Tag: Climate Change Disinformation

Abstract

Insects are the most diverse group on earth, providing a vast array of essential functions for people and nature. Yet, our appreciation of their contributions is biased towards a few economically important taxa, especially pollinating insects like honeybees. Other taxa are less well appreciated despite the important roles they play, and these taxa are rarely (if ever) the focus of conservation initiatives. Here, we explore the role that scientists play through their interactions with the media in shaping our attitudes towards one of the least appreciated insects—the aculeate (stinging) wasps. Vespine wasps are an excellent taxonomic group for such a study as they are important predators in native ecosystems (e.g., the Northern Hemisphere—in Europe and North America) but ecologically devastating as invasive species in many regions of the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., New Zealand, Australia, South America). Despite this, global media coverage of wasps invariably focuses on and emotively exaggerates the negative defensive stinging behaviour of wasps, and almost entirely overlooks their beneficial positive roles (as pest controllers and pollinators). Wasp and bee scientists from around the world were surveyed about their interactions with the media and how they considered these interactions to influence public perceptions and insect conservation. Our surveys capture the negative-wasp and positive-bee biases experienced by scientists through their interactions with the media. We consider the implications of such biases on wasp populations, their conservation and management, and make recommendations for a more balanced portrayal of this important and diverse group of insects.

Abstract

Insects are the most diverse group on earth, providing a vast array of essential functions for people and nature. Yet, our appreciation of their contributions is biased towards a few economically important taxa, especially pollinating insects like honeybees. Other taxa are less well appreciated despite the important roles they play, and these taxa are rarely (if ever) the focus of conservation initiatives. Here, we explore the role that scientists play through their interactions with the media in shaping our attitudes towards one of the least appreciated insects—the aculeate (stinging) wasps. Vespine wasps are an excellent taxonomic group for such a study as they are important predators in native ecosystems (e.g., the Northern Hemisphere—in Europe and North America) but ecologically devastating as invasive species in many regions of the Southern Hemisphere (e.g., New Zealand, Australia, South America). Despite this, global media coverage of wasps invariably focuses on and emotively exaggerates the negative defensive stinging behaviour of wasps, and almost entirely overlooks their beneficial positive roles (as pest controllers and pollinators). Wasp and bee scientists from around the world were surveyed about their interactions with the media and how they considered these interactions to influence public perceptions and insect conservation. Our surveys capture the negative-wasp and positive-bee biases experienced by scientists through their interactions with the media. We consider the implications of such biases on wasp populations, their conservation and management, and make recommendations for a more balanced portrayal of this important and diverse group of insects.

Abstract

Background

Timely, appropriate, and equitable access to quality healthcare during pregnancy is proven to contribute to better health outcomes of birthing individuals and infants following birth. Equity is conceptualized as the absence of differences in healthcare access and quality among population groups. Healthcare policies are guides for front-line practices, and despite merits of contemporary policies striving to foster equitable healthcare, inequities persist. The purpose of this umbrella review is to identify prenatal healthcare practices, summarize how equities/inequities are reported in relation to patient experiences or health outcomes when accessing or using services, and collate equity reporting characteristics.

Methods

For this umbrella review, six electronic databases were searched (Medline, EMBASE, APA PsychInfo, CINAHL, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, and Cochrane Library). Included studies were extracted for publication and study characteristics, equity reporting, primary outcomes (prenatal care influenced by equity/inequity) and secondary outcomes (infant health influenced by equity/inequity during pregnancy). Data was analyzed deductively using the PROGRESS-Plus equity framework and by summative content analysis for equity reporting characteristics. The included articles were assessed for quality using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Systematic Reviews.

Results

The search identified 8065 articles and 236 underwent full-text screening. Of the 236, 68 systematic reviews were included with first authors representing 20 different countries. The population focus of included studies ranged across prenatal only (n = 14), perinatal (n = 25), maternal (n = 2), maternal and child (n = 19), and a general population (n = 8). Barriers to equity in prenatal care included travel and financial burden, culturally insensitive practices that deterred care engagement and continuity, and discriminatory behaviour that reduced care access and satisfaction. Facilitators to achieve equity included innovations such as community health workers, home visitation programs, conditional cash transfer programs, virtual care, and cross-cultural training, to enhance patient experiences and increase their access to, and use of health services. There was overlap across PROGRESS-Plus factors.

Conclusions

This umbrella review collated inequities present in prenatal healthcare services, globally. Further, this synthesis contributes to future solution and action-oriented research and practice by assembling evidence-informed opportunities, innovations, and approaches that may foster equitable prenatal health services to all members of diverse communities.

Abstract

Background

Timely, appropriate, and equitable access to quality healthcare during pregnancy is proven to contribute to better health outcomes of birthing individuals and infants following birth. Equity is conceptualized as the absence of differences in healthcare access and quality among population groups. Healthcare policies are guides for front-line practices, and despite merits of contemporary policies striving to foster equitable healthcare, inequities persist. The purpose of this umbrella review is to identify prenatal healthcare practices, summarize how equities/inequities are reported in relation to patient experiences or health outcomes when accessing or using services, and collate equity reporting characteristics.

Methods

For this umbrella review, six electronic databases were searched (Medline, EMBASE, APA PsychInfo, CINAHL, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, and Cochrane Library). Included studies were extracted for publication and study characteristics, equity reporting, primary outcomes (prenatal care influenced by equity/inequity) and secondary outcomes (infant health influenced by equity/inequity during pregnancy). Data was analyzed deductively using the PROGRESS-Plus equity framework and by summative content analysis for equity reporting characteristics. The included articles were assessed for quality using the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Systematic Reviews.

Results

The search identified 8065 articles and 236 underwent full-text screening. Of the 236, 68 systematic reviews were included with first authors representing 20 different countries. The population focus of included studies ranged across prenatal only (n = 14), perinatal (n = 25), maternal (n = 2), maternal and child (n = 19), and a general population (n = 8). Barriers to equity in prenatal care included travel and financial burden, culturally insensitive practices that deterred care engagement and continuity, and discriminatory behaviour that reduced care access and satisfaction. Facilitators to achieve equity included innovations such as community health workers, home visitation programs, conditional cash transfer programs, virtual care, and cross-cultural training, to enhance patient experiences and increase their access to, and use of health services. There was overlap across PROGRESS-Plus factors.

Conclusions

This umbrella review collated inequities present in prenatal healthcare services, globally. Further, this synthesis contributes to future solution and action-oriented research and practice by assembling evidence-informed opportunities, innovations, and approaches that may foster equitable prenatal health services to all members of diverse communities.

Abstract

A substantial body of social scientific research considers the negative mental health consequences of social media use on TikTok. Fewer, however, consider the potentially positive impact that mental health content creators (“influencers”) on TikTok can have to improve health outcomes; including the degree to which the platform exposes users to evidence-based mental health communication. Our novel, influencer-led approach remedies this shortcoming by attempting to change TikTok creator content-producing behavior via a large, within-subject field experiment (N = 105 creators with a reach of over 16.9 million viewers; N = 3465 unique videos). Our randomly-assigned field intervention exposed influencers on the platform to either (a) asynchronous digital (.pdf) toolkits, or (b) both toolkits and synchronous virtual training sessions that aimed to promote effective evidence-based mental health communication (relative to a control condition, exposed to neither intervention). We find that creators treated with our asynchronous toolkits—and, in some cases, those also attending synchronous training sessions—were significantly more likely to (i) feature evidence-based mental health content in their videos and (ii) generate video content related to mental health issues. Moderation analyses further reveal that these effects are not limited to only those creators with followings under 2 million users. Importantly, we also document large system-level effects of exposure to our interventions; such that TikTok videos featuring evidence-based content received over half a million additional views in the post-intervention period in the study’s treatment groups, while treatment group mental health content (in general) received over three million additional views. We conclude by discussing how simple, cost-effective, and influencer-led interventions like ours can be deployed at scale to influence mental health content on TikTok.

Abstract

A substantial body of social scientific research considers the negative mental health consequences of social media use on TikTok. Fewer, however, consider the potentially positive impact that mental health content creators (“influencers”) on TikTok can have to improve health outcomes; including the degree to which the platform exposes users to evidence-based mental health communication. Our novel, influencer-led approach remedies this shortcoming by attempting to change TikTok creator content-producing behavior via a large, within-subject field experiment (N = 105 creators with a reach of over 16.9 million viewers; N = 3465 unique videos). Our randomly-assigned field intervention exposed influencers on the platform to either (a) asynchronous digital (.pdf) toolkits, or (b) both toolkits and synchronous virtual training sessions that aimed to promote effective evidence-based mental health communication (relative to a control condition, exposed to neither intervention). We find that creators treated with our asynchronous toolkits—and, in some cases, those also attending synchronous training sessions—were significantly more likely to (i) feature evidence-based mental health content in their videos and (ii) generate video content related to mental health issues. Moderation analyses further reveal that these effects are not limited to only those creators with followings under 2 million users. Importantly, we also document large system-level effects of exposure to our interventions; such that TikTok videos featuring evidence-based content received over half a million additional views in the post-intervention period in the study’s treatment groups, while treatment group mental health content (in general) received over three million additional views. We conclude by discussing how simple, cost-effective, and influencer-led interventions like ours can be deployed at scale to influence mental health content on TikTok.

Abstract

In settler colonial societies such as Australia, democracy has its origins in colonisation and so this influences educational structures, policies and what is taught every day in classrooms. The current national education vision, the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration (Education Council Secretariat, 2019) states that a purpose of education is to create “a socially cohesive society that values respects and appreciates different points of view and cultural, social linguistic, and religious diversity” (p. 5), framing key democratic principles as central to this work. Paradoxically, as the corporate-style education agenda continues to narrow and limit an already Eurocentric, monocultural curriculum, and performance-manage teachers, democratic approaches such as critical thinking, problem-solving and experiential learning are at risk. In October 2023, the Australian people were asked to vote on altering the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander “Voice” to parliament. The Voice to Parliament would have provided greater representation in parliamentary processes and political decision making on matters impacting Indigenous peoples interests and rights (Fredericks, 2023, p. 125). The divisive debate and vilification of Indigenous Australians that preceded the referendum and resulted in a resounding “No” vote, reflects the historical failure of the education system to prepare students for active and informed citizenship. Learning from Country (LFC), where knowledges shared by Aboriginal peoples and Country are positioned as central to understanding this country, suggests a way in which we might decolonise Australian education and address the social, cultural and environmental issues facing all citizens. This paper discusses Country-centred learning where teacher educators and preservice teachers learn from Country through walking with and listen to Aboriginal community-based educators to develop the pedagogical skills needed to implement a participatory democratic approach in their classrooms. LFC supports opportunities to story Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing into curriculum and pedagogy using a framework to guide teachers in ways that respect multiple local community perspectives to build cohesive school communities.

Abstract

Disaster operations management (DOM) seeks to mitigate the harmful impact of natural disasters on individuals, society, infrastructure, economic activities, and the environment. Due to the increasing number of people affected worldwide, and the increase in weather-related disasters, DOM has become increasingly important. In this survey, we focus on the post-disaster stage of DOM that involves response operations. We review studies that propose optimization models to supporting the following four relief logistics operations: (i) relief items distribution, (ii) location of relief facilities and temporary shelters, (iii) integrated relief items distribution and shelter location, and (iv) transportation of affected population. Optimization models from 127 articles published between 2013 and 2022, focusing on relief logistics operations during natural disasters, are categorized by disaster type and thoroughly analyzed. Each model provides a case study illustrating its application in addressing key relief logistics operations. We also analyse the extent to which these studies address the critical assumptions and methodological gaps identified by Galindo and Batta (Eur J Oper Res 230:201–211, 2013), Caunhye et al. (Socio-econ Plan Sci 46:4–13, 2012), and Kovacs and Moshtari (Eur J Oper Res 276:395–408, 2019) and the neglected research directions noted by the authors of other relevant review papers. Based on our findings, we provide avenues for potential future research. Our analysis shows a slow increase in the total number of papers published until 2018–2019 and a sharp decrease afterwards, the latter most likely as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the papers in our selection concern earthquakes while less than ten papers deal with wildfires, cyclones, or tsunamis. The majority of the stochastic optimization models consider uncertainty in the demand and supply of relief items, while some other crucial sources of uncertainty such as funding availability and donations of relief items (e.g., blood products) remain understudied. Furthermore, most of the papers in our selection fail to incorporate key characteristics of disaster relief operations such as its dynamic nature and information updates during the response phase. Finally, a large number of studies use exact commercial software to solve their models, which may not be computationally efficient or practical for large-scale problems, specifically under uncertainty.

Abstract

Disaster operations management (DOM) seeks to mitigate the harmful impact of natural disasters on individuals, society, infrastructure, economic activities, and the environment. Due to the increasing number of people affected worldwide, and the increase in weather-related disasters, DOM has become increasingly important. In this survey, we focus on the post-disaster stage of DOM that involves response operations. We review studies that propose optimization models to supporting the following four relief logistics operations: (i) relief items distribution, (ii) location of relief facilities and temporary shelters, (iii) integrated relief items distribution and shelter location, and (iv) transportation of affected population. Optimization models from 127 articles published between 2013 and 2022, focusing on relief logistics operations during natural disasters, are categorized by disaster type and thoroughly analyzed. Each model provides a case study illustrating its application in addressing key relief logistics operations. We also analyse the extent to which these studies address the critical assumptions and methodological gaps identified by Galindo and Batta (Eur J Oper Res 230:201–211, 2013), Caunhye et al. (Socio-econ Plan Sci 46:4–13, 2012), and Kovacs and Moshtari (Eur J Oper Res 276:395–408, 2019) and the neglected research directions noted by the authors of other relevant review papers. Based on our findings, we provide avenues for potential future research. Our analysis shows a slow increase in the total number of papers published until 2018–2019 and a sharp decrease afterwards, the latter most likely as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of the papers in our selection concern earthquakes while less than ten papers deal with wildfires, cyclones, or tsunamis. The majority of the stochastic optimization models consider uncertainty in the demand and supply of relief items, while some other crucial sources of uncertainty such as funding availability and donations of relief items (e.g., blood products) remain understudied. Furthermore, most of the papers in our selection fail to incorporate key characteristics of disaster relief operations such as its dynamic nature and information updates during the response phase. Finally, a large number of studies use exact commercial software to solve their models, which may not be computationally efficient or practical for large-scale problems, specifically under uncertainty.

Abstract

Social alignment is supported by the brain’s reward system (ventral striatum), presumably because attaining synchrony generates feelings of connectedness. However, this may hold only for aligning with generous others, while aligning with selfishness might threaten social connectedness. We investigated this postulated asymmetry in an incentivized fMRI charitable donation task. Participants decided how much of their endowment to donate to real charities, and how much to keep for themselves. Compared to a baseline condition, donations significantly increased or decreased in function of the presence of descriptive norms. The fMRI data reveal that processing selfish norms (more than generous ones) recruited the amygdala and anterior insula. Aligning with selfish norms correlated on average with reduced activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and, at the individual level, with decreasing activity in the ventral striatum (VS). Conversely, as participants aligned more with generous norms, they showed increasing activity in the LPFC and, on average, increased activity in the VS. This increase occurred beyond the increased VS activity which was also observed in the baseline condition. Taken together, this suggests that aligning with generosity, while effortful, provides a “warm glow of herding” associated with collective giving, but that aligning with selfishness does not.