Robust Community Research Articles

Discovering neglected lichen diversity with DNA-based inventories: metabarcoding lichen-forming fungi in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA

National parks and other federally designated natural areas play critical roles in preserving unique habitats, communities, and biodiversity. However, in the United States, it is estimated that 80–90% of species diversity in national parks is presently unknown. Therefore, contemporary biodiversity inventories are critical for conservation, management and establishing baselines for future comparisons. Ongoing efforts to characterize lichen diversity highlight diverse and robust communities in a number of national parks in the USA. In arid regions of the western USA facing ecological transformations, lichens can play a pivotal role for monitoring these changes. Lichen diversity in Bryce Canyon National Park (BRCA) in southern Utah, USA remains nearly completely uncharacterized, despite nearly 100 years as a federally protected area. Our study aims to provide a critical perspective into the lichen diversity of BRCA. Using a metabarcoding community sampling approach, we documented 215 candidate lichen-forming fungal species distributed across ecologically distinct sites in BRCA. At each sampled site, species richness ranged from 104 to 133 species, with no more than 20% shared species among the three sites. The limited overlap between collection sites suggests that BRCA harbors greater diversity than initially thought. We document a number of sensitive lichens, particularly Usnea spp. and Ramalina sinensis, that should be monitored as air pollution, land use, and impacts of climate change affect biological communities in the park. The inventory also includes unknown species and other species that have not been documented in the western USA. While our DNA-based inventory highlights strikingly rich lichen diversity, future voucher-based collections will be essential for robust taxonomic determinations.

Revitalizing community forestry in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia: A property right perspective

Severe deforestation, land degradation, and the lack of forest products in Ethiopia have necessitated the implementation of a community forestry program since the 1980s by mobilizing the local communities. However, there have been incidents indicating that many of the community forests are either degrading or remaining unproductive. While community forests are, in principle, the collective property of the local community, empirical evidence concerning how property rights impact their management and their role in enhancing rural livelihoods and environmental rehabilitation is lacking. This study aims to investigate the performance of community forestry through the lens of property rights and tenure security, in order to uncover the challenges impeding community forestry in Ethiopia, with a focus on community forests in the Amhara Region. The study gathered primary data on community forest management from two community forests located in East Gojam and North Wollo, using questionnaires, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and field observations. Additionally, secondary data on legal frameworks were collected from institutions involved in community forestry. The data analysis employed descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The findings of the study revealed that a majority of respondents (91%) lacked clarity regarding the objectives of establishing community forests, and about 95% claimed that community forests belong to the state. These incidents have led to diminished interest in continuing the program. The study highlighted that the community forestry program suffers from inadequate policy and legal provisions, chronic institutional instability, overlapping mandates, and limited community engagement. These factors have weakened property rights, which are reflected in tenure insecurity and the absence of individual household benefit packages. Consequently, it can be concluded that community forest interventions have been promoted based on general belief in the importance of trees for rural livelihoods and ecosystem rehabilitation, rather than as part of a deliberate and directed policy and strategy. In summary, revitalizing community forestry in Ethiopia necessitates a thorough understanding of property rights and tenure security issues. In this regard, it is imperative for government agencies to enact a clear national strategy for community forestry development and adopt a supportive role to enable communities to establish robust community forestry institutions to safeguard their rights while fostering community forestry and environmental protection activities.

Implementation of point-of-care HbA1C instruments into community pharmacies: Initial development of a pathway for robust community testing.

Point-of-care (POC) analysers in community settings can provide opportunistic and regular HbA1c monitoring. Community pharmacies in NHS Scotland are utilised by populations at greatest risk of type two diabetes (T2D). This study describes initial development of an HbA1c pathway using a POC analyser in community pharmacies. The Abbott Afinion analyser was compared in (i) NHS Tayside's Blood Sciences Service and (ii) community pharmacies from four Scottish Health Boards. A side by side comparison with standard operating procedures for HbA1c quantification using 80 T2D patient venous samples. The machine was implemented into 11 community pharmacies and 144 samples obtained from patients for comparison to their recent laboratory HbA1c. Four focus groups examined themes around the intervention and an exit questionnaire was administered. Laboratory assessment verified the efficacy of the POC test machine. The value for level 1 quality control was 44mmol/mol and the mean during testing 42.7mmol/mol. The greatest percent coefficient of variation (cv) was within-run for both levels of quality control material, at a value of 1.63% and 1.62%, respectively. The analyser performed robustly within the pharmacy assessment, with a mean difference of 1.68 and a standard deviation of 0.71 (CV 0.423). Patients with T2D reported positive experiences of using a pharmacy. The focus groups identified an appreciation of the convenience of pharmacies and of the longitudinal relationships with pharmacy staff. POC HbA1c analysers can be successfully established in community pharmacies. The target patient group responded positively to the opportunity to use a pharmacy service.

Abstract A031: Leveraging the Meharry-Vanderbilt alliance to develop a faculty affiliate program to expand cross-collaborative research

Abstract Background: Academic institutions struggle to break down research silos and boost interdisciplinary collaboration. The challenge is magnified when multiple partners seek to build research collaboratives. The Meharry-Vanderbilt-Tennessee State Cancer Partnership (MVTCP) is one of the longest-standing Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (U54 CPACHE) in the nation and includes faculty from 4 partner institutions, including 2 historically black institutions: Meharry Medical College (MMC), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), Vanderbilt University, and Tennessee State University. While this partnership has been extremely productive, a 2022 MVTCP strategic planning session indicated opportunities for deeper scientific discovery and community engagement. The Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance (MVA) is a 20+year collaboration between MMC and VUMC explicitly designed to advance clinical, translational and basic research focused on ending health disparities by developing and supporting mutually beneficial partnerships between academic centers and the community. A mixed-methods approach was employed to ascertain how the MVA could leverage its resources to further enhance the mission of the MVTCP. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 MVA stakeholders (2 MMC; 5 VUMC, 3 community partners) to identify opportunities to grow cross-institutional collaborations. Emerging themes were used to develop exploratory questions for faculty-centric focus groups. Focus groups with MMC and VUMC faculty were held to elicit barriers to collaboration and explore possible solutions. A faculty survey was designed and deployed among faculty from all 4 MVTCP institutions from April to December 2022. Results: Themes from semi-structured interviews included limited networking opportunities between institutions, need for greater community engagement, and lack of awareness of faculty development resources, scholarly opportunities, and research funding. Focus group participants (6 MMC; 7 VUMC) recommended solutions that included hosting networking events, newsletters to highlight research and community partners, and developing a resource repository. Faculty respondents to the survey (n=52) indicated their willingness to support cross-institutional capacity building by mentoring students (86.5%), connecting research and clinical colleagues (63.5%), and peer mentorship (57.7%). Faculty requested connections to resources and community organizations (82.7%), support for research and grant development (63.5%), and career development opportunities (50%). Conclusion: This project informed the MVA to actualize the Faculty Affiliate Program (FAP). FAP membership is open to faculty across all MVTCP institutions and has grown to over 75 members. This centralized resource hub facilitates collaborative research and fosters cross-institutional engagement. It is hoped that with support from the FAP, the MVTCP will continue to develop more robust cross-institutional collaborations and community partnerships designed to eliminate cancer disparities. Citation Format: Karen M. Winkfield, Jessica L. Jones, Virginia Fuqua-Meadows, Freneka F. Minter, Calandra G. Whitted, Alecia M. Fair. Leveraging the Meharry-Vanderbilt alliance to develop a faculty affiliate program to expand cross-collaborative research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A031.

Navigating Interoperability in Disaster Management: Insights of Current Trends and Challenges in Saudi Arabia

In this rapid review, we critically scrutinize the disaster management infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, illuminating pivotal issues of interoperability, global cooperation, established procedures, community readiness, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies. Our exploration uncovers a significant convergence with international benchmarks, while pinpointing areas primed for enhancement. We recognize that continual commitments to infrastructural progression and technology adoption are indispensable. Moreover, we underscore the value of robust community involvement and cross-border collaborations as key factors in bolstering disaster response capabilities. Importantly, we spotlight the transformative influence of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, in elevating the effectiveness of disaster management strategies. Our review champions in all-encompassing approach to disaster management, which entails harnessing innovative technologies, nurturing resilient communities, and promoting comprehensive disaster management strategies, encapsulating planning, preparedness, response, and recovery. As a result of our analysis, we provide actionable recommendations to advance Saudi Arabia’s disaster management framework. Our insights are timely and crucial, considering the escalating global focus on disaster response in the face of increasing disaster and humanitarian events.

Core taxa, co-occurrence pattern, diversity, and metabolic pathways contributing to robust anaerobic biodegradation of chlorophenol

It is hard to achieve robustness in anaerobic biodegradation of trichlorophenol (TCP). We hypothesized that specific combinations of environmental factors determine phylogenetic diversity and play important roles in the decomposition and stability of TCP-biodegrading bacteria. The anaerobic bioreactor was operated at 35 °C (H condition) or 30 °C (L condition) and mainly fed with TCP (from 28 μM to 180 μM) and organic material. Metagenome sequencing was combined with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing for the microbial community analysis. The results exhibited that the property of robustness occurred in specific conditions. The corresponding co-occurrence and diversity patterns suggest high collectivization, degree and evenness for robust communities. Two types of core functional taxa were recognized: dechlorinators (unclassified Anaerolineae, Thermanaerothrix and Desulfovibrio) and ring-opening members (unclassified Proteobacteria, Methanosarcina, Methanoperedens, and Rubrobacter). The deterministic process of the expansion of niche of syntrophic bacteria at higher temperatures was confirmed. The reductive and hydrolytic dechlorination mechanisms jointly lead to C–Cl bond cleavage. H ultimately adapted to the stress of high TCP loading, with more abundant ring-opening enzyme (EC 3.1.1.45, ∼55%) and hydrolytic dechlorinase (EC 3.8.1.5, 26.5%) genes than L (∼47%, 10.5%). The functional structure (based on KEGG) in H was highly stable despite the high loading of TCP (up to 60 μM), but not in L. Furthermore, an unknown taxon with multiple functions (dechlorinating and ring-opening) was found based on genetic sequencing; its functional contribution of EC 3.8.1.5 in H (26.5%) was higher than that in L (10.5%), and it possessed a new metabolic pathway for biodegradation of halogenated aromatic compounds. This new finding is supplementary to the robust mechanisms underlying organic chlorine biodegradation, which can be used to support the engineering, regulation, and design of synthetic microbiomes.

Wood biochar enhances methanogenesis in the anaerobic digestion of chicken manure under ammonia inhibition conditions

The process of breaking down chicken manure through anaerobic digestion is an effective waste management technology. However, chicken manure can be a challenging feedstock, causing ammonia stress and digester instability. This study examined the impacts of adding wood biochar and acid-alkali-treated wood biochar to anaerobically digest chicken manure under conditions of ammonia inhibition. The results highlighted that only the addition of 5 % acid-alkali-treated wood biochar by volume can achieve cumulative methane production close to the typical methane potential range of chicken manure. The treated wood biochar also exhibited highest total ammonia nitrogen removal compared to the Control treatment. Scanning Electron Microscope revealed growing interactions between biochar and methanogens over time. Real-time polymerase chain reaction showed that treated wood biochar produced the highest number of bacterial biomass. In addition, 16S amplicon-based sequencing identified a more robust archaeal community from treated biochar addition. Overall, the acid-alkali treatment of biochar represents an effective method of modifying biochar to improve its performance in anaerobic digestion.

Cultural and linguistic applicability of the English PEDS tools in a low-income community: A caregiver perspective

Background. Regular developmental surveillance using structured developmental screening tools is a proven way to effectively identify developmental delays and disabilities. Most screening tools are developed and standardised in high-income countries and then adapted and translated for low-and middle-income countries. However, cultural differences and viewpoints make it challenging to translate and adapt developmental screening tools for low-income communities.Objectives. To determine caregivers’ perspectives on linguistic and cultural appropriateness of the Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS) and the PEDS: Developmental Milestones (DM) as a first step in the adaptation process for low-income communities in South Africa.Method. Participants (N=102) were selected using convenience sampling at an immunisation clinic. We employed a survey researchdesign. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative survey feedback survey was analysed using data-driven inductive methodology.Results. On the PEDS questionnaire, 38.2% of participants indicated the term ‘development’ on question 1 was not suitable; and 51%preferred the phrase ‘sometimes worry’ more than the phrase ‘have any concerns’ for questions 2 - 9. On the PEDS:DM, 58 of the 124questions were deemed difficult. Most questions were problematic owing to cultural or linguistic differences (49 questions), while 9questions were too difficult for the child’s age. The expressive language developmental domain had the most challenges.Conclusion. The present study relied on robust community participation, enabling community-led adaptation of the PEDS tools. Items on the tools were viewed solely from a community perspective, empowering the community to be ‘experts’ in this process, ensuring greater contextual relevance and applicability of the tools, as well as generalisability to similar low-income communities.

Biosolids-Derived Biochar Improves Biomethane Production in the Anaerobic Digestion of Chicken Manure

Anaerobic digestion has attracted great interest for use in the management of organic wastes and the production of biomethane. However, this process is facing challenges, such as a high concentration of ammonia nitrogen, which affects the methanogenesis process and, thus, the production of methane. This study investigates the use of biosolid-derived biochar for mitigating ammonia stress and improving methane production during the anaerobic digestion of chicken manure, using both pristine biochar and biochar modified with a potassium hydroxide (KOH) solution. Batch mesophilic anaerobic digestion (37 °C) was carried out over 18 days. When compared to chicken-manure-only controls, a significant increase in methane formation was observed in the digesters amended with biochar and KOH-modified biochar, producing 220 L kg−1 volatile solids (VSs) and 262 L kg−1 VSs of methane, respectively, compared to 139 L kg−1 VSs from the control digesters. The use of biochar and KOH-modified biochar resulted in a significant reduction of 8 days in the lag phase. The total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentration was reduced in the digesters with biochar and KOH-modified biochar by 25% and 35.5%, respectively. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) data revealed that the number of 16S rRNA gene copies was around 50,000 and 41,000 times higher in the biochar and KOH-modified biochar digesters, respectively, compared to the control digesters on day 18. The taxonomic profiles indicated that the BC and KOH-BC digesters contained a mixture of methanogenic pathways, including acetoclastic (Methanosaetaceae), hydrogenotrophic (Methanosarcinaceae), and methylation (Methanofastidiosaceae). This mix of pathways suggests a more robust archaeal community and, hence, more efficient methanogenesis. The results show that the addition of biosolids biochar enhances anaerobic digestion, mitigates ammonia stress to methanogens, and significantly increases biogas production.

Police chief calls for community and “open minds”

The police chief of Newtown, Ohio credits the open minds of all four “pillars” involved in fighting the opioid crisis in a 16% reduction of overdose deaths last year. In an exclusive interview with ADAW this month, Chief Thomas W. Synan Jr. attributed the success to a robust community coalition that in the past few years has “connected all the pieces and built a continuing care model.”

Increased dispersal explains increasing local diversity with global biodiversity declines.

The narrative of biodiversity decline in response to human impacts is overly simplistic because different aspects of biodiversity show different trajectories at different spatial scales. It is also debated whether human-caused biodiversity changes lead to subsequent, accelerating change (cascades) in ecological communities, or alternatively build increasingly robust community networks with decreasing extinction rates and reduced invasibility. Mechanistic approaches are needed that simultaneously reconcile different aspects of biodiversity change, and explore the robustness of communities to further change. We develop a trophically structured, mainland-archipelago metacommunity model of community assembly. Varying the parameters across model simulations shows that local alpha diversity (the number of species per island) and regional gamma diversity (the total number of species in the archipelago) depend on both the rate of extirpation per island and on the rate of dispersal between islands within the archipelago. In particular, local diversity increases with increased dispersal and heterogeneity between islands, but regional diversity declines because the islands become biotically similar and local one-island and few-island species are excluded (homogenisation, or reduced beta diversity). This mirrors changes observed empirically: real islands have gained species (increased local and island-scale community diversity) with increased human-assisted transfers of species, but global diversity has declined with the loss of endemic species. However, biological invasions may be self-limiting. High-dispersal, high local-diversity model communities become resistant to subsequent invasions, generating robust species-community networks unless dispersal is extremely high. A mixed-up world is likely to lose many species, but the resulting ecological communities may nonetheless be relatively robust.

Urban regeneration and placemaking: a Digital Twin enhanced performance-based framework for Melbourne’s Greenline Project?

ABSTRACT This paper explores the integration of Urban Digital Twin (UDT) technology in Melbourne’s Greenline Project, focusing on a performance-based framework that aligns with Sustainable Development Goals and city-specific sustainability objectives. Recognising the complexities of urban ecosystems while anchoring on human-centric ‘placemaking’ – a participatory process involving the planning, design, and management of public spaces – the key capabilities and challenges in developing, implementing and applying UDTs and related technologies to achieve these objectives are reviewed and synthesised. Challenges in data collection and/or access, their use and integration into decision-making processes and capturing the dynamic interaction between physical and virtual environments, including updating UDT models are highlighted. The review emphasises the role of urban planners and stakeholders in driving UDT development and applications by better understanding and stating objectives, leveraging interdisciplinary collaboration for effective technology application, crucial for robust data management, analytics, and community contribution. International examples illustrate the potential utility of Digital Twins in enhancing urban planning, design, and operational management. The paper presents a preliminary framework to guide the further development of the Greenline Project and inform future research that is needed for improved and effective deployment and use of UDTs in other urban revitalisation projects. Practitioner pointers Urban planners have a central role in directing Urban Digital Twin technologies to address socio-economic and sustainability challenges facing cities and communities. Interdisciplinary collaboration, skills development, user-friendly technologies and sharing of real-time spatial data will drive innovation and support sustainable urban development. Developing performance frameworks will enhance planning and design practice, project monitoring and management and communications related to sustainable urban regeneration.

What We Did Then and What We Do Now: A Crisis of Digital Scholarship Champions at Binghamton University

The digital scholarship department in Binghamton University’s libraries was created in 2018 as part of a larger effort to bring digital humanities (DH) efforts to Binghamton. The initiative was largely spearheaded by one person who became one of the biggest digital scholarship (DS) champions on campus. They, along with the new DS librarian, founded a Digital Humanities Research Institute igniting the creation of smaller working groups and initiatives across campus. Our article discusses the role of DS champions on Binghamton’s campus, including the types of advantages they were able to leverage, their interests and goals for a DS community, and what happens when they leave. Champions are a well-researched phenomenon in business and health sciences spaces, but there is sparse research on DS champions, despite the fact they often share characteristics with champions’ roles in those areas. Understanding more about who champions are and what drives them would help DS communities plan for building sustainable and robust communities should their champions leave or no longer be able to participate in the communities they built.

Employing Faith-Based Contextualized Assessment to Develop Diverse Stakeholder Communities of Assessment

Effective assessment relies on comprehensive and inclusive stakeholder community building. However, developing such communities of judgement is a challenge that institutions regularly face. This argument presents faith-contextualized assessment as a powerful methodology for building robust assessment communities respecting of, and even stimulating, diversity. “Faith” is understood here to indicate an intellectual assent complemented by an act of trust, and is thereby suitable for persons of diverse beliefs, including and especially those committed to faith in the value of education. Though faith-contextualization does not refer here exclusively to religious institutions, research from the Roman Catholic higher education tradition is used to illustrate key points. This presentation has four key objectives: defining faith-contextualized assessment, identifying theoretical links between faith and assessment, applying faith-contextualized assessment as a hermeneutic (i.e., interpretive lens) to understanding stakeholder buy-in to assessment processes, and identifying strategies for applying faith-contextualized assessment to develop communities of assessment rooted in diversity.

Continental concerted efforts to control the seventh outbreak of Ebola Virus disease in Uganda: The first 90 days of the response.

On 20th September 2022, Uganda declared the 7th outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by the Sudan Ebola strain following the confirmation of a case admitted at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital. Upon confirmation, the Government of Uganda immediately activated the national incident management system to initiate response activities. Additionally, a multi-country emergency stakeholder meeting was held in Kampala; convening Ministers of Health from neighbouring Member States to undertake cross-border preparedness and response actions. The outbreak spanned 69 days and recorded 164 cases (142 confirmed, 22 probable), 87 recoveries and 77 deaths (case fatality ratio of 47%). Nine out of 136 districts were affected with transmission taking place in 5 districts but spilling over in 4 districts without secondary transmission. As part of the response, the Government galvanised robust community mobilisation and initiated assessment of medical counter measures including therapeutics, new diagnostics and vaccines. This paper highlights the response actions that contributed to the containment of this outbreak in addition to the challenges faced with a special focus on key recommendations for better control of future outbreaks.

Microalgal co-cultivation -recent methods, trends in omic-studies, applications, and future challenges.

The burgeoning human population has resulted in an augmented demand for raw materials and energy sources, which in turn has led to a deleterious environmental impact marked by elevated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, acidification of water bodies, and escalating global temperatures. Therefore, it is imperative that modern society develop sustainable technologies to avert future environmental degradation and generate alternative bioproduct-producing technologies. A promising approach to tackling this challenge involves utilizing natural microbial consortia or designing synthetic communities of microorganisms as a foundation to develop diverse and sustainable applications for bioproduct production, wastewater treatment, GHG emission reduction, energy crisis alleviation, and soil fertility enhancement. Microalgae, which are photosynthetic microorganisms that inhabit aquatic environments and exhibit a high capacity for CO2 fixation, are particularly appealing in this context. They can convert light energy and atmospheric CO2 or industrial flue gases into valuable biomass and organic chemicals, thereby contributing to GHG emission reduction. To date, most microalgae cultivation studies have focused on monoculture systems. However, maintaining a microalgae monoculture system can be challenging due to contamination by other microorganisms (e.g., yeasts, fungi, bacteria, and other microalgae species), which can lead to low productivity, culture collapse, and low-quality biomass. Co-culture systems, which produce robust microorganism consortia or communities, present a compelling strategy for addressing contamination problems. In recent years, research and development of innovative co-cultivation techniques have substantially increased. Nevertheless, many microalgae co-culturing technologies remain in the developmental phase and have yet to be scaled and commercialized. Accordingly, this review presents a thorough literature review of research conducted in the last few decades, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of microalgae co-cultivation systems that involve microalgae-bacteria, microalgae-fungi, and microalgae-microalgae/algae systems. The manuscript also addresses diverse uses of co-culture systems, and growing methods, and includes one of the most exciting research areas in co-culturing systems, which are omic studies that elucidate different interaction mechanisms among microbial communities. Finally, the manuscript discusses the economic viability, future challenges, and prospects of microalgal co-cultivation methods.

The Escalation of Informal Settlement and the High Levels of Illegal Dumping Post-Apartheid: Systematic Review

Illegal disposal of solid waste is a significant issue in many parts of the world, particularly in urban areas. Because of unprecedented urbanization, these areas are crowded, putting pressure on the already inadequate municipal services such as waste management. As municipalities fail to provide adequate and effective waste management services, the expansion and proliferation of informal settlements contribute to the problem of illegal dumping. Apartheid spatial planning produced environmentally unsustainable cities characterized by glaring disparities in municipal resource allocation, disturbingly inefficient transportation systems, and widespread urban insecurity. Therefore, this study examines how the expansion of informal settlement at an unprecedented rate contributes to illegal dumping post-apartheid by conducting a systematic review. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search from 1994 to 2023 was conducted in the field of waste management. The review focuses on three key aspects: (1) factors that contribute to illegal dumping in townships; (2) waste management laws during apartheid and post apartheid; and (3) waste collection system in townships and spatial planning. South Africa’s inequality is a major contributor to environmental degradation. The situation was exacerbated by efforts to prevent urban migration and forcefully remove black people from cities; apartheid ideology justified the dormitory-like nature of urban townships. In the South African context, the literature reveals that there is a research gap in the application of technologies and effective waste management plans to keep up with the growing number of informal settlements. Furthermore, despite progressive environmental policies, implementation has been ineffective. This study offers valuable evidence on the spatial and temporal dynamics of informal settlements, addressing both the location and time aspects. A robust government-led Community Participation in Solid Waste Management program is required immediately.

Whole person care: Outcomes from a 5-year care model integrating primary care into a behavioral health clinic.

Integrated mental and physical health care has the potential to improve health outcomes. A behavioral health organization established a reverse integration program site using a co-located model to provide primary care services to patients receiving behavioral health services. We ask whether this model of co-located care was effective in improving a range of physical health outcomes for clients. This program was funded with a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration. Patients received services in a community mental health setting that embedded primary care services. The population included adult patients with mental illness, substance use disorder (SUD), or co-occurring medical diagnoses in an urban setting. Just under half of the patients identified as non-White, and over one quarter identified as Hispanic. These characteristics demonstrate a medically complex and underserved population. This description and exploratory analysis utilized National Outcome Measures data and clinical health measures from electronic health records. We stratified data by SUD and mental illness diagnoses. We measured changes in health outcomes for this complex population of 532 patients from 2015 to 2019. From enrollment to last visit, patient outcomes improved for blood pressure and cholesterol. Conversely, waist circumference and breath carbon monoxide levels significantly worsened. This reverse integration co-location program demonstrates that positive health outcomes can be achieved through evidence-based care, adaptable clinic arrangements, and robust community connections and support. More work is needed to generate positive health outcomes in medically complex patients. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Toward a new stage for the epistemology of futures studies: Exploring social epistemology

This article aims to enhance the epistemology of futures studies by utilizing the perspective of social epistemology. Its objective is to address epistemological questions in futures studies, including the nature, sources, means of acquisition, and justification of futures knowledge. It argues that by establishing a robust scientific community, futures studies can be defended as a science within the framework of social epistemology. The social construction and institutional structure of epistemological sources for futures knowledge are as crucial as the evidence itself, and it is necessary to pay more attention to testimony as one of the sources of futures knowledge. Futures studies requires reliable knowledge production processes to acquire and justify futures knowledge.

Indications for a Franciscan Role in the Philanthropic Activities of the Early Florentine Misericordia

Abstract Scholarship on Saint Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan movement, established in the thirteenth century, surprisingly tends to ignore his response to a central message of the Church: that we must love and care for the needy among our human brethren. Jesus himself said so, nowhere more explicitly than in Matthew, chapter twenty-five. Yet Francis’s writings repeatedly manifest his familiarity with Matthew, including that chapter. Conditions in rapidly urbanizing parts of Europe during the late-medieval period such as Northern and Central Italy rendered Christ’s mandate to “love one another” especially pertinent. Charitable confraternities played a major role in mitigating human suffering during that transitional era, providing various types of assistance community-wide to disadvantaged neighbors. Archival documents confirm that such actions performed by members of the Misericordia Confraternity of Florence followed Christ’s declaration in Matthew 25 setting forth the Corporal Works of Mercy. Inscriptions and pictorial details in the Misericordia’s frescoed Allegory of Mercy of 1342 underscore this point. Other details within that painting signal a Franciscan influence upon, and presence within, the Misericordia Company, reflecting the existence of a robust Franciscan community in Florence comprising not only members of the First and Second Orders—the Friars Minor and Poor Clares, respectively—but also laypersons of the Third Order. Passages in the writings of Saint Francis and his early biographers indicate the importance that works of mercy had for the Poverello, the six named in Matthew and a seventh commonly added to that list. In particular, Francis’s experiences, pronouncements, and efforts in regard to the fourth and sixth works of mercy, clothing the naked and aiding prisoners, exemplify the charitable activities both encouraged by the saint and, almost certainly with his background, words, and deeds in mind, actually implemented by members of the Misericordia Confraternity, as articulated in their inspirational centerpiece, the Allegory of Mercy.