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein. Negative work-to-family spillover, measured using a four-item self-reported questionnaire, was included into our model to study its association with these cardiovascular risk biomarkers. Results: Our findings indicate a significant association between negative work-to-family spillover and cardiovascular risk biomarkers – higher …