Global Health Diplomacy as a Tool of Peace

There is no question that peace and health are inextricably linked. War affects human health through the direct violence of military arms and through the structural violence that leads to major interruptions of the socio-economic systems people use to address their health needs. Those disruptions are compounded by natural disasters and manifold vulnerabilities that force countries to divert economic resources from health services. Clearly war and violence are a public health concern. We argue here that not only can health be a bridge to peace, but as well, what the world is witnessing now is the emergence and growth of health diplomacy which can potentially become a robust medium for strengthening that nexus between health and peace.     

The IPV-WDA: Developing an Abusive Workplace Disruptions Assessment Using Item Response Theory

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health problem impacting millions of women, families, and employers each year. Abusive partners purposively sabotage survivors’ employment to maintain control over them. While previous scales have been developed to measure the impact of IPV on work and economic stability, the current study creates and pilot tests a technology-inclusive measurement of workplace disruptions for survivors of IPV. It was hypothesized that statistical analysis would produce subscales of poor workplace performance and employment instability. The 34-item Intimate Partner Violence and Workplace Disruptions Assessment (IPV-WDA) developed for this study is based on individual interviews with IPV survivors, consultations with expert scholars and advocates, and comparisons of items with existing measurements. The current study used item response theory (IRT-Rasch model) to develop and pilot test the IPV-WDA with a sample of intimate partner violence survivors (N?=?41) who had been employed while experiencing abuse. The IPV-WDA showed unidimensionality, high reliability, and validity, as well as items that ranged from common to severe experiences. All items provided unique information on survivors’ experiences of workplace disruptions indicating they should be retained. Based on findings of overall reliable and valid performance, the technology inclusive and comprehensive IPV-WDA should be used in future research. Specifically, researchers should prioritize using it with larger samples so that individual item findings can shape the conceptualization of abusive workplace disruptions and be the target of future intervention research.

     

Self-worth as a mediator between attachment and posttraumatic stress in interpersonal trauma

It is well documented that most trauma survivors recover from adversity and only a number of them go on to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, survivors of interpersonal trauma (IPT) appear to be at heightened risk for developing PTSD in comparison to survivors of noninterpersonal trauma (NIPT). Despite a robust association between IPT exposure and attachment disruptions, there is a dearth of research examining the role of attachment-related processes implicated in predicting PTSD. Using a sample of college undergraduates exposed to IPT and NIPT, this study explores the mediating effect of self-worth in the relationship between attachment and PTSD. It is hypothesized that insecure attachment will be related to posttraumatic symptomatology via a reduced sense of self-worth in IPT survivors but not in NIPT survivors. Mediation analyses provide support for this hypothesis, suggesting the importance of considering negative cognitions about the self in therapeutic interventions, particularly those offered to IPT survivors.     

Death after anal "fisting"

A 45-year-old homeless woman was found dead at her usual sleeping place. Apart from traces of blood on the lower abdomen of the body, the police investigations did not produce any clues pointing to an unnatural death. At autopsy, it was found, however, that death had been caused by extensive disruptions of the intestine. After being confronted with the results, the sexual partner of the victim admitted manual anal penetration, but claimed that this had been done by mutual agreement. The court did not accept that statement and sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder. The frequency of such fatal outcomes of anal penetration, the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim and the special features at the scene are discussed.     

Exceptional suicide of a physician (author's transl)]

A 57 years old psychiatrist committed suicide through insufflation of powder from a chemical fire extinguisher his respiratory and gastrointestinal tract. Death was due not to mechanically induced asphyxia but to asystolia. The latter disturbance is explained as a vagal reaction to trauma because of the characteristic position of the corpse at the scene and because the victim did not exhibit any signs of gas or foreign body embolism. A further point of interest in the context of trauma mechanism, is the absence of significant disruptions in spite of the high pressure (10-12 atu) developed by the extinguisher. No conclusive interpretation can be given about the psychological mechanisms behind this suicidal act. On the other side the modality of the procedure used by the victim became manifest already a few months before the critical act.     

Children's exposure to violence: exploring developmental pathways to diverse outcomes

Identifying mechanisms that explain the children's differential vulnerability to violence exposure is an important research focus. Developmentally sensitive theories and methods are recommended to better understand children's risk and resilience to violence exposure. Examples are provided of promising research that links violence exposure to subtle deviations in children's emotional, cognitive, and physiological functioning, and to disruptions in the family environment.     

Death secondary to a donkey's bites

We present a unique case of death due to the assault and bites of a donkey on a 65-year-old man. The farmer, found dead in his farmyard, had a very deep wound in the anterior region of the neck, with a sharp transection of the trachea and severe bleeding by several minor vessels wall disruptions. The cause of death was established to be massive bleeding combined with asphyxia due to aspiration of the blood. Moreover, multiple contusions with associated skin abrasions and perforations were present. The general impression of the injuries was consistent with an animal's bite marks. Herbivorous or omnivorous bite attacks on humans are rare; instead, these animals attack by kicking, trampling, and kneeling, resulting in secondary blunt injuries. The donkey is usually a docile animal, but its behavior can be aggressive during the mating season, and the possibility of biting should not be underestimated, as illustrated by the 2 cases published previously as well as by the case presented here.     

Confounding influences on police detection of suspiciousness

The social psychological literature had shown wide acceptance by the police of the use of nonverbal behaviors such as smiles, speech disruptions, gaze aversion, and hand gestures as cues to deceptive or suspicious activity by criminal suspects. Current police investigative training also reinforces these beliefs. The present study analyzed the influence of race and emotional agitation level on the frequency with which these ‘suspicious’ nonverbal behaviors are displayed. Reviewing 120 videotaped police-citizen interactions of a noncriminal nature involving law-abiding citizens, the results suggested that level of emotional agitation had a weak but significant influence on the frequency with which two of these nonverbal behaviors were displayed. Race also had a significant influence that ranged from moderate to strong, as African-American and Hispanic citizens displayed significantly higher levels than Caucasians of behaviors thought of as ‘suspicious’ by police officers.     

Religious-Related Abuse in the Family

Religion provides directives for positive moral action and the promotion of human welfare; but religious beliefs can also foster and justify abusive behavior in the context of family life and child rearing. Parents, who are emotionally distraught and cannot control their responses to their child’s needs or misbehavior, might wield religious ideas to intimidate and control their children. In our paper we set forth two fundamental types of religion-related emotional abuse and discuss the complex role that religion can play in perpetuating abusive family relationships. We address the emotional aspects of religion-related abuse and also its transgenerational transfer. We present a case illustration focusing on how such abuse leads to dysfunctional patterns of behavior in family relationships and disruptions in emotion regulation processes. Applying a Relational Family Therapy model, we consider select therapeutic implications for addressing and overcoming religious abuse and restoring functional emotion regulation processes in families.     

A Disruptive Influence? “Prevent‐ing” Problems and Countering Violent Extremism Policy in Practice

This article describes how disrupting the activities of suspected violent extremists has become an increasingly significant construct in the policy and practice of the Prevent strand of UK Counter‐Terrorism. Informed by empirical data collected during semi‐structured interviews with police officers involved in conducting disruptions and members of the communities where these occurred, blended with a limited amount of field observation, the analysis documents how and why a logic of disruption has assumed increasing prominence in counter terrorism work. In respect of police interventions in particular, implementing disruptions, rather than pursuing fully‐fledged prosecutions, represents a pragmatic way of reconciling increasing demand with limited resources, as well as managing some of the difficulties of translating intelligence into legal evidence. Conceptualized in this way, the analysis positions disruption as a distinctive mode of crime prevention; one premised upon logics of near‐event interdiction. As such, it is understood as rather different in its operations and functions to other forms of “early intervention” that are increasingly prominent in much contemporary crime prevention policy. By focusing upon how specific Prevent interventions are implemented and performed this analysis makes a particular contribution to our knowledge of counter terrorism work. This reflects the fact that most previous studies of Prevent and other countering violent extremism programs have provided analyses of community perceptions and reactions to policing and the policy frame, rather than the configuration of the interventions themselves.     

PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIATION AMONG FEMALE SUBURBAN ADOLESCENTS

The female population of a suburban high school in a Northeastern metropolitan region (n = 837) was administered the MMPI-168 and additional surveys in order to explore the relationships between scale 4 (Psychopathic Deviate) and other variables, using multivariate techniques. Results of three multiple discriminant analyses between high and normal scorers on scale 4 suggest that high scorers are typified by a variety of delinquent experiences, low self-esteem, family and residential disruptions, and personality disorder. MMPI-168 response sets are not so influential as target variables in discriminating the criterion groups.     

Sub-Seabed Carbon Sequestration: Building the Legal Platform

Under the threat of the disruptions of climate change, there is growing interest in clean coal technology in the UK. This paper reviews the technologies underpinning the capture, transportation and storage of CO₂. In the case of the UK, the storage of CO₂ is planned in the sub seabed of the North Sea Continental Shelf. This being so, the paper goes on to analyse the rapid changes made at International, EU and UK level to shape a legal framework, the contours of which, if not the precise topography, is now visibly recognisable. It explores the linkages between regimes on climate change and marine protection and it concludes that the viability of the technology may ultimately be dependent on one element of that regulatory structure, namely the EU Emissions Trading Scheme since, ultimately, the price of carbon will determine levels of investment in the technology.     

Police Response to Residential Burglaries

Residential burglaries are important disruptions of the social order and may require special work on the part of the responding law enforcement officer. This study suggests that officers in some departments use crime scene processing as a form of remedial work or negative rite after especially serious breaches of the home as a private place and territory of the self. Controlling for the dollar value of the property loss, presence of suspect leads, and victim's race and insurance coverage, we found that officers in a southern sheriff's department were we likely to call in an evidence technician to dust for prints when victims lost objects typically regarded as markers of the self and when entry involved the use of force.     

Effect of family rupture and recomposition on the children of New France

Using the biographies of nearly 10,000 children born in New France during the seventeenth century, this study looks at the phenomenon of single parenthood from the children's point of view. Since separation and divorce were uncommon during this period, marital disruptions only occurred through the death of one of the partners. In New France, half of all children witnessed the disruption of their parents' marriage before having reached emancipation. The article examines the impact on family characteristics (family size and number of emancipated children), as well as the contribution of age-ranking within the family to the likelihood that the children would live in a reconstituted family.     

Effect of family rupture and recomposition on the children of New France

Using the biographies of nearly 10,000 children born in New France during the seventeenth century, this study looks at the phenomenon of single parenthood from the children's point of view. Since separation and divorce were uncommon during this period, marital disruptions only occurred through the death of one of the partners. In New France, half of all children witnessed the disruption of their parents' marriage before having reached emancipation. The article examines the impact on family characteristics (family size and number of emancipated children), as well as the contribution of age-ranking within the family to the likelihood that the children would live in a reconstituted family.     

Continuity and change over the generations

In the German-speaking scientific community, empirically oriented family sociologists are often interested exclusively in current family situations. Only rarely is there in-depth consideration of the continued influence of familial and socio-historical contexts on individual life histories. While giving due regard to the effect of cataclysmic events and disruptions along with long-term and gradually changing patterns, this article seeks to develop a historical context that permits distinct levels of time to be identified, supporting further empirical work in family research. The closely interwoven fabric of individual and family histories is examined through the analysis of family histories and dynamics from the perspective of biographical narrators over a time span that transcends a single lifetime. The life stories of three East German women—grandmother (age 77), mother (age 49), and daughter (age 28)—give profound insights into the realities of socialism, women's professional careers, the contradictions of daily life, the upheavals attendant on the collapse of communism, and the challenges involved in the transition from socialism to capitalism.     

SCOTUS in the time of COVID: The evolution of justice dynamics during Oral arguments

We assess changes in oral arguments at the US Supreme Court precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the degree to which those changes persisted once the justices acclimated to the new procedures. To do this, we examine whether key attributes of these proceedings changed as the Court experimented with telephonic hearings and subsequently returned to in-person oral arguments. We demonstrate that the initial telephonic forum changed the dynamics of oral argument in a way that gave the chief justice new power and reconfigured justices' engagement during these proceedings. However, we also show that the associate justices adapted to this new institutional landscape by changing their behavior. The findings shed light on the consequences of significant, novel disruptions to institutional rules and norms in the government and legal system.     

The effect of publicness on the energy technology decision process

Publicness, a concept developed by public administration theorists, is a measure of government influence on an organizational process. This study examines the effect of publicness on the flow and movement of the energy technology decision process. The study finds that technology service providers have the potential for adversely affecting the technology decision process of service recipients by increasing paperwork, conflict, and decision time. The study suggests that a greater understanding of the multiple forms of publicness can help technology service providers minimize disruptions and administrative costs for service recipients. It lays the groundwork for more extensive research into how economic development agencies, state universities, federal laboratories, and other service providers affect the technology decision process of private firms.     

Obstruction in parliaments: a cross-national perspective

ABSTRACT

In legislative institutions, disruptions to the agenda and delays in processing legislation can have a significant impact on the ability of legislative majorities to realise success. Few previous studies have systematically examined parliamentary obstruction in non-U.S. settings. In this article, I investigate the extent to which obstruction occurs in parliaments around the world. The evidence, drawn from a 2016 survey of members of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) and supplemented with documentary evidence and interviews with parliamentary clerks and members of parliament in several countries demonstrates that obstructive behaviour occurs in a variety of types of national legislatures and across different political systems and institutional settings.     

Postmortem analysis of anastomotic suture line disruption following carotid endarterectomy

The tensile strength of a surgical suture is essential in maintaining the integrity of vascular anastomoses. While faulty operative technique and the loading strength of individual sutures have been implicated in spontaneous suture line disruptions, there has, to date, never been a published postmortem analysis of a suture that has known to have failed. We present the case of suture line disruption leading to fatal exsanguination in a 77-year-old man following carotid endarterectomy with a facial vein patch. Using both dissecting and scanning electron microscopy, we determined that surgical technique (an untied knot) was the cause of the suture line disruption. The removal of a broken or untied suture at surgery or at autopsy should not preclude proper analysis of the failed suture, because the results can have both medico-legal and public health implications.