Previous Reviewers Research Articles

Review paper on applications of the HEC-RAS model for flooding, agriculture, and water quality simulation

ABSTRACT The Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has developed the HEC-River Analysis System (RAS) hydraulic channel flow model as part of its portfolio of hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools. HEC-RAS is a new version with capabilities to model flooding, modeling for agriculture production computations for water quality, and many more related to hydraulic modeling. The analysis components of the HEC-RAS system include one-dimensional steady flow water surface profile computations, one-dimensional and or two-dimensional unsteady flow simulation, one-dimensional and two-dimensional computations of quasi-unsteady or fully unsteady flow movable boundary sediment transport, and one-dimensional water quality analysis. The main objective of this paper is to review the use of HEC-RAS on flooding, agriculture, and water quality. The three primary components of the data input are plan data, geometry data, and flow data. Three of these scenarios applied to HEC-RAS and were proven by previous reviewers.

Surface functionalized cryogels - characterization methods, recent progress in preparation and application.

Cryogels are polymeric materials with a sponge-like microstructure and have attracted significant attention in recent decades. Research has focused on their composition, fabrication techniques, characterization methods as well as potential or existing fields of applications. The use of functional precursors or functionalizing ligands enables the preparation of cryogels with desired properties such as biocompatibility or responsivity. They can also exhibit adsorptive properties or can be used for catalytical purposes. Although a very brief overview about several functional (macro-)monomers and functionalizing ligands has been provided by previous reviewers for certain cryogel applications, so far there has been no particular focus on the evaluation of the functionalization success and the characterization methods used. This review will provide a comprehensive overview of different characterization methods most recently used for the evaluation of cryogel functionalization. Furthermore, new functional (macro-)monomers and subsequent cryogel functionalization strategies are discussed, based on synthetic polymers, biopolymers and a combination of both. This review highlights the importance of the functionalization aspect in cryogel research in order to produce materials with tailored properties for certain applications.

Export Barriers Food Product Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Based Leonidou Model in Greater Malang: Literature Study

There are 762,857 MSMEs in Greater Malang region and 60% of them are in the food sector. They have various types of innovative food products that has the potential to be exported. However, the condition of MSMEs is generally unstable because there are a lot of domestic competition with similar products that is a threat to the survival of MSMEs. Export is an opportunity to overcome this problem. The opportunity for MSME to exports their product are widely open because Indonesia has free trade agreements (FTA) with countries abroad. However, MSMEs in Greater Malang region cannot seize this opportunity. The purpose of the research is to find solutions to export barriers faced by MSMEs in Greater Malang region food products, it is hoped that overcoming these export barriers will help the MSMEs to carry out export. This study uses the Leonidou export barrier classification model, because it is a systematic and comprehensive model. The model can be expanded into several modifiers of the reality of export barriers, including: 1) previous reviewers, 2) referral sources, 3) guidance government sources MSMEs. 4) source from MSMEs. The process of identifying export barriers to MSMEs in Greater Malang region using the inquiry form is a modification, then a validity test is carried out to measure accuracy and reliability to measure the robustness of the research instrument. The data then processed using the SEM-PLS method which is a complex multivariable analysis (many constructs and indicators) simultaneously to build and test the structural equation enabler model and measurement model. The result is a model of Malang food MSME export barriers. Further, this research results are expected to be used practically by the MSMEs to develop their business towards exports. It is also expected to be utilized by the Indonesian policy makers to develop an Internationalization strategy that is more suitable for MSMEs.

Self-regulation of peer feedback quality aspects through different dimensions of experience within prior peer feedback assignments

Although peer review is a widely-used pedagogical technique, its value depends upon the quality of the reviews that students produce, and much research remains to be done to systematically study the nature, causes, and consequences of variation in peer review quality. We propose a new framework that conceptualizes five larger dimensions of peer review quality and then present a study that investigated three specific peer review quality constructs in a large dataset and further explored how these constructs change through different types of self-regulation peer reviewing experiences. Peer review data across multiple assignments were analyzed from 2,092 undergraduate students enrolled in one of three offerings of a biology course at a large public research university in the United States. Peer review quality was measured in terms of comment amount, comment accuracy, and rating accuracy; the measures of reviewing experience focused upon self-regulated learning factors such as practice, feedback, others’ modeling, and relative performance. Meta-correlation (for testing reliability, separability, and stability) and meta-regression (as a time-series analysis for testing the relationship of changes across assignments in reviewing quality with experiences as reviewer and reviewee) are used to establish the robustness of effects and meaningful variation of effects across course offerings and assignments. Results showed that there were three meaningful review quality constructs (i.e., were measured reliably, separable, and semi-stable over time). Further, all three showed changes in response to previous reviewer and reviewee experiences, but only feedback helpfulness, in particular, showed effects of all four examined types of self-regluation experiences (practice, feedback, others’ modeling, and relative performance). The findings suggest that instructors can improve review quality by providing comment prompt scaffolds that lead to longer comments as well as by matching authors with similarly performing reviewers.

What leads to online review helpfulness on e-commerce platform? Examining the moderating effect of high and low prices

Using signaling theory, this study unpacked the mechanisms through which online review information quality and reviewer information credibility influence online review helpfulness, in e-commerce context. Conducting a survey with users in Danang having read online reviews on Shopee.vn, 244 valid responses were used to evaluate the research model via PLS-SEM software. The study found that the information quality of online reviews strongly influences the helpfulness of online reviews compared to the information credibility of previous reviewers. Additionally, priced goods have a moderating effect on the relationship between online information credibility and online reviews helpfulness; and that relationship will be significant in high-priced products. This study makes a theoretical contribution to online reviews by elucidating the mechanisms of impact of review/reviewer information on reviews helpfulness and the moderating effect of product prices.

Retraction and republication: 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study

On Nov 24, 2022, The Lancet published an Expression of Concern1The Lancet EditorsExpression of concern: 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2022; 401: 90Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar about the Article 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study2Huang C Huang L Wang Y et al.6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 397: 220-232Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2236) Google Scholar by Chaolin Huang and colleagues, because of the substantive data correction request from the authors following comments from a reader, who was concerned about data and symptom questionnaire inconsistencies between this Article2Huang C Huang L Wang Y et al.6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 397: 220-232Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2236) Google Scholar and another Article, 1-year outcomes in hospital survivors with COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort study3Huang L Yao Q Gu X et al.1-year outcomes in hospital survivors with COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 398: 747-758Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (411) Google Scholar by Lixue Huang and colleagues. We commissioned a series of formal investigations into these alleged data inconsistencies. First, we invited a Chinese statistical reviewer and the former statistical reviewer who provided a review of the original version of the Article by Chaolin Huang and colleagues2Huang C Huang L Wang Y et al.6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 397: 220-232Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2236) Google Scholar to review the corrected data and the reasons for doing so. Both reviewers agreed that the changes were realistic and reasonable. Second, we contacted a clinical reviewer who saw both Articles on the 6-month2Huang C Huang L Wang Y et al.6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 397: 220-232Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2236) Google Scholar and the 12-month3Huang L Yao Q Gu X et al.1-year outcomes in hospital survivors with COVID-19: a longitudinal cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 398: 747-758Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (411) Google Scholar follow-up to assess whether the symptom questionnaires used in the 6-month and 1-year follow-up visits were different. The clinical reviewer confirmed the differences between the two questionnaires were minimal and did not preclude the comparison of the proportion of COVID-19 survivors with symptoms at 6 months and 12 months. The Chinese versions of the questionnaires have also been reviewed by all the China editors of The Lancet Group, who came to a similar conclusion. Third, we asked the China–Japan Friendship Hospital, the institute of the corresponding author of the Article,2Huang C Huang L Wang Y et al.6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort study.Lancet. 2021; 397: 220-232Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (2236) Google Scholar to assess the validity of the corrected data; the hospital organised a data review committee to go through the data and confirmed the corrected data were valid. Given these results, we invited a resubmission with the corrected data, and organised formal peer review of the fully revised paper with the corrected data by all the previous clinical reviewers and the statistical reviewer. Following the retraction guidelines4Committee on Publication EthicsRetraction guidelines.https://publicationethics.org/retraction-guidelinesDate accessed: June 6, 2023Google Scholar of The Committee on Publication Ethics, we have decided to retract the original published version of the Article and publish a corrected version using the retraction and republication process recommended in cases where substantive changes are required. • View the republished version of the article RETRACTED: 6-month consequences of COVID-19 in patients discharged from hospital: a cohort studyAt 6 months after acute infection, COVID-19 survivors were mainly troubled with fatigue or muscle weakness, sleep difficulties, and anxiety or depression. Patients who were more severely ill during their hospital stay had more severe impaired pulmonary diffusion capacities and abnormal chest imaging manifestations, and are the main target population for intervention of long-term recovery. Full-Text PDF

A scoping review of the caregiver training literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder

AbstractBoth caregiver training and the collection of social validity data are considered to be important and integral part of applied behavior analytic treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Previous reviewers have offered repeated calls for increased frequency of social validity data collection but recently, the increased understanding and focus on equitable and culturally responsive behavior analytic treatment have again highlighted the importance of social validity data collection. One recent review of behavior analytic treatments for children of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds conducted an in‐depth analysis of social validity data collection. The authors found generally vague descriptions of social validity provided as well as data collected primarily after a study was conducted. No previous caregiver training reviews have specifically evaluated socially validity data collection within the context of caregiver training nor have they evaluated cultural responsiveness of the treatments. The current scoping review evaluated general findings on caregiver training as well as expanded the scope of previous reviews by providing an analysis of social validity data collection in caregiver training and variables to consider when providing culturally responsive treatment.

Frankenstein’s Journal: Introducing the Reanimated University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology

This special issue of The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology (UWOJA) serves to relaunch the journal after a prolonged hiatus. UWOJA (formerly TOTEM) published its first volume in 1994 and in its life, has endeavored to publish exceptional pieces of creative and original research by undergraduate and graduate students in all four subfields of anthropology. Despite UWOJA’s interruption in publication (2016-2023), the journal has had a considerable impact, especially for a student-led journal, receiving nearly 600 citations across 151 articles and becoming one of the most-consulted resources on Scholarship@Western. As of January 2023, articles from UWOJA have received over 35 thousand downloads. In addition to its contributions to anthropological knowledge, UWOJA has provided opportunities for many undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the peer-review and journal publication processes. In this issue, UWOJA’s new Editorial Committee intends to highlight the collective effort of previous authors, reviewers, editors, and organizational committees by republishing a selection of the most highly cited, or currently relevant, articles from the journal’s nearly 30-year history and discussing the impact these opportunities have had on the authors’ careers. Just as Frankenstein’s creature was brought to life using a collection of repurposed parts, this issue reanimates UWOJA by compiling highlights from its past.

Bibliometric analysis of sustainability papers: Evidence from Environment, Development and sustainability.

This study aims to highlight the current trends in the literature on sustainability by applying a bibliometric review of papers on sustainability published in Environment, Development and Sustainability. Bibliometric analysis is a quantitative approach to bibliographic materials that highlights the core theoretical and empirical research on a specific field. In addition, it allows the classification of previous studies. Previous bibliometric reviewers were limited to sustainability papers in specific industries, while this study considers all papers on sustainability to provide further insights on overall sustainability topics. The analysis was based on keyword cartography analysis, bibliometric authors' citation analysis, bibliometric papers' citation analysis, bibliometric references' co-citation analysis, journals' co-citation cartography, and qualitative content analysis. A total of 997 articles on sustainability were reviewed. Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer and content analysis was performed using WordStat. Six major clusters were identified: environmental sustainability, sustainable development, urban sustainability, ecological footprint, environment, and climate change. In addition, the results reveal that Environment, Development and Sustainability has increasingly experienced important growth in research papers and citations, reflecting its significant contribution to the sustainability research field. In addition, this study presents recommendations for future research opportunities in the field of sustainability. The findings of this study have implications for sustainability research, such as the assessment of environmental and social sustainability in multinational institutional contexts and across industries as well as the examination of the impact of environmental and social sustainability on different corporate aspects and decisions. This study is the only one to review the key topics on which papers published in Environment, Development and Sustainability are focused and can be largely used for sustainability practices. This study provides an overview of how the literature on sustainability has developed, as well as a summary of the most productive authors, along with countries, organizations, and journal sources. This offers an opportunity for future research to focus on this topic.

Review And Analysis On Hybrid Control Of Fault Ride Through And Transient Stability Of Vsc-Hvdc

A steady DC-Link Voltage, a CV voltage control and a reactive power control on the basis of the previous reviewers' analysis are the goals of the VSC-HVDC connecting controller. In order to achieve these objectives, the appropriate controller is required at both VSC-HVDC terminals. This paper presents a non-linear control approach to improve the VSC-HVDC relationship's control robustness. A sliding mode control (SMC) and an integrated proportional control (PI) were used for the configuration of a hybrid controller. The hybrid controller will provide mathematical simulation. This hybrid driver provides malfunction driving and the transient reliability of the VSC-HVDC link. This paper presents a non-linear approach to control to improve the robustness of the VSC-HVDC controller. The hybrid controller configuration is a control of the sliding mode (SMC) and an integrated proportional control (PI) for a hybrid controller design. Fault ride the stability of this hybrid control unit is provided through and transient VSC-HVDC links. MATLAB and Simulink simulate the hybrid controller and increases the performance of the controller. The simulation induces a symmetrical grid-side malfunction to maintain transient stability.

Histopathological diagnosis of cutaneous melanocytic lesions: blinded and nonblinded second opinions offer similar improvement in diagnostic accuracy.

Previous studies of second opinions in the diagnosis of melanocytic skin lesions have examined blinded second opinions, which do not reflect usual clinical practice. The current study, conducted in the USA, investigated both blinded and nonblinded second opinions for their impact on diagnostic accuracy. In total, 100 melanocytic skin biopsy cases, ranging from benign to invasive melanoma, were interpreted by 74 dermatopathologists. Subsequently, 151 dermatopathologists performed nonblinded second and third reviews. We compared the accuracy of single reviewers, second opinions obtained from independent, blinded reviewers and second opinions obtained from sequential, nonblinded reviewers. Accuracy was defined with respect to a consensus reference diagnosis. The mean case-level diagnostic accuracy of single reviewers was 65.3% (95% CI 63.4-67.2%). Second opinions arising from sequential, nonblinded reviewers significantly improved accuracy to 69.9% (95% CI 68.0-71.7%; P < 0.001). Similarly, second opinions arising from blinded reviewers improved upon the accuracy of single reviewers (69.2%; 95% CI 68.0-71.7%). Nonblinded reviewers were more likely than blinded reviewers to give diagnoses in the same diagnostic classes as the first diagnosis. Nonblinded reviewers tended to be more confident when they agreed with previous reviewers, even with inaccurate diagnoses. We found that both blinded and nonblinded second reviewers offered a similar modest improvement in diagnostic accuracy compared with single reviewers. Obtaining second opinions with knowledge of previous reviews tends to generate agreement among reviews, and may generate unwarranted confidence in an inaccurate diagnosis. Combining aspects of both blinded and nonblinded review in practice may leverage the advantages while mitigating the disadvantages of each approach. Specifically, a second pathologist could give an initial diagnosis blinded to the results of the first pathologist, with subsequent nonblinded discussion between the two pathologists if their diagnoses differ.

K. Uskenbay - R. Hautala. Paired review, similar to Stalin's denunciations

The work analyzes the review of K. Uskenbay and R. Hautala attended a lecture by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Burkitbay G. Ayagan “History of the Great Nation – the Golden Horde. Lecture course. – Almaty: Litera-M, 2020. – 224 p”. The author of the lecture course responds by expressing his position on the review of his lecture course, published in № 1 (138) / 2022 in the journal of the Bulletin of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The work considers the views of colleagues on scientific positions K.Z. Uskenbay, recommendations to the reviewer are made to improve the quality of his work. B.G. Ayagan fixes and substantiates the list of claims on the quality of reviews prepared by K.Z. Uskenbay and R. Hautala. It is indicated that reviewers do not possess knowledge of the work of the Timurid chronographer Yazdi (Yazdi) and Rashid-ad-Din, quotations from which works are used by the author of the course of lectures and those who do not like it. Besides, it is marked by their ignorance of the new scientific literature, where it is reported about the burial place of Uruskhan, the common ancestor of the founders of the Kazakh Khanate Zhanybek and Kerey. The author of the book also brings out a list of reviewers, whose works, which determine the scientific value of the course of the lecture B.G. Ayagan, were published earlier and were criticized by K.Z. Uskenbay and R. Hautala. It is noted that their work was not attended by the previous reviewers of the regalia and the work on the history of the Golden Horde and post-Golden Age states, which confirm their competence in the review of research papers. The author explains his position and the history of conflict with I.V. Erofeeva, which is often referred to as K.Z. Uskenbay in the criticism of labors of B.G. Ayagan. It is noted that the whole conflict is erased by amicable understanding. Evaluating the character of the notes written by K.Z. Uskenbay and R. Hautala, the author of the lecture notes that the passage in the text of the passage review that “in the whole book skips the anti-Russian Anti-Soviet position of the author” is similar in form to the denomination and labeling of the characteristics of the totalitarian system

Book Reviewers for Volume 126

Previous article FreeBook Reviewers for Volume 126PDF Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by American Journal of Sociology Volume 126, Number 6May 2021 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/715531 Views: 79 © 2021 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

A Mobile App to Support Clinical Diagnosis of Upper Respiratory Problems (eHealthResp): Co-Design Approach

BackgroundThe misuse of antibiotics is a global public health issue that fosters bacterial resistance and jeopardizes generational health. The development of validated tools such as web-based courses and mobile apps to enhance clinical decisions in upper respiratory infections is of great importance in reducing the incorrect use of antibiotics in these situations.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to design and prevalidate the interface of a mobile app to assist and provide clinical support in the diagnosis of upper respiratory problems. We aimed to assess the adequacy and usability of the interface of the tool in the belief that it could be beneficial to health care delivery in the clinical decision setting.MethodsUsing a co-design approach that brought together professionals in interface design and experts in pharmacology and pharmacoepidemiology, the mobile app interface was evaluated through peer review sessions held by interface design professionals on a heuristic survey. The reviewers accessed a high-fidelity interactive mock-up of the interface and filled in a questionnaire to assess the dimensions of layout and visual design and navigation and tasks. The resulting feedback of this evaluation supported the redesign of the primary interface, which was assessed for the second time by 2 of the previously mentioned reviewers.ResultsWith 4 as the highest score, the interface scored a mean of 3.16 (SD 0.45; median of the means 3.2) for layout and visual design and a mean of 3.43 (SD 0.33; median of the means 3.51) for navigation and tasks, reflecting an overall positive evaluation. The open-ended commentaries allowed us to better understand specific recommendations of the reviewers. Throughout this section, approximately 0.98 comments per parameter were registered, reflecting a high level of effectiveness of the chosen parameters in identifying potential problems. The resultant beta version of the interface, addressing the majority of the detected problems, was further assessed by 2 of the previous reviewers, validating the new design. Future tests with physicians and pharmacists will help assess credibility and user experience dimensions.ConclusionsOur study revealed that the designed interface is easy to interpret and use. Peer reviewers raised important issues that could be easily fixed and positively reassessed. As a result, the study enabled us to produce a new tool for interface usability assessment and a set of recommendations for developing mobile interfaces for clinical decision support systems in the scope of upper respiratory problems.

Does the use of open, non-anonymous peer review in scholarly publishing introduce bias? Evidence from the F1000Research post-publication open peer review publishing model

As part of moves towards open knowledge practices, making peer review open is cited as a way to enable fuller scrutiny and transparency of assessments around research. There are now many flavours of open peer review in use across scholarly publishing, including where reviews are fully attributable and the reviewer is named. This study examines whether there is any evidence of bias in two areas of common critique of open, non-anonymous (named) peer review – and used in the post-publication, peer review system operated by the open-access scholarly publishing platform F1000Research. First, is there evidence of potential bias where a reviewer based in a specific country assesses the work of an author also based in the same country? Second, are reviewers influenced by being able to see the comments and know the origins of a previous reviewer? Based on over 4 years of open peer review data, we found some weak evidence that being based in the same country as an author may influence a reviewer’s decision, while there was insufficient evidence to conclude that being able to read an existing published review prior to submitting a review encourages conformity. Thus, while immediate publishing of peer review reports appears to be unproblematic, caution may be needed when selecting same-country reviewers in open systems if other studies confirm these results.

A review of peer-review for Pedobiologia – Journal of Soil Ecology

Peer-review is an integral part of the scientific process, but getting a sufficient number of busy scientists to provide constructive reviews on a manuscript can be a challenge. The majority of individuals that we polled have had experience in the last two years with having manuscripts rejected and then submitting them elsewhere and/or with receiving invitations to review the same manuscript for different journals. Many experienced these events multiple times in that period. Authors who have had manuscripts rejected from journals after review have the opportunity to improve their manuscripts in light of reviewer comments. However unless the next journal to receive the manuscript has the technical means to transfer reviews from the previous journal, most journals treat these submissions as if they had not undergone peer review. Providing authors the option to submit responses to previous reviewer comments with details about how the manuscript has been revised since rejection from the previous journal is a practical means to increase the efficiency of peer review, requiring fewer reviews and leading to more rapid publication. Pedobiologia – Journal of Soil Ecology invites authors to include previous reviewer reports and detailed responses with new submissions.

2388 Utilizing a reviewer database to facilitate integration of an investigator-focused translational research and career development program across the state of Indiana

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The Indiana CTSI is investigating innovative approaches to integrate resources that will enrich scientific investigators. Our goals are to enhance the availability and communication among CTSI resources, for example internal funding, and to expand existing mentorship. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Developed a reviewer database that serves to streamline reviewer identification, decrease reviewer fatigue, and promote collaboration among disciplines. We started with a pool of NIH-funded investigators from across the Indiana CTSI core institutions and merged this list with previous CTSI reviewers and internal funding awardees. To expand this list, names and expertise from new faculty hires were added. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Though this tool is relatively new, we have already observed an increase in junior faculty awareness and engagement with the CTSI. This database allows for increased opportunities of junior faculty to serve as reviewers and to refine grant writing skills and provides a platform for networking and collaborating across disciplines. It also allows for increased integration of programs with a shared reviewer database and promotes grant review standardization. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our database utilization seeks to decrease the time for junior faculty to obtain their first extramural grant, to enhance promotion and tenure packages, strengthen integration among CTSI programs, increase interactions between clinical and basic science investigators, and promote team science.

A View From the Bridge

A View From the Bridge

Memo to the newest generation of gene hunters: read Jay Joseph

Molecular biologists searching for the genes for schizophrenia assume the genes exist because they have faith in the schizophrenia family, twin, and adoption studies. Most textbooks and review chapters do not go back to the original material and instead rely on what previous reviewers have stated. In contrast, Jay Joseph has analyzed in great detail the primary literature. It would behoove those in search of these genes to read Joseph’s latest book.

The Standard of Living and Revolutions in Russia, 1700–1917 by Boris Mironov

Reviewed by: The Standard of Living and Revolutions in Russia, 1700–1917 by Boris Mironov Anna Nemirovskaya (bio) Boris Mironov, The Standard of Living and Revolutions in Russia, 1700–1917 ed. Gregory L. Freeze (Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2012). 668 pp., ills. Index. ISBN: 978-0-415-60854-1. Click for larger view View full resolution In this fundamental study, renowned Russian historian Boris Mironov examines the historical dynamics of the Russian Empire through the prism of evolving populations' living standards. In the preface, he promises to challenge conventional historiographic views on the dynamics and weighty factors of Russia's social and economic development. Specifically, the book is positioned as the first comprehensive study of the "anthropometric" history of imperial Russia, based on extensive archival evidence from 1700 to 1917. This voluminous 668-page study consists of ten chapters and statistical appendixes that occupy 30 percent of the book. Logically starting with general methodological chapters, the author consistently proceeds to a detailed analysis of specific indicators of the standard of living and conclusions about Russia's modernization and its population's well-being. Chapter 1 compares views on living standards in imperial Russia in domestic and international historiography and discusses their limitations, arguing the need for the historical anthropometric approach. Chapter 2 explains the basics of historical anthropometrics, its methodology, indicators, and restrictions. Chapter 3 presents the sources of anthropometric data, their representativeness, and the principles of organization in the author's database. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the biological status of the population, studied mainly based on the statistics of army recruits. Chapter 6 considers regional differences in height distribution and includes statistical analysis of geographic correlations of height, mortality, [End Page 436] and marriage. Chapter 7 reconstructs living standards through various indicators of consumption, health, and biological status. Chapter 8 examines the dynamics of wages and prices in imperial Russia, attempting to construct indexes of consumer prices and nominal and real wages. Chapter 9 presents the contemporaneous assessments of the population's standard of living. Chapter 10 generalizes the results of analysis of statistics and narrative sources in preceding chapters. It summarizes the author's views of modernization in the Russian Empire, the well-being of its population, domestic policies, and the effectiveness of the state reforms. Mironov's fundamental study transcends the research agenda and approaches of modern mainstream historiographies of imperial Russia. He offers a truly multifaceted survey of the living conditions over the period of two centuries to prove that there were no objective reasons for revolution. Mironov consistently refutes two ideas: the concept of Russia's Sonderweg and the theory that systematic crises of the imperial regime prompted revolutions. His analysis of anthropometric indicators, environmental conditions, vital statistics, consumption patterns, wages, and prices support the book's favorable assessment of the empire's development. Published six years ago, this book has already been widely discussed by scholars, so in this review I will try to avoid repeating the praise and criticism of previous reviewers. The critiques have mainly concerned certain distortions in the data analysis and misinterpretation of the primary sources. Quantitative researchers of historical dynamics have also challenged certain methodological aspects of Mironov's use of statistics.1 To be fair, tackling a multifactor problem situated at the intersection of several disciplines of social sciences and humanities makes criticism of the author's method or data analysis inevitable. The methodologically provocative nature of the study under review, however, underscores the need to follow with particular care the conventions of data analysis as the main foundation of the author's conclusions. The application of the statistical approach to the massive amount of data collected at different times and [End Page 437] using various criteria requires additional clarification of the methods of quantitative analysis employed in this book. In many cases, Mironov's argument is based on a simple comparison of data in the form of arranged statistical series in tables. Especially when the data are attributed to different time periods, it would be logical to see a graph with regression analysis or at least a correlation showing the relationship between these indicators instead of raw data. This was clearly needed in Table 2.2...